Environmental protection expenditure 2020
Environmental protection expenditure increased in 2020
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2021-10-13 9.30
Swedish industry’s total environmental protection expenditure amounted to SEK 21 billion in 2020, which is 16 percent more than in 2019. This increase is due to rising in both current environmental protection expenditure and investments.
In 2020, the largest total expenditure on environmental protection, SEK 6.3 billion, was noted in the electricity, gas and heating industry. This corresponds to 30 percent of total environmental protection expenditure. The second largest contribution came from the manufacture of paper and paper products industry, which accounted for 14 percent of total environmental protection expenditure.
Environmental protection investments accounted for 44 percent of total environmental protection expenditure, while current expenditures (such as maintenance, management, and fees) accounted for 56 percent. In 2020, current expenditures amounted to SEK 11.8 billion, while investments amounted to SEK 9.2 billion. Current expenditures on environmental protection were 11 percent higher than in 2019 and have increased steadily over the years. Environmental protection investments were 24 percent higher than in 2019.
Investments in the waste area increased
In 2020, the largest environmental protection investments focused on the protection of ambient air and climate. Compared with 2019, investments decreased in ambient air and climate, while they increased in the waste area. Investments in waste and investments in ambient air and climate accounted for equal shares of total investments in 2020. Investments in these two domains accounted for 30 percent each of total investments in environmental protection in 2020. Investments included the installation of treatment plants, updates or construction of new production facilities, and the installation of new filters.
Investments in wastewater management accounted for 31 percent of total investments in 2020. These investments increased by SEK 600 million compared with the previous year. In 2018, investments in biodiversity and landscape accounted for almost one third of total investments, while investment levels were lower in 2019 and 2020. Investments to minimise effects on biodiversity and landscapes accounted for 12 percent of total investments in 2020, up by 8 percent compared with 2019.
* The biodiversity, land, and “other” domains were previously included in the “other” domain. From 2016 onwards, this domain has been divided into three separate domains.
Current environmental expenditures focused on waste management and wastewater management
The largest current environmental expenditures in 2020 referred to wastewater management and waste management. Expenditures for wastewater management and waste management accounted for 31 percent and 37 percent, respectively, of total current environmental expenditures in 2020. Wastewater management remained roughly the same as in 2019, whereas waste management increased by 19 percent in a corresponding comparison. Current expenditures on wastewater management include the operation and maintenance of treatment plants, such as electricity, chemicals, and sampling. Waste management includes waste management of environmentally hazardous waste, expenditures on transport to landfills, and operation and maintenance of waste facilities.
*The biodiversity, land and “other” domains were previously included in the “other” domain. From 2016 onwards, this domain has been divided into three separate domains.
Total environmental protection expenditure by NACE industry
In 2020, the electricity, gas and heating industry (NACE 35) and the manufacture of paper and paper products industry (NACE 17) accounted for the largest total environmental protection expenditure.
In the electricity, gas and heating industry, total expenditures amounted to SEK 6.3 billion. The largest environment protection investments and current expenditures in this industry lie in waste management. Expenditures include items such as the reconstruction or construction of new production facilities, the expansion of district heating networks, flue gas treatment, waste management (ash), and protection against radiation.
In the manufacture of paper and paper products industry, total expenditures amounted to SEK 2.9 billion. The largest environmental protection investments are in ambient air and climate and the largest current expenditures are in wastewater management. Expenditures include items such as the operation and maintenance of treatment plants and sewage treatment plants, and other types of various investments to improve sewage treatment plants.
Other industries with considerable environmental protection expenditure, mainly in wastewater management and waste management, include the manufacture of metal and metal products industries(NACE 24-25), the manufacture of food, beverages and tobacco industries(NACE 10-12), and the manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries (NACE 20-21).
Definitions and explanations
Environmental protection refers to activities that aim to prevent, reduce or eliminate pollution or other deterioration of the environment. Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has produced common international definitions for environmental protection and how expenditures are to be calculated.
Investments in environmental protection are broken down into investments for emissions treatment that do not affect the process (such as filters and separate purification plants), and investments for the prevention of emissions involving investments in new or changed production processes. Current expenditure consists of expenditure for staff, energy, materials, and supplies, such as for the operation and supervision of purification plants, for environmental administration tasks, environmental management and certification, as well as waste management. Payments to others who carry out these measures are also included.
Next publishing will be
Environmental protection expenditure 2021 will be published in October 2022.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.