Total material consumption
The Total Material Consumption Index ( TMC ) is an economic indicator. It is a measure of the resources and materials used in an economic system. Resources that are indirectly involved, for example imports, are also taken into account.
In contrast to the Total Material Requirement (TMR), the TMC does not include any resources or materials whose products are intended for export. The value is therefore always lower than the TMR.
Using the TMC, it is possible to differentiate between qualitative and quantitative growth in an economy. The quantitative growth only takes into account the change in gross domestic product over time and not the sustainability of development.
The qualitative growth can be negative in spite of the increased GDP, if the consumption of resources as measured by the TMC has increased more. It is stronger the greater the decrease in TMC and the greater the increase in GDP.