Significant drop in environmental protection investments in 2019

The environmental protection expenditure of Finland’s public sector amounted to around EUR 750 million in 2019. Environmental protection services and investments used by enterprises amounted to slightly over EUR 2,800 million. Environmental protection expenditure arising from households’ wastewater and waste treatment amounted to over EUR 900 million. These data appear from Statistics Finland's statistics on environmental protection expenditure. The statistics cover the public sector, households, mining and quarrying, manufacturing as well as energy supply, and water and waste management.

Use of and investments in environmental protection services by mining and quarrying, manufacturing and energy supply by target in 2014 to 2019

Environmental protection expenditure continued to fall compared with the previous year. In 2019, mining and quarrying, manufacturing and energy supply spent EUR 564 million in total on environmental protection, of which investments amounted to EUR 225 million. Most expenditure was again directed to protection of ambient air and climate. Other environmental protection expenditure has decreased considerably since 2017 but was still clearly higher in 2019 than in 2014 to 2016. Other environmental protection expenditure is mainly comprised of soil and surface water protection and research and development related to the environment. The annual variation is partly explained by environmental damages that have caused additional costs in the mining industry, for example.

The small share of waste management in manufacturing is explained by enterprises outsourcing waste management, in which case the expenditure is directed to the waste management industry. Enterprises operating in waste and wastewater management are included in the sector of full-time producers of environmental protection services. Among industries, most environmental protection services were used in wastewater and waste management, EUR 1,952 million, most of which was directed to waste management expenditure. Second most environmental protection services were used in manufacturing, EUR 250 million. Of manufacturing industries, the metal industry used most environmental protection services.

Development of total investments and investments in environmental protection in mining and quarrying, manufacturing and energy supply in Finland in 2014 to 2019

When comparing the combined environmental protection investments of mining and quarrying, manufacturing and energy supply with total investments of the same industries, both grew in 2014 to 2017. Environmental protection investments in mining and quarrying increased considerably in 2016 to 2017 due to increased costs for environmental damages. Therefore, combined environmental protection investments grew clearly and their change remained bigger than that of total investments.

From 2017 onwards, both environmental protection expenditure and total investments started to fall. The costs for environmental damages decreased and in 2019, environmental protection expenditure in mining and quarrying was below the 2014 level. Environmental protection investments in other industries also declined, which caused the combined level to fall significantly in 2019, being at its lowest during the review period.

The concepts and definitions of the statistics are based on EU Regulation (No 691/2011 and 538/2014) on European environmental economic accounts and on Eurostat's manuals.

Source: Environmental protection expenditure accounts 2019, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Antti Hörkkö 029 551 3035, Nina Hiltunen 029 551 3089 , ymparistotilinpito@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja

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Updated 28.10.2021

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Environmental protection expenditure accounts [e-publication].
ISSN=2489-6071. 2019. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 20.4.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ympsm/2019/ympsm_2019_2021-10-28_tie_001_en.html