Continued growth for Styrian environmental technology

The companies of the ECO WORLD STYRIA cluster have once again grown during the previous year. With a turnover of € 3.5 billion environmental technology revenue grew by 6.5%. For the companies which are mostly also active in other sectors of the economy, green growth also assisted a moderate overall increase of 3.2% to € 9.4 billion. These results have come from the 2013 business survey of the Styrian environmental technology cluster, ECO WORLD STYRIA, which compiles the annual statistics for the 170 partner companies.

There was also a significant increase in employment in environmental technology reaching 19,300. While in previous years growth has come mainly from SMEs, in 2013 large companies in particular have strengthened their environmental activities.

He who researches wins
The research expenses have also grown by 6%, and the R & D ratio remains stable at 4.7%. Of particular note is that companies with higher R & D expenditure experience up to double-digit growth in revenue. Innovation definitely pays.

This was echoed by Regional Economics Minister Christian Buchmann: „In recent years, Styria has evolved into an economic centre at international level, where each and every day our companies are redefining the boundaries of thought and action. With new products and services they score highly in global markets and make Styria a trans-border region in every respect; a truly ´unlimited region´.“

Markets spread all over the world
The export share of Styrian environmental technology companies has continued to increase. 9 out of 10 € in revenue are now being generated abroad. As Bernhard Puttinger, CEO of ECO WORLD STYRIA remarks: „The markets for our companies are clearly internationally oriented as this is where the greatest opportunities for growth can be found. That is why we support our partner companies particularly when it comes to innovation and internationalisation.“ Only recently, the support service of the cluster received a ten-fold global boost with the Green Tech Service Alliance.

About ECO WORLD STYRIA
The Green Tech Valley is the no. 1 worldwide address for innovative environmental technologies. Here in Styria, in the heart of Austria, there are more global environmental technology leaders within an hour´s drive than anywhere else in the world. 170 companies and research institutions work in the ECO WORLD STYRIA Green Tech cluster on the leading innovations of tomorrow in biomass, building and recycling technology.

For further details contact: ECO WORLD STYRIA, Mag. Isabella Wuthe, MAS, Tel. +43 676 75 08 780, wuthe@eco.at