|
South African Environmental Goods & Services Forum |
|
Industry and the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) recognise the environmental goods and services sector in South Africa (EGSA) as a growth sector with the potential to make a significant contribution to national economic objectives.
The aim with formalising this recognition is to create an enabling structure, strategy and action plan that would be recognised by both the sector and government as its representative position. The structure should be focused on direct and indirect measures to stimulate trade in EGS, which is a proven way of poverty alleviation.
“There are many positive ways for business to make a difference in the lives of the poor – not through philanthropy but through initiatives that over time will help build new markets" (Kofi Annan)
The approach to establishing an enabling structure for the EGS industry in SA is firstly to define the sector and secondly to look at international trends that provide context for forming an understanding of trade in environmental goods and services internationally and from a South African perspective. The strategy concept will conclude by providing recommendations for a South African EGS action plan.
In broad terms the EGS sector covers traditional sub-sectors such as the supply of drinking water, wastewater treatment and solid waste management as well as new and emerging sub-sectors that include environmentally preferred or ‘cleaner’ technologies and renewable energy supply. Due to the close interdependence of environmental goods and services, governments and institutions across the world treat these two categories as one sector. Most environmental goods are supplied by the sector manufacturing electrical and electronic goods (eg. testing and measuring instruments), and the sector manufacturing capital goods (eg. chimney scrubbers, coal washing equipment and water treatment plants). Environmental services mostly comprise advocacy and consultancy for example assessment, design, auditing, verification and monitoring.
A recent study by the Department of Trade and Industry in the United Kingdom revealed that the international environmental goods and services (EGS) market was worth $548 billion in 2004, with an estimated worth of $688 billion by 2010 and just under $800 billion by 2015.
The South African Department of Trade and Industry and industry stakeholders completed a study in early 2006 that investigated the domestic EGS sector. The study updated the SA EGS profile that was drawn up in 2000 and provided more detail. Strengths and weaknesses were analysed with a view to recommending an EGS sector growth strategy and action plan. |
