Σύγκριση μεθόδων

	Ανάλυση Ροών Υλικών (MFA)	Λογιστική Οικολογικού Αποτυπώματος	Ανάλυση Κύκλου Ζωής (LCA)
Πεδίο	Βιωσιμότητα	Βιωσιμότητα	Βιωσιμότητα
Οικογένεια	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
Έτος προέλευσης	2004	1996	2009
Δημιουργός	Brunner & Rechberger	Mathis Wackernagel & William Rees	ISO 14040 framework; Finnveden et al.
Τύπος	Quantitative systems accounting method	Environmental accounting indicator	Environmental impact accounting pipeline
Θεμελιώδης πηγή	Brunner, P. H., & Rechberger, H. (2004). Practical Handbook of Material Flow Analysis. Lewis Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-56670-604-9	Wackernagel, M., & Rees, W. (1996). Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth. New Society Publishers. ISBN: 978-0-86571-312-3	Finnveden, G., et al. (2009). Recent developments in life cycle assessment. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(1), 1–21.
Εναλλακτικές ονομασίες	Substance Flow Analysis, Bulk-MFA, Material Flux Analysis, Malzeme Akış Analizi	EFA, Ecological Footprint Analysis, Biocapacity Accounting, Ekolojik Ayak İzi	Life Cycle Analysis, Cradle-to-Grave Analysis, Ecobalance, Yaşam Döngüsü Değerlendirmesi
Συναφείς	3	2	3
Σύνοψη	Material Flow Analysis (MFA) is a systematic method for quantifying the flows and stocks of materials within a defined system boundary over a specified time period. Introduced comprehensively by Paul H. Brunner and Helmut Rechberger in their 2004 handbook, MFA applies mass-balance principles to track how raw materials, products, wastes, and emissions move through industrial, urban, or national metabolisms, enabling evidence-based resource management and waste policy.	Ecological Footprint Accounting (EFA) is a resource accounting framework that measures how much biologically productive land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates. Introduced by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in 1996, it compares human demand on nature against Earth's regenerative capacity, expressed in standardized global hectares (gha).	Life Cycle Assessment is a systematic, ISO-standardized methodology for quantifying the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service across its entire life span — from raw material extraction through production, use, and end-of-life disposal. Codified in ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, and comprehensively reviewed by Finnveden et al. (2009), LCA enables decision-makers to compare alternatives, identify environmental hotspots, and support eco-design, with applications spanning products, buildings, energy systems, and public policy.