Environmental industry statistics
COUNTRIES FACT SHEETS
for
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EUROSTAT
Directorate E: Agriculture and environment statistics; Statistical cooperation
Unit E3: Environment statistics
ICEDD - Institut de Conseil et d'Etudes en Développement Durable asbl
Boulevard Frère Orban, 4 à 5000 NAMUR - Belgium
Tél : +32.81.25.04.80 - Fax : +32.81.25.04.90 - E-mail :
CONTENT
1 Available data 5
1.1 The sources 5
1.2 The variables 6
2 Methodological routines 6
2.1 Building a list of goods 7
2.2 Classification 7
2.3 Identification of the population 7
2.4 Data collection 8
3 Further developments 10
Appendix 1: German answer to the questionnaire 11
Appendix 2: the German questionnaire 14
Environmental Goods and Services Sector statistics in Germany
Introduction
The visit in Germany took place on the 6th of November. It was organised in order to discuss about the German methodology in the data collection and estimation concerning the Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS).
A questionnaire related to the methodology used was filled out by Germany before the visit in order to prepare the discussion. The German answer to the questionnaire can be found in Appendix 1 with a copy of the questionnaire and the list of products used to identify the environmental goods and services and thus the population of EGSS in Germany.
The agenda for this meeting was:
1. How to find the population of EGSS in Germany
2. Methodology to estimate turnover of EGSS
3. Methodology to estimateexports of EGSS
4. Methodology to estimateemployment of EGSS
5. Draft WTO list of goods
6. Trade on services
7. The compilation guideon EGSS
8. The standard tables
9. Any other business
The information gathered during the in-country visit is presented in the following chapters.
1 Available data
1.1 The sources
Since 1996 Germany has a survey addressed to the producers of environmental goods and services. This survey is organised in a decentralised way in the sense that the Federal Statistics Office (FSO) is responsible for harmonise methods and producing the questionnaires and publications while the 16 statistical offices of the Länders do the practical part of the survey (i.e. looking for the units to which to address the survey, collecting and validating data).
1.2 The variables
The survey is addressed to the main producers of environmental goods and services. The environmental protection refers to goods, construction operations and services serving the purpose of emission reduction.
Emission reduction is the avoidance, reduction or removal of damaging influences on the environment caused by production and consumption. They refer to the environmental areas of “waste management”, “water protection”, “noise abatement”, “air quality control”, “nature and landscape conservation”, “soil decontamination” and “climate protection”. Not included are goods, construction operations and services for safety at work
All relevant producers have to report about their turnover generated with environmental product, the part achieved with domestic customers and the part with foreign customers (thus the German survey give the possibility to have exports data).
The turnover indicated by producers is the only one achieved by them and thus does not include the turnover achieved by sub-contractors or other non-environmental products. The turnover is asked by environmental product.
Total of the final invoiced amounts (excl. VAT) regarding the deliveries and services for third parties invoiced in the reference year– irrespective of the time when the payment was received – including excise duties and separately invoiced costs of freight, postage, packaging, etc. Producers are also asked to indicate proceeds from deliveries and services for legally independent affiliated and sales companies. Discounts directly granted should be subtracted.
Environmental employment is also asked. No differentiation for the gender of the employees is done, neither by environmental domains.
2 Methodological routines
The Federal Statistics Office uses a supply-side method to gather data on EGSS. The collection of data concentrates thus on the supply of goods and services for environmental protection and resources management. The method used to build up the German environmental sector survey and gather data can be described in several steps:
- Building a list of goods, services and construction works for environmental purposes (by the central statistical office)
- Classification of these goods, services and construction works by environmental domains (by the central statistical office);
- Identification of the population (by the Länders);
- Data collection and checks (by the Länders);
- Data centralisation and publication (by the FSO)
2.1 Building a list of goods
To make easier for Länders to find the population of producers of environmental goods and services, the central statistical office has prepared a list of environmental goods and services that is updated every year.
This list has been established by Statistics Office, in consultation of, for example, industrial associations or universities.
The products are sub-divided in 3 categories: environmental goods, environmental services and construction works, thus in accordance with the manual on EGSS OECD/Eurostat (1999). Each product has a code with 5 numbers. The first number indicates the categories (goods, services and construction works). They are then distinguished according to the principal material composing the products, and this constitutes the second number. For example, in the case of goods, 0 is for textile, 1 is for wood, etc. The third number is the environmental domain (see later on section 2.2). The environmental domain is attributed to a product according to the 1999 OECD/Eurostat manual but also using the SERIEE approach. The last two numbers are linked to the kind of activity (planning, measuring, process control, etc.).
2.2 Classification
The products are allocated to seven environmental domains:
- waste management,
- water protection,
- nature and landscape conservation,
- soil decontamination,
- noise abatment,
- air quality control,
- climate protection.
This classification follows the CEPA (thus mainly environmental protection activities) but it includes two additional domains: water protection and climate protection, which contain mainly resource management activities.
2.3 Identification of the population
One of the problems concerning the population is that the real population is unknown. The identification of the basic population is difficult. There are no reliable items or registers where all environmental industry is listed. Furthermore, finding basic population using production statistics is not a good solution as many units have not environmental production.
For the German survey of goods, construction work and services for environmental protection, the population was built up by:
- Identifying local units in the German business register that produces environmental goods according to the PRODCOM list. These units were asked if they provide goods, construction work and services for environmental protection;
- Some of the Länders poses annually the same questions to all units that entered the business register;
- Public catalogues of providers of environmental technologies and member lists of associations are used.
For example, in the case of the renewable energy sector, some Internet sites are consulted:
- http://www.umwelttechnik.seibt.com;
- http://www. umfis.de;
- http://www.umweltmagazin.de/umwelt/firmendb/default.htm;
- http://www.energy-germany.de.
Until 2005, the survey was addressed to only 5000 units. Since 2006, a new legal act allows to enlarge the population surveyed to 15000 units. Since then, the survey has also been expanded for a new environmental domain, the climate protection.
The units are searched on typical websites. Important sources are also the numerous environmental trade fairs.
The relevant units have to be part of the NACE codes 10 until 37, 45, 73 and 74. No (or few) units were found in other NACE codes in the previous years and they are therefore not surveyed anymore. Furtehrmore, NACE 90 and 41 are not included in the survey. But for NACE 90 data, figures come from the Environmental Accounts. The information from producers includes data on two and four digits level.
With the newly 15000 units, Federal Statistics Office thinks that the biggest part of the environmental industry will be surveyed (almost 90%). This is because the Länders have been unable to find enough units to arrive at the maximum number of 15000 units that can be surveyed.
2.4 Data collection
The survey is done by the 16 Länders. The response to the questionnaire is compulsory. Even if the Statistics Office has given methodologies and guidelines to identify establishments, these ones are identified and surveyed by the Länders.
The establishments are asked to check if they produce goods, provide services or perform construction work that are indicated in the list of goods, construction works or services.
If establishments have a product that is not included in the list even they consider it as an environmental good or service, they are asked to mention it in order to complete the list. This list is then an opened list and is updated each year, according to the responses. For the moment, it concentrates on the end-of-pipe technologies but could be enlarged and include other goods or services but also integrated technologies (cleaner technologies and products).
Data on employment were obtained by production statistics before 2006. Once turnover has been appropriately estimated, the approach is to co-relate it to environmental employment.
It is assumed that the share of environmental employment is equal to the share of environmental turnover. The ratio environmental turnover to total turnover is thus applied to the total employment of the industry.
eE/tE = eT/tT à eE = (eT x tE)/tT
Where: eE = number of environmental employees
tE = total number of employees
eT = environmental turnover
tT = total turnover
The ratio used could be the one of the environmental revenues to total revenues at the industry group level. This ratio is then applied to the total employment. These aggregate-level ratios are computed using the data from, for example, the Structural Business Survey.
Since 2006, a question has been added to the questionnaire. The first option to obtain data on environmental employment is therefore this new question: ”Please indicate how many employees work for environmental protection in your local unit".
This question is independent and unconnected to environmental turnover (for example it is possible that an establishment with only very few employees realises a high turnover). Moreover, theoretically, environmental share of employees and the environmental share of turnover could be absolutely different.
Only if an establishment is unable to indicate how many employees work for environmental protection, it is legitimate to use the formula [eE = (eT * tE) / tT]. The formula is therefore the second option! It is only an aid for the establishment to estimate and to calculate the employees for environmental protection.
Then, for some establishments, the ratio “environmental revenues to total revenues” is calculated. This ratio is applied to the establishment’s total employment in order to obtain an estimate of environmental employment.
Resources management activities are not surveyed. Missing environmental protection domains are “protection against radiation” and “environmental research”. However, concerning the protection against the radiation, a ministry exists and is in charge of this problematic. Data could therefore be obtained via this ministry.
Data on organic agriculture is surveyed in the agricultural statistics. Turnover and exports in this sector can be estimated.
Concerning the General Government, there is no data obtained with the survey. Data come from the environmental accounts, the environmental protection expenditures. The consequence is that the NACE 90 is not included in the survey, as waste management is considered 100% public.
The ancillary activities are not included if the producers don’t mention it in their questionnaire.
A check is done in order to control the coherency among data. For example, if environmental turnover is more important than the total turnover, there is a miscalculation and this must be rectified.
3 Further developments
Improvements to the study of the environmental industry could be achieved by the enlargement of the survey to NACE 40, 41 an 90. These NACE codes regroup typical environmental production and are important to consider. In 2007, NACE 40 and 41 has already been added.
Appendix 1: German answer to the questionnaire
Is it possible for you to estimate the size of the eco-industry sector in your country?
Since 1996 Germany has a survey for data of the turnover and Export with environmental goods and services in the main relevant NACE sectors. The survey is organised in a decentralised way. That means, the 16 statistical Offices in the Länder do the practical part of the survey and the Federal Statistical Office is responsible for harmonized methods, questionnaires and sources and publications. In cooperation with the Länder we try to find ways out of the problems this survey caused by this topic. On of these problems is the population. The real population of EGSS is unknown, until 2005 we ask only 5000 units. Since 2006 we expand our survey for the new environmental domain climate protection and are now allowed to make a survey with 15 000 units
Actually the survey on EGSS was anticipated as a sample, but the identification of a basic population was and is difficult. There are no reliable items or registers, where all environmental industry is listed or can be found. Further more an extrapolation is not without controversy. Finding a basic population with the population of the production statistics, it is not the case that any of these units have to have a environmental production part. The eco industry is better to say an intersection of the production industry sector.
Recently we think about the possibility may to use more the production statistics with their units using environmental related PROCOM numbers. A first comparison has shown that there are quite a lot product numbers fitting in our environmental product list.
Do you use a method based on the supply-side approach, the demand-side approach or another method?
Our survey addresses the producers of goods and service performances and is therefore a supply side approach. All relevant producers have to report about their turnover generated with envy. products, the part which comes from selling the products in Germany and the part which derives from the trade with abroad.
Could you explain the method used in more details? What are your data sources?
We ask 15 000 units with any identifiable hint of an environmental action or production. We search for our units on typical websites and internet presentations. Important sources for our population finding process are the numerous environmental trade fairs. All proper units will be integrated in our statistical register to maintain the information for the coming years. The relevant units have to be part of the NACE codes 10 until 37, 45 and 73 and 74. In the first years of this survey we learned that in all the other NACE codes no namely turnovers had been gained.