The article explores how our use of minerals impacts the environment, measured through something called "environmental footprints". By using models to track where minerals are extracted, processed, and used, researchers found that this leads to varying environmental footprints around the world. Traditional methods like the ecological footprint don't fully consider these impacts. Lifecycle assessments are now commonly used to understand the overall environmental effects. A new method called product environmental footprint aims to accurately measure this impact in all EU countries. Since the 2000s, models have helped show the environmental, social, and economic effects of global trade through multi-regional input-output analysis.