Handbook on Environmental Goods and Services Sector - Products Manuals and Guidelines

The Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) handbook is a complete reference tool for developing a data collection system on the environmental goods and services sector at national level. It aims at facilitating the development and production of harmonised and comparable data.

The handbook is meant to represent a step forward with respect to the OECD/Eurostat manual on the "Environmental goods and services industry" produced in 1999, including both environmental protection and resource management activities As Environmental Goods and Services is a sector with great prospects, the handbook provides guidelines for investigating its contribution to economic growth, innovation potential, technological development, barriers to international competition, job opportunities, the role of the government, the evolution and size of environmental goods and services and the ability to meet environmental protection goals. It also recommends methods and approaches for analysis. A great deal of effort has been put in increasing coherency and providing users of the handbook with practical recommendations. Full implementation of these recommendations should help to ensure that data are compiled and maintained on a consistent basis in all Member States of the European Statistical System (ESS).