Industry in Germany has more than doubled its investments in climate protection within ten years.
Companies in the manufacturing sector (excluding construction) gave up a total of 3.46 billion euros in 2019 for systems to avoid emissions or to use resources more gently, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday.
In 2009 it was 1.63 billion euros. The share of industry spending in climate protection investments also climbed from 2.6 to 3.6 percent. One reason for the increase is likely to be both statutory regulations and state subsidies, the office said. For years, the state has been promoting the switch to production processes that use less energy and protect the climate.
The SPD, Greens and FDP are currently negotiating the formation of a federal government and should focus more on climate protection. In the course of the energy transition, turning away from carbon-containing energy sources has long been a goal of climate protection policy. This is also reflected in the investments made by companies: more than half (52.4 percent) of this expenditure went into measures for the use of renewable energies (1.81 billion euros) such as wind power and photovoltaic systems in 2019. A further 1.14 billion euros, or a third, were invested in increasing energy efficiency and energy saving - this includes the thermal insulation of buildings or systems with combined heat and power. "Investments in measures to avoid greenhouse gases in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol are worth around 500 million euros (14,5 percent) comparatively low, but just as important in terms of climate. "
For companies, climate protection does not only mean conditions, but is also increasingly an economic factor: The manufacturing industry and service providers made around 44 billion euros in sales with climate protection products in 2019.
That was a slight decrease compared to the previous year, but an increase of 61 percent compared to 2009.