Industry investments in environmental protection are increasing, thanks to growth in small and medium-sized enterprises, while bigger companies are taking a step back. The latest ISTAT data for 2016 show a 2.3% increase in environmental investments by industrial companies up to € 1,437.3 million.
“The growth in environmental investments is sustained for small and medium-sized companies (+ 12.9%)”, says Istat, referring to companies under 250 employees. While the largest companies, which account for 78.1% of total environmental investments, see a decline of 0.4%. In general, according to the Institute, the growth is “modest but increases the weight of investments in more advanced technologies”.
In fact, integrated investments connected to more advanced technologies increase by 12.9% to 481 million (33.5% of the total), even if investments aimed at controlling and reducing pollution after it has been generated still prevail. (end-of pipe).
End-of-pipe investments amount to 956 million euros (66.5% of the total) with a 2.3% drop compared to the previous year. More than a third of the expenditure (39%) is devoted to the protection and recovery of soil and groundwater and surface water, to noise abatement, to landscape and radiation protection and to research and development activities aimed at to environmental protection.