Wales a source of world class environmental expertise
October 1st 2004 The Environmental Goods and Services (EGS) sector in Wales has seen considerable growth over the last five years. It now accounts for over 1% of employment, which compares well with other regions of the UK. Growth has been particularly marked in environmental consultancy, renewable energy and recycling. There are now over 1000 EGS businesses in Wales, and recent forecasts indicate that there is potential for further very substantial growth in employment in the sector.
A major influence in recent years has been the EGS Programme in Wales, jointly funded by the WDA and the Welsh Assembly Government together with support from the EU.This initiative provides targeted business support for businesses operating in the environmental sector or those wishing to diversify into this area to take advantage of the many opportunities.
One of the roles of the WDA is to support both existing and new businesses in the EGS sector. As the demand for environmental goods and services continues to rise over the next decade, it is essential to make sure that Welsh companies operating in this area retain their competitive and technological edge, to compete in both the UK and international EGS markets.To meet this objective, the EGS Wales programme runs a wide range of support activities, including a flexible grant scheme that can assist product or process development or subsidise specialist expertise; signposting to other sources of support; active promotion of the sector as a whole by various means; and organizing opportunities for companies to network with others in the market.
The EGS team were recently successful in their bid to add an extra dimension to the Programme. EU funding was secured for a three-year period to boost innovation and R&TD in the sector, throughout the area of ‘West Wales and the Valleys’. This compliments existing innovation support programmes and will help companies to track new opportunities, and take an idea right through from development and testing to market.
The strong political support for sustainable development in Wales is an area that marks Wales out from other regions. The Welsh Assembly Government has a statutory duty to promote sustainable development in all its activities, a level of commitment only equalled by two other regional governments in the world. As a direct consequence of this, the Programme's objectives are strongly backed by the Assembly. It is recognised that a healthy and vibrant EGS sector is an essential ingredient in environmental sustainability, whilst also providing a basis for a significant area of economic activity, tapping into the business value of environmental protection and sound resource management.
Given the size of the world EGS Wales a source of world class environmental expertise market, equivalent to aerospace or pharmaceuticals - and forecast to continue growing by some 3% per year during the next decade the greatest opportunities lie in the international market place.To help companies exploit the opportunities, the EGS team in Wales works closely with WalesTrade International (WTI), a department in the Welsh Assembly Government.
During the last year activities have included two-way trade missions between Wales and South Africa, a presence for Welsh companies at a trade exhibition in Bahrain where WTI and EGS Wales had a joint stand, and the development of closer trade links with potential partners and customers in the USA, Sicily and Eastern Europe.
Present experience shows there is a wealth of innovative thinking within companies all over Wales in this sector, which bodes well for future participation in the global market. Helping companies to survive and expand in the EGS market has three undoubted advantages: it helps improve environmental conditions in Wales and elsewhere, it also provides a valuable boost to the Welsh economy, and it enables Wales to contribute to the wider sustainable development agenda, through international partnerships and transfer of technology and expertise.
For further information please contact the Welsh Development Agency using the enquiry bar or enquiries@wda.co.uk;www.wda.co.uk More articles from Welsh Development Agency: | 
