Report on environmental technology in Denmark

Clean has conducted a thorough mapping of the environmental technology ecosystem, and with the help of IRIS Group, we can now publish a report that sheds new light on the environmental cluster.

Get the report here

839 environmental technology companies

We have identified 839 environmental technology companies at the core of the cluster. These companies work with technologies for water conservation, groundwater localization, water purification and pumping technologies, sensors and analytics, circular economy and resource recirculation, treatment of outdoor and indoor air pollution, and technologies for environmental and nature restoration.

There is a strong core of innovative environmental technology companies that, as part of the environmental technology cluster, reach into many different sectors at home and abroad.

Key figures for the environmental cluster

The report shows that the environmental cluster employs approx. 72,000 people, has an annual turnover of 165 billion DKK, and exports 57 billion DKK.

Danish research in a class of its own internationally

Danish environmental technology research is at the forefront. From 2017-22, Danish researchers have published 425 scientific articles on environmental technology per million inhabitants. The corresponding figure for the EU-27 countries is 93 articles. Denmark is thus No. 1 in the world in environmental technology research, which indicates that there is fertile ground for creating new growth companies in environmental technology:

It is important that we are at the top, because the development of new knowledge is a crucial prerequisite for creating innovation and new growth companies.

– Henrik Bindslev, Dean & Professor, SDU & Vice Chairman of Clean

Denmark at the forefront with environmental technology patents

Denmark is also at the top when it comes to patenting environmental technology inventions. 146 Danish environmental technology inventions were patented in 2021. The number of environmental technology patent applications per million inhabitants is only surpassed by Switzerland and Finland.

Denmark especially takes patents in water technology, resources and air. Rockwool is in the in the top 10 among the companies that take out the most patents and we are very proud of that.

– Claus Garn, Vice President Group Regulatory Affairs, Rockwool International A/S & Board Member, Clean

Why is the report important?

Environmental technology is a broad field, and the 839 companies at the core of the environmental cluster work in many different value chains and industries. The companies are spread across many industry codes, and it can be difficult to get an overview and understand the potential of environmental technology. The report paints a comprehensive and accurate picture of the environmental technology ecosystem, which is an important contribution to increasing understanding.

In the process, Clean has created and harvested valuable data and insights, not least about the companies that are the cluster’s primary target group. This data enables us to identify the best and most relevant companies and thus better target the cluster’s activities.

Environmental technology is a position of strength for the future, and we are proud to be part of pushing development, innovation and internationalization within environmental technology.

– Torben Funder-Kristensen, Head of Public and Industry Affairs, Danfoss & Chairman of the Board, Clean

Would you like to hear more about the environmental technology cluster or are you interested in the underlying data? Don’t hesitate to contact us at Clean.