Economic Factor Environmental Protection: E-Mobility Also Contributes to Sustainable Value Creation
In 2022, enterprises in the manufacturing and service sectors in Germany generated 107.5 billion euros in revenues from goods and services for environmental protection. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), revenues increased by 16.9% compared to the previous year. This continued the trend of significantly rising revenues in this area. The number of "green jobs," i.e., employees who produced and provided goods and services for environmental protection, grew by 10.3% (+35,000) to 376,000 employees (measured in full-time equivalents). Investments by the industry (manufacturing excluding construction) in environmental protection in 2022 amounted to 13.9 billion euros. The ongoing expenses of the industry to meet environmental standards totaled 43.8 billion euros.
Almost 62 billion euros in revenue in the area of climate protection
The highest revenues were, as in previous years, generated in the environmental area of climate protection, amounting to 61.7 billion euros in 2022. The most significant pillars of climate protection included measures to improve energy efficiency and save energy (30.7 billion euros) and measures to use renewable energy (28.9 billion euros). For example, revenues of 12.0 billion euros were achieved from building insulation, and 11.0 billion euros from goods and services in the area of onshore wind energy.
Apart from climate protection, air pollution control and wastewater management were the next highest revenue-generating environmental areas. Air pollution control generated revenues of 21.1 billion euros in 2022, followed by wastewater management with 10.7 billion euros. For instance, 9.1 billion euros were generated from goods and services in electromobility, and 6.5 billion euros from the production and installation of sewer systems. Approximately three-quarters (75.7%) of environmental revenues, amounting to 81.3 billion euros, were generated by manufacturing enterprises. The most important sector was mechanical engineering, with revenues of 23.3 billion euros, followed by the manufacture of electrical equipment with 11.8 billion euros. Additionally, 11.9 billion euros were generated in the construction industry and 10.0 billion euros in the service sector from environmental revenues.
Of the 376,000 employees in "green jobs" in 2022, nearly two-thirds (245,000 or 65.2%) worked in the manufacturing sector. In the construction industry, 74,000 (19.8%) and in the service sector, 50,000 (13.2%) employees were working for environmental protection.
Industry invests 2.4 billion euros in the use of renewable energy
In 2022, the industry invested a total of 13.4 billion euros in capital investments for environmental protection (e.g., technical equipment and machinery). Of this, enterprises deployed nearly half (49.7%) with 6.7 billion euros in the environmental areas of wastewater and waste management. For instance, companies invested 4.4 billion euros in facilities to reduce wastewater volumes.
In the environmental area of climate protection, capital investments amounted to 5.0 billion euros. This included investments of 2.4 billion euros (48.6%) in measures for the use of renewable energy and 1.9 billion euros (38.6%) in measures to improve energy efficiency and save energy. Of the remaining capital investments for environmental protection, 1.3 billion euros (9.7%) were allocated to air pollution control, of which 423 million euros (32.6%) went to electromobility, including the purchase of electric or hybrid vehicles and the corresponding charging infrastructure.
In addition to capital expenditures, industrial companies spent 317 million euros on newly leased and rented tangible assets for environmental protection for the first time. Of this, 58.7% was invested in electromobility (e.g., leasing of electric vehicles) and 17.4% in climate protection (e.g., renting of photovoltaic systems). Another 115 million euros of investments for environmental protection were made in intangible assets. This includes, among other things, environmental software used as a digital control tool for environmental and sustainability management (e.g., software for greenhouse gas or waste management). When looking at the distribution of environmental protection investments across sectors, the majority of these investments in 2022 were made by companies in the supply and disposal industry, which accounted for more than two-thirds (69.1%) of the total 9.3 billion euros in environmental protection investments.
Ongoing expenditures mainly for the operation of environmental protection systems and facilities
With 33.9 billion euros, companies in 2022 spent more than three-quarters (77.3%) of their ongoing expenditures for environmental protection on the operation of environmental protection systems and facilities. Among these, expenses for personnel at 7.0 billion euros and for external services for maintenance, analysis, and measurements on environmental protection systems at 5.8 billion euros were the most significant items. The remaining 22.7% or 10.0 billion euros of ongoing expenditures was allocated to fees, contributions, and other non-system-related expenses.
If we differentiate the ongoing expenditures by environmental areas, companies spent slightly less than half (44.0% or 19.3 billion euros) on waste management, disposal, and recycling. This includes the extraction of raw and building materials by companies of the Dual System or energy generation from waste. Climate protection accounted for 10.2 billion euros or 23.3% of the companies' ongoing expenditures, and measures for wastewater management accounted for 9.6 billion euros or 21.9%.
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