Identifying levers to unlock clean industry : summary report

This study aims to identify the levers to unlock the EU Clean Industry sector. The study will feed into the European Commission's Energy Union Research, Innovation and Competitiveness Strategy (EURICS). Clean Industries are defined as specific sectors or segments within the economy that are directly responsible for supplying technologies, products and services that have measurable environmental benefits in terms of their abilities to reduce GHG emissions and to improve both energy and resource efficiency. A workable taxonomy of the Clean Industry sector has been elaborated, containing 44 sub-sectors, of which 12 were selected as priority sectors for policy actions to unlock growth and jobs potential in these industries. In addition to completing detailed analyses for each of the 12 priority sectors on their relative competitive position, export potential, barriers and levers, the interrelations between these sectors were assessed and an intra-Clean Industry value chain was identified which allowed for the prioritisation of policy actions along a roadmap, creating leverage effects both upstream and downstream the Clean Industry value chain. The study recommends unlocking the EU Clean Industries by simultaneously focussing on the standards in the measuring and monitoring industry and in the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) sector, as well as optimising the regulatory framework conditions for smart grids, wind energy and thermal energy and, finally, overcoming barriers with respect to capital and financing constraints in the downstream Clean Industry sectors - Energy Efficient Homes and Buildings, and Cleaner Transport Solutions. The latter helps create a home market for the other Clean Industry sectors that are positioned further upstream in the value chain, such as measuring and monitoring, AMT, wind energy and smart grids. Yet for these it is essential that the hurdles blocking further growth and job creation are solved simultaneously as this would provide a mutually reinforcing leverage effect.