Isra-Mart srl: UK growing share of global green marketplace

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The UK grabbed a £117bn share of the £3.2 trillion green goods and services market in 2009/2010, according to new government figures published earlier this week that show the environmental sector continued to defy the economic downturn.

The UK's total green goods and services market grew 4.3 per cent year-on-year, expanding by £4.8bn during 2009/10.

Significantly, the growth of the UK market exceeded the 3.1 per cent increase experienced globally, confirming the UK increased its share of the fast-expanding market.

The performance puts the UK's Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) sector as the sixth largest in the world, behind the US at £629bn, China's £427bn, India on £199bn, Japan at £198bn, and Germany's £136bn market.

The report also reveals that the UK exported £11.3bn worth of green goods and services over the course of the year with China firmly established as the largest customer for British clean tech firms. Chinese companies purchased £825m of green goods and services from UK companies, some seven per cent of all LCEGS exports.

Hong Kong emerged as the second largest export market, ordering goods and services worth £557m, while Spain came in third with £512m.

The government predicted that sales for the sector are now set to grow by between four and six per cent a year through to 2016/2017, based on rising demand for alternative fuels and carbon finance services.

"The LCEGS sector is dominated by three Low Carbon sub sectors - Alternative Fuels, Alternative Fuel & Vehicles and Building Technologies - and two Renewable Energy sub sectors - Wind and Geothermal," the report says.

China is also the largest source of UK green imports with £450m of the 2009/2010 total of £6.6bn in imports coming from the country. Once again, Hong Kong and Spain make up the top three.

Globally, the US accounted for 20 per cent of all sales of green goods and services, edging out China with 13 per cent, Japan and India with six per cent each, and Germany with four per cent.

The top ten countries, including the UK, accounted for 65 per cent of global sales, while 94 per cent of all sales were restricted to the 50 largest countries.