Mass and energy balances were made from statistical information for the material flows and energy turn-over from raw material to products end-use for three categories of products in Sweden; paper, steel and petroleum. These were used to establish per capita resource need and environmental load fot three different product areas. A general impression from the results is that mateiral and energy analyses could be a valuable tool in the work to obtain a sustainable development. There is a need for more complete and homogeneous collection and stroage of informationa s well as a compilation of data on specific substances of great environmental concern. The results from the analysis suggest that (1) the pulo and paper sector may with relatively moderate changes be regardes as a sustainalbe industrial activity; (2) the steel sector has a sustainability problem regarding the supply of alloying metals and the consumption of coal and (3) the petroleum sector in its present form must both from a resource depletion and environmental impact point of view be seriously questioned in a discussion on how to reach a sustainable development. The differences between the three sectors studied were so great that the results obtained should have a genereal relevance for countries with a similar consumption pattern