„The green economy is an economic success. Now we need to establish whether it lives up to its ecological solution promise.“ Jannis Lambert, Senior Project Coordinator The North Rhine-Westphalia Green Economy Report has already established itself as successful, published in the fourth edition after previous editions in 2015, 2017 and 2020. With the wider perspective on climate adaptation, the 2022 Green Economy Report takes a closer look at this central field of action for NRW – particularly in view of the recent flood catastrophe. We are currently working on the next version of the Environmental Economic Report for NRW, which will be published in 2024. The assignment The Green Economy Report provides a solid foundation for an important cross-sectional and future-oriented industry. It highlights the economic and, in future, ecological importance of the environmental economy, its development and its priorities, as well as its international positioning. The results of the Green Economy Report are designed to support the state government in their implementation of the environmental economic strategy and are used in the context of their networking and economic promotion work. How we proceed In order to capture the green economy in economic terms, the Prognos experts used the envigos demarcation model. Within the scope of this study, the demarcation approach was extended to include climate adaptation. The economic analysis was conducted in a differentiated manner for the various sub-markets and market segments of the cross-sectional sector. In addition to the state level, the situation and competencies in the individual North Rhine-Westphalia regions were examined as well as international markets. A new methodological approach was being developed for the main topic of the ecological impact study, based on the envigos model. Core results The green economy is one of North Rhine-Westphalia’s economic heavyweights. In 2021, more than 582,000 people found sustainable work in the industry, representing around 6.1 percent of all employees in North Rhine-Westphalia. The environmental economy has thus proven its position as a leading industry. In addition to employment and gross value creation, the ecological benefits of the NRW environmental economy can be estimated at around 23 billion euros. This performance consists of two components: the environmental economy, for example, makes it possible to avoid environmental damage amounting to 15.5 billion euros that could not be anticipated without the intervention of their products and services. In addition, the environmental economy creates a further ecological value of 7.4 billion euros through the preservation of biodiversity or landscapes. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to a wealth of companies that offer solutions for how to adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change. A climate adaptation economy is emerging as a new and fundamental component of the environmental economy. In total, around 30.5 percent of all employees in the North Rhine-Westphalia green economy in 2021 were linked to climate adaptation technologies and services. Links and downloads Report 2022 (PDF in German, umwelt.nrw.de) Press release of the NRW Ministry of the Environment, in German (umwelt.nrw.de) Previous versions of the Green Economy Report Report 2020 Report 2017 Project team: Jannis Lambert, Oliver Lühr, Katharina Wilkskamp, Lukas Eiserbeck, Marieke Eckhart, Hanne Hagedorn Last update: 14.11.2022 Do you have questions? Your contact at Prognos Jannis Lambert Principal View profile Oliver Lühr Partner, Head of Environmental, Circular Economy & Climate Change View profile Our work on this topic Take a look at our latest projects and activities. Green Tech: Digital technologies and sustainability ongoing | Project The Federal Ministry of Economics promotes digital technologies that drive forward the economy’s green transformation. Together with partners, we are responsible for the accompanying research. Read more Overall impact of climate change, mitigation and adaptation on the German economy ongoing | Project For the first time, an expert report for the Federal Ministry of Economics will jointly assess the economic impact of climate change, mitigation and adaptation. Read more Estimation of costs resulting from climate change in Germany 2023 | Project Heatwave, drought, floods – for the BMWK and BMUV we have systematically combined the quantifiable costs of extreme weather events in Germany since 2000 and supplemented them with detailed studies. Read more Comparison of GHG emissions from the use of primary and recycled raw materials for the production of metals 2022 | Project What are the strategic advantages of using recycled raw materials over primary raw materials for the three metals steel, aluminium and copper in terms of climate management? We have demonstrated this for a recycling company by means of product-specific GHG balancing. Read more Evolving Regions ongoing | Project How can climate adaptation measures be implemented more effectively in regional processes? Prognos is conducting research as part of the EU-funded "Evolving Regions" project with six part-ners. Read more Ecological transformation and dual education in Bremen 2021 | Project What is the demand for professionally trained specialists in Bremen as a business location in light of climate protection measures? Read more Green Economy Network.NRW ongoing | Project Prognos has been involved in the Green Economy Network.NRW (KNUW) since 2017. It offers players in the environmental industry a platform for exchange and strengthens the market oppor-tunities of companies from NRW. Read more Jobwende – Effects of the Energiewende on Work and Employment 2019 | Project On behalf of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Prognos examined the importance of the energy transition for future employment in Germany. Read more Demand for skilled labour for the energy transition of buildings 2018 | Project One of the results of the study: For the implementation of the energy transformation, 130,000 additional workers will be needed. Read more Climate Protection and Gas Infrastructure 2018 | Project Increased expansion of renewable energies and greater energy efficiency could significantly reduce European gas consumption and save costs. This is the result of a study by Prognos and Ecologic. Read more Green Economy Report North Rhine-Westphalia 2017 2017 | Project North Rhine-Westphalia is Germany's largest provider of environmental products and services. The sector generated around 28 billion euros in 2015 - more than six percent of the state's gross value added. Read more Impact analysis of the North Rhine-Westphalia Climate Protection Plan 2014 | Project The report documents the results of the “Development and implementation of an impact analysis for the North Rhine-Westphalia Climate Protection Plan” project. Read more Adobe Stock - CleverStock About us Prognos – Providing Orientation. Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound. Learn more