raw material consumption

The developed countries depend on a stable supply of raw materials for their industries. Total resource requirements are increasing rapidly over the entire world. In developed countries, although population is increasing slowly, per capita use is increasing rapidly, while the opposite is happening in developing countries. Traditionally raw materials have been classified as non-renewable resources, but a distinction may be important between "loosable" resources, such as oil and coal, and "non-loosable" resources, such as metals, which can be used several times over by recycling processes. (Source: WPR)