Creating products and services that satisfy individual and community needs is impossible without raw materials. This study takes a novel approach by integrating the economic dynamics and raw material consumption indicators of the European Union (EU). The study uses different econometric methods to analyze the relationship between GDP (gross domestic product) and the EU’s raw material consumption (RMC) from 2014–2023. Among the results, the panel data analysis model shows that the resource productivity of the EU improved during the period under review, whereas the material intensity decreased significantly. These trends significantly contributed to the relative decoupling of material consumption from GDP in the last decade. The results of the K-means cluster analysis highlight the regional economic differences within the EU. According to the results of the correlation analysis, EU member countries differ significantly in the efficiency of raw material use. Nevertheless, five member countries are robustly vulnerable to large-scale raw material use. The divergence calculation results show that while some countries use raw materials extremely efficiently to produce GDP, others achieve low efficiency. This unique approach and the resulting findings provide a new perspective on the complex relationship between economic growth and raw material use in the EU.

This paper investigates the factors influencing credit growth in Kosovo, focusing on the relationship between credit activity and key economic variables, including GDP, FDI, CPI, and interest rates. Its analysis targets loans issued to businesses and households in Kosovo, employing a VAR model integrated into a VEC model to investigate the determinants of credit growth. The findings were validated using OLS regression. Additionally, the study includes a normality test, a model stability test (Inverse Roots AR Characteristic Polynomial), a Granger causality test for short-term relationships, and variance decomposition to analyze variable shocks over time. This research demonstrates that loan growth is primarily driven by its historical values. The VEC model shows that, in the long run, economic growth in Kosovo leads to less credit growth, showing a negative link between it and GDP. Higher interest rates also reduce credit growth, showing another negative link. On the other hand, more foreign direct investment (FDI) increases credit demand, showing a positive link between credit growth and FDI. The results show that loans and inflation (CPI) are positively linked, meaning higher inflation leads to more credit growth. Similarly, more foreign direct investment (FDI) increases credit demand, showing a positive link between FDI and credit growth. In the long term, higher inflation is connected to greater credit growth. In the short term, the VAR model suggests that GDP has a small to moderate effect on loans, while FDI has a slightly negative effect. In the VAR model, interest rates have a mixed effect: one coefficient is positive and the other negative, showing a delayed negative impact on loan growth. CPI has a small and negative effect, indicating little short-term influence on credit growth. The OLS regression supports the VAR results, finding no effect of GDP on loans, a small negative effect from FDI, a strong negative effect from interest rates, and no effect from CPI. This study provides a detailed analysis and adds to the research by showing how macroeconomic factors affect credit growth in Kosovo. The findings offer useful insights for policymakers and researchers about the relationship between these factors and credit activity.

The paper analyzes the corporate carbon emissions and GDP contributions of the top ten companies by turnover for 2020–2023 in Germany, South Korea, China and the United Kingdom. Focusing on Scope 1, 2, and 3, the study explores the contribution of these companies to carbon intensity across different sectors and economies. The analysis shows that there are significant gaps in carbon efficiency, with the UK’s and Germany’s firms emitting the lowest emissions per unit of GDP contribution, followed by China and South Korea. Additionally, the study further examines the impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty on both firm carbon intensity and economic productivity. While EPU is positively associated with GDP contributions, its impact on emissions is nuanced. Firms apparently respond to policy uncertainty by increasing energy efficiency in direct (Scope 1) and energy-related (Scope 2) emissions but find it more difficult to manage supply chain emissions (Scope 3) in that case. The results point out the critical role of comprehensive ESG reporting frameworks in enhancing transparency and addressing Scope 3 emissions, which remain the largest and most volatile component of corporate carbon footprints. The paper then emphasizes the importance of standardized ESG reporting and bespoke policy intervention for promoting sustainability, especially in carbon-intensive industries. This research contributes to the understanding of how industrial and policy frameworks affect carbon efficiency and economic growth in different national contexts.