Environmental goods and services sector: documentation of statistics
The documentation of the statistics describes how the statistics were compiled and what methods were used in the compilation. The data help interpret the figures of the statistics and evaluate their reliability and comparability. The quality report is based on the EU's SIMS model. The documentation also contains change releases describing changes in the statistics and possible specifying methodological descriptions.
If you are looking for statistical figures for these statistics, go to the statistics page: Environmental goods and services sector
Quality report
Data description (SIMS 3.1)
The statistics on the environmental goods and services sector describe business activity related to the environment practised in Finland, that is, production that prevents environmental pollution or saves natural resources. The data are collected from different sources and published once a year.
Sector coverage (SIMS 3.3)
The statistics cover all sectors of the economy producing a market output according to the classification of transactions. The statistics cover all industries according to the industrial classification on the 2-digit level.
Statistical unit (SIMS 3.5)
The data in the statistics are produced on the basis of data supplied by Statistics Finland (National Accounts, statistics on industrial output, structural business and financial statement statistics), Finnish Customs, the Energy Authority, and the Finnish Environmental Insurance Centre. The data from the statistics’ different data sources are linked to the classifications required by the statistics.
Statistical population (SIMS 3.6)
The statistics are based on register data. The statistical population consists of units engaged in economic activity in Finland. The units are aggregated so that they can no longer be separated in the statistics. Institutional sectors (business enterprises, non-profit institutions, households and the public sector) are likewise aggregated.
Reference area (SIMS 3.7)
The statistics cover the whole of Finland as a single area. The statistics do not include regional classifications.
Time coverage (SIMS 3.8)
The statistics cover the period between 2012 and 2023. The data concerning the latest two years are not final but will be updated over the coming years.
Unit of measure (SIMS 4)
In the statistics, turnover, value added, and exports are given in EUR million. Employment is given in person/years.
Reference period (SIMS 5)
The reference period of the statistics is a calendar year.
Classifications (SIMS 3.2)
Concepts and definitions (SIMS 3.4)
Environmental goods and services sector
Environmental goods and services sector involves production which is based on environmental pollution prevention or the saving of natural resources. Environmental technology is part of environmental goods and services sector. An enterprise which is included in the environmental goods and services sector may have environmental business activity as its main or secondary line of production. Environmental goods and services sector is not a specific sector of industry. Instead, production involves several different industry sectors.
Production based on environmental pollution prevention
Production based on environmental pollution prevention may include products, technologies or techniques, or services which deal with damage to the air, soil and water, and problems related to waste, noise, biodiversity and natural landscapes. Such production may consist of, or be connected to, activity which involves measuring, monitoring, prevention, treatment, repair, research, development or awareness raising.
Production based on saving natural resources
Production based on saving natural resources may include products, technologies or techniques, or services which focus on the saving of natural resources and their effective use either in the production process or utilisation process. Such production may consist of, or be connected to, activity which involves measuring, monitoring, prevention, reduction of use, re-use, recycling, repair, restoration, research, development or awareness raising.
Institutional mandate (SIMS 6)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Legal acts and other agreements (SIMS 6.1)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Data sharing (SIMS 6.2)
The results of the statistics on the environmental goods and services sector are published on the predefined date on the Internet on the statistics’ home page. The links on the home page lead to the description of the statistics, concepts and definitions as well as free of charge statistical database tables (StatFin). Eurostat publishes data of the statistics on the environmental goods and services sector on its own website.
Source data (SIMS 18.1)
The statistics are based on administrative sources. Some individual pieces of data are picked from websites or inquired about via email, but these data account for a small portion of the total data. The most important sources consist of the data of Statistics Finland and Finnish Customs, all of which are in the databases of Statistics Finland. Of Statistics Finland’s data, the annual national accounts are used not only as a source of data, but also as a framework for the statistics. The data used for the statistics are based on the data of the national accounts, published some three months before. In addition, the product data from the supply and use tables, used as a basis for national accounts, are also used independently for compiling these statistics. The turnover and personnel data of the business statistics are also used, as are the statistics on industrial output. The data in the latter are based on data released a month before. Of the aforementioned data sources, the databases’ data sources based on something other than data to be published are used on a rolling basis, meaning that they may have been updated from one to three months before their use in the compilation of the statistics.
Frequency of data collection (SIMS 18.2)
The basic data are collected once a year.
Data collection (SIMS 18.3)
Nearly all data in the statistics are composed of data supplied by Statistics Finland and Finnish Customs, collected from the databases of Statistics Finland. The remaining data consist of individual pieces of external data collected via email requests and from Internet sources.
Data validation (SIMS 18.4)
The received data are compared to the previous data with the same content and any data related to the same topic.
Data compilation (SIMS 18.5)
The 2-digit industry data in national accounts are multiplied by the coefficients describing the environmental goods and services sector of the industry in question. The rest of the data are multiplied with the coefficients corresponding to them and aggregated to the 2-digit industry level.
Overall accuracy (SIMS 13.1)
The statistics are compiled in accordance with the principles of national accounts, due to which these statistics are subject to the same requirements on overall accuracy. The key uncertainty in the statistics pertains to the factors based on the estimates of experts describing the proportion of the environmental goods and services sector.
Quality assurance (SIMS 11.1)
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The European Statistics Code of Practice forms the basis for the common quality system of the European Statistical System.
The Code of Practice is based on 16 principles that concern statistical authorities' independence, accountability and the quality of the processes and data to be published.
The principles are in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nations Statistics Commission and are supplementary to them. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: European Statistics Code of Practice | Statistics Finland and Recommendations of the Advisory Board of Official Statistics of Finland | Statistics Finland
Data revision - policy (SIMS 17.1)
Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
Timeliness (SIMS 14.1)
The data are available 6 to 11 months after the end of the reference period.
The first results are published approximately 12 months after the end of the reference period.
The final results are published approximately 36 months after the end of the reference period.
Punctuality (SIMS 14.2)
The statistics are published according to the release calendar.
Comparability - geographical (SIMS 15.1)
The statistics are comparable with the statistics of EU countries. The statistics are not produced outside the EU.
Comparability - over time (SIMS 15.2)
The statistics are comparable from 2012 onwards. The statistics are not comparable with the previous statistics on the environmental goods and services sector (compiled from 2009 to 2011).
Coherence – cross domain (SIMS 15.3)
While the statistics are compiled to correspond with the framework, methodology and definitions of national accounts in other respects, turnover in the statistics complies with the structural business and financial statement statistics.
Coherence - internal (SIMS 15.4)
There are no other statistics which would release data corresponding with the data in the statistics on the environmental goods and services sector.
Release calendar (SIMS 8.1)
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data become public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
Release calendar access (SIMS 8.2)
Statistics Finland's release calendar Future publications
Future publications of the statistics can be found on the page of the statistics at: Future publications of the statistics
User access (SIMS 8.3)
The data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may be processed at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise specifically stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer and copyright owner of the data. The terms of use for statistical data.
Frequency of dissemination (SIMS 9)
The statistics are published annually.
News release (SIMS 10.1)
The release is published monthly/annually/quarterly on the home page of the statistics.
Online database (SIMS 10.3)
The database tables of the statistics can be found in the StatFin database.
Documentation on methodology (SIMS 10.6)
The statistics are compiled using the sources mentioned in section 3.5. The values of the variables come either directly from selected source data or with the help of separately defined coefficients describing the share of environmental business. The coefficients are defined on the basis of several sources and are updated every two years. The sources used to define the coefficients are: EU Environmental Accounting Implementation Regulation (no. 2174/2015), Eurostat's environmental business product lists, statistical and register materials, research materials, coefficients used by the German Statistical Office and expert assessments.
Before the change in 2018, new buildings belonging to energy efficiency classes A and B in the EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive were included in low energy construction. The change in the definition of low energy construction was taken into consideration in the calculation of the 2021 statistics on the environmental goods and services sector, for which reason starting from 2018, the turnover, value added, exports and staff-years of the environmental goods and services sector are lower than previously reported.
In the manufacture of basic metals, steel production from recycled steel was erroneously included in category “Management of minerals” in the classification of environmental goods and services. In the revised time series published with the 2023 statistics, this category includes steel recycling only. As a result of the correction, manufacturing is no longer the biggest industry in the environmental goods and services sector.
The time series was also updated as concerns the classification of environmental goods and services. Such activity in the environmental goods and services sector which was previously classified into category “Management of wild flora and fauna”, is now located in category “Protection of biodiversity and landscapes”. As a result of the change, the classifications are in better accordance with international reporting.
Confidentiality - policy (SIMS 7.1)
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed. The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. Alongside the Statistics Act, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Finnish Data Protection Act are applied to the processing of personal data. Provisions on the confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes are laid down in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
The data are processed only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Confidentiality - data treatment (SIMS 7.2)
According to the Statistics Act (280/2004), the data of the statistics are in the public domain.
The tables in the statistics are produced by using/editing the classification of a table on a level that is sufficiently high or general to prevent the emergence of small cell frequencies.
The Statistics Act (280/2004) defines the data on the number of enterprises as being in the public domain, which is why even small cell frequencies do not need to be protected. In quantity tables, cells containing few observations (threshold value) or dominated by one or two units (dominance rule) are protected by suppressing the value of the cell to prevent the data of an individual enterprise being revealed. In addition, other cells have been suppressed to prevent the calculation of the primarily suppressing cell values with the aid of marginal sums. The suppressed cells in released tables are marked by single quotation marks ’..’. Further information on suppression is available in the Handbook on Statistical Disclosure Control (2010).
The data of the statistics are not released in an identifiable format outside Statistics Finland. The use of the data for scientific research and statistical surveys is possible only on the basis of a separate licensing decision and in an unidentifiable format. Further information about licences.