Revenue from goods and services related to environmental protection rose by 11.4% in Germany in 2023, to €119.7 billion, according to the country’s federal statistics office (Destatis).
The number of ‘green jobs’ also increased in the period, rising by 7.7% to 405,300, while industrial investments in environmental protection amounted to €17.8 billion.
The climate protection sector generated the biggest share of revenue, the data showed, of €71.0 billion, an increase of 15.1%. This included €34.2 billion from renewable energy activities – especially onshore wind power, which alone accounted for €12.5 billion – as well as €33.9 billion from energy efficiency and conservation measures. Thermal building insulation alone generated €11.5 billion.
Air pollution control was another major environmental sector, generating €23.3 billion in revenue, followed by wastewater management, which generated €11.2 billion. Electromobility, which falls under the bracket of air pollution control, generated €11.4 billion in revenue alone.
Manufacturing sector
Manufacturing companies were responsible for three-quarters (74.8%) of all environmental revenues (€89.6 billion) in the period, with mechanical engineering (€26.1 billion) and motor vehicle and component manufacturing (€14.0 billion) the biggest sectors therein. Construction generated revenue of €14.6 billion, while services added €10.5 billion.
The manufacturing sector also accounted for the majority of ‘green jobs’, accounting for close to two thirds (65.2%), or 264,300 people. Some 81,900 green jobs were in the construction sector (20.2% of the total), while 51,000 were in services (12.6%).
Environmental protection
Industrial companies invested €17.8 billion in environmental protection measures during the year, with €7.5 billion going towards toward climate protection, including €4.6 billion in renewable energy and €2.0 billion in energy efficiency improvements. Another €7.4 billion was invested in wastewater and waste management, while €1.6 billion was spent on air pollution control.
In addition to capital investments, industrial companies spent €516 million on leasing new environmental protection equipment. A majority of this (59.1%) was for electromobility, while 19.5% supported climate protection projects such as photovoltaic systems. Read more here.
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