The material footprint, also referred to as raw material consumption (RMC), represents the demand for the extraction of materials (minerals, metal ore, biomass and fossil energy materials) induced by consumption of goods and services within a geographical reference area. Data for material footprints stem from material flow accounts, which model the flows of natural resources from the environment into the economy. They include domestic extraction of materials measured in tonnes of gross material (for example, gross ore or gross harvest) as well as estimated imports and exports of the raw material equivalents of the products traded (domestic and abroad extraction required to produce the traded products). RMC thus measures the amount of extraction needed to produce the goods demanded by final users in the geographical reference area, irrespective of where in the world the material extraction took place. 

The indicator quantifies the worldwide demand for material extractions (biomass, metal ores, non-metallic minerals and fossil energy materials/carriers) triggered by consumption and investment by households, governments and businesses in the EU. Raw material consumption indicator (RMC) is a measure of material footprints. It represents the amount of material in terms of Raw materials equivalent (RME) needed (or, the amount of extraction, domestic and abroad, required directly and indirectly) to produce the products consumed in the geoFigureical reference area. It is calculated as Raw material input (RMI) minus exports in RME (calculated at the aggregate product level, by material). The indicator RMC gives insight into the quantity and type of materials required to meet the EU's demand for products.