Press Releases

December 10, 2007

Markets for Environmental Technology Booming

Experts anticipate 120-percent growth in environmental technology markets by 2020. Already now, global market volume for environmental technology is worth over 1 billion euros and could even reach 2 billion euros by 2020, according to a study conducted by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants for the Federal Ministry of the Environment and the Federal Environmental Agency. "The fact that the European environmental industry is so successful and is growing at such an extraordinary pace can be greatly attributed to Germany's ambitious environmental policy," Federal Environmental Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. "Germany has often been a pioneer in ambitious European environmental policy and thus on the cutting edge of technological innovation. That is now paying off," Minister Gabriel continued. The consulting firm examined six leading environmental technology markets for the study: energy production and distribution, energy efficiency, mobility, recycling, water, and efficient use of natural resources.

The trend is particularly positive in energy-efficient technologies – such as efficient electric engines for industry. By 2020, experts predict global market volume will reach 450 billion euros alone in energy efficiency technology. Today, Europe leads in the markets for biodiesel, with a global market share of 85 percent; biogas plants (75 percent); pellet heating (72 percent); and wind power (67 percent). German companies are global leaders in wind power and leaders in Europe in innovative technologies for waste management such as automated trash separation processes. The study also confirmed an especially high potential for growth in solar cooling, water microfiltration with membranes, and centralized water treatment.

Today, European companies hold an average global market share of 30 percent in environmental technologies. "Thinking green still has yet to penetrate traditional core sectors of business and industry,” says Professor Andreas Troge, president of the Federal Environmental Agency. "We are well on our way in the area of energy efficiency. But there is still a great deal of untapped potential, say, in improving industry's efficient use of natural resources and in developing low-emission vehicle engines," Troge said.

Roland Berger surveyed some 90 companies from 13 European countries for the study. Many of the businesses continue to see environmental policy as the driving force behind the environmental sector. "Much remains to be done to create an ecological industrial policy that identifies clear goals and vigorously works to promote environmental innovations,” Federal Minister Gabriel summed up. "Ecological industrial policy is the key to solving pressing ecological issues and achieving continued economic success in the future."

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