MFCA is a relatively new tool designed to support decisions that
will lead to improved economic and environmental performance
via the explicit recognition of material and energy flows within
business operations, as well as a greater understanding of how
these flows relate to different areas of business expense. The potential
importance of MFCA as a business tool has recently been
recognised with the release of ISO 14051: Material Flow Cost Accounting.
Given this development it was suggested that the future
will see increased interest given to MFCA by both academics and
organisations from around the world. Thus, this article takes stock
of what is currently known about MFCA, and what needs to be
known, in order to ensure promotional and research efforts are
directed towards the areas where they will make the greatest
difference.