The Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) 
until 2008: Eco-Industries

The goal is to get from EU countries for the future harmonized, detailed data at national level that will enable to analyse economic growth, employment potential, exports and value added of the EGSS. For the current report, the data for 2009 have been thoroughly revised.

In 2010 the environmental goods and services sector (EGSS) generated a turnover of €33.7 billion, 188 505 people were employed. 57.5% of these eco-employees were engaged in environmental protection activities, this related to 38.6% of turnover. 61.4% of turnover was conducted by 42.5% of employees with resource management activities. 40.0% of employees worked 2010 in the service sector with 40.5% of turnover. Adapted goods generated 36.4% of turnover (41.0% of employment) and connected goods 4.1% of turnover (3.6% of employment). End-of-pipe technologies amounted to 3.6% of turnover (3.1% of employment); integrated (clean) technologies generated 14.0% of turnover (9.3% of employment) of the EGSS.

The management of energy resources is an important field of activity of the EGSS: around 35% of the eco-employees (almost 65 500 persons) generated 2010 49.5% of the environmental turnover (about €16.7 billion). A wide range of activities is summarized under this domain: e.g. the production of renewable energy, renewable energy technologies, low energy buildings and the insulation of buildings. The protection and remediation of soil, groundwater and surface water covers for example organic farming as an adapted good (26.4% employment, 9.7% turnover of the EGSS). The environmental activities wastewater and waste treatment generated each with about 10% essential shares of turnover and employment as well.

The data collection handbook “The Environmental Goods and Services Sector” excludes the wholesale and retail trade of environmental technologies and products to reduce the risk of double counting and overestimation of the EGSS turnover issued from the distributors. These problems occur mainly for turnover but barely for employment figures. Therefore the persons employed for selling environmental products were estimated approximately: in Austria – if wholesale and retail trade is included – 209 806 “green jobs” are measured for 2010.

In the years 2008 and 2007 the former eco-industries generated €11.6 billion and €11.2 billion, respectively and employed roughly 86 600 and 81 500 persons, respectively. The data related to environment-friendly goods, services and construction. Guidelines issued by the OECD and EUROSTAT constituted the basis for the data calculations. The greater share of economic output, namely €7.6 billion and €7.3 billion respectively, was generated by services, viz. the predominant areas of wastewater and waste management. The areas concerned with the production of plants and equipment, technologies and specific materials (€2.3 billion and €2.1 billion) and construction (€1.8 billion and €1.7 billion) also contributed to the “eco-industries” output. The report on eco-industries was compiled the last time for the reporting year 2008.