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Statistics on Activities for the Protection of the Environment

• 1Contact
  • 1.1Contact organisation
    National Statistics Institute of Spain
    
  • 1.5Contact mail address

    Avenida de Manoteras 50-52 - 28050 Madrid

    
    
• 2Metadata update
  • 2.1Metadata last certified
    30/11/2023
  • 2.2Metadata last posted
    30/11/2023
  • 2.3Metadata last update
    30/11/2023
• 3Statistical presentation
  • 3.1Data description

    The main objective of the survey is to assess the expenditure on environmental protection made by establishments in the industrial sector, both current expenses and investments, to reduce or eliminate air pollution emissions, noise pollution, to improve wastewater treatment and the treatment of solid waste generated and to use raw materials that are less contaminating or in less quantity.
    The fundamental variable for the survey, investment, is broken down by environmental area, for both types of existing equipment, "end-of-pipe" equipment and integrated equipment.
    

  • 3.2Classification system
    • Clasificaciones utilizadas

      National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009)

      Classification of Environmental Protection Activities and expenses (CEPA 2000): classification of environmental protection activities for the different environmental scopes, compiled jointly by Eurostat and the EEC (European Economic Commission of the United Nations):

      https://www.ine.es/en/daco/daco42/ambiente/capa2000_en.pdf.

  • 3.3Sector coverage

    Sections B, C and D of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009)

  • 3.4Statistical concepts and definitions
    • Environmental goods and services
      These are those goods and services aimed at measuring, preventing, limiting, minimising or correcting environmental damage caused to water, air and the soil, as well as problems related to waste, noise and ecosystems (environmental protection), and exhaustion of resources (management of natural resources)
    • Environmental protection
      This comprises all activities that mainly aim to prevent, reduce or eliminate pollution or any other degradation of the environment. This excludes all activities that, having a beneficial effect on the environment, respond mainly to the technical, hygienic or safety needs of the company.
    • Environmental protection activities
      Activities including within environmental protection are as follows:
      Air and climate protection, waste water management, waste management, soil groundwater and surface waters protection and decontamination, noise and vibration reduction, protection against radiation (excluding outside safety), research and development related to the environment, other environmental protection activities such as training, education, administrative tasks, etc.
      In order to see the different activities in more detail, please refer to the Classification of Environment Protection Activities (CAPA), a a European Union framework classification for defining what environmental protection is, and what it isn't.
    • Establishment or Local Unit
      Establishment or Local Unit is the productive unit located in a topographically marked place (workshop, mine, factory, etc.), from which economic activities are carried out by one or more persons from the same company.
      
      The establishment or Local Unit is the observation or information unit, that is, the unit chosen from the directory and to which the questionnaire data is to refer
    • Integrated equipment
      This is equipment or installations that are integrated into the production cycle of industrial establishments. They have a dual purpose, industrial and control of the contamination. Their main objective is to reduce the load of polluting agents generated in the productive process, in other words, to achieve a productive process which generates less pollution requiring independent equipment processing.
    • Investment in equipment and plant for pollution control and special anti-pollution accessories (mainly "end-of-pipe" equipment)
      Capital expenditures for methods, technologies, processes or equipment designed to collect and remove pollution and pollutants (e.g. air emissions, effluents or solid waste) after their creation, prevent the spread of and measure the level of the pollution, and treat and dispose of pollutants generated by the operating activity of the company.
    • Investment in equipment and plant linked to cleaner technologies ("integrated technology")
      Capital expenditures for new or adaptation of existing methods, technologies, processes, equipment (or parts thereof) designed to prevent or reduce the amount of pollution created at the source (e.g. air emissions, effluents or solid waste), thereby reducing the environmental impacts associated with the release of pollutants and/or with polluting activities.
    • Standalone equipment
      This is equipment or installations that operate independently in the production process of the industrial establishment and are geared towards treatment and reduction of pollutants during the production process.
    • Total current expenditure on environmental protection
      It is the expenditure for operating and maintaining an activity, technology, process, equipment (or parts thereof) designed to prevent, reduce, treat or eliminate pollutants and pollution (e.g. air emissions, effluents or solid waste) or any other degradation of the environment resulting from the operating activity of the company.
  • 3.5Statistical unit

    The basic survey unit is that industrial establishment whose main activity is included in sections B, C and D of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009).

    
    In the scheme of survey units, the company adopts the role of respondent unit, while the observation unit, that to which the data requested in the questionnaire refers, is always the industrial establishment. The objective of offering data on a regional level is thus enabled.

  • 3.6Statistical population

    The target population is the group of industrial establishments, with more than 10 remunerated employed persons, whose main activity is included in sections B, C or D of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009).

  • 3.7Reference area

    From a geographical point of view, the survey covers the whole of the national territory.
    For statistical purposes, and by means of regionalisation techniques, the survey allows for the limited presentation of results aggregated by Autonomous Community. This aspect is of particular interest for regional study and economic analysis.

  • 3.8Time coverage

    This survey is continuous, and it is conducted annually.

  • 3.9Base period

    2008: adaptation to National Classification of Economic Activities 2009 (CNAE-2009)

• 4Unit of measure
  • 4.1Unit of measure

    Units: Euros

• 5Reference period
  • 5.1Reference period

    The data refers to the target calendar year of the statistics

    Data referred to the period: Anual A: 2021

• 6Institutional mandate
  • 6.1Legal acts and other agreements

    The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996, makes compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan. The National Statistical Plan 2009-2012 was approved by the Royal Decree 1663/2008. It contains the statistics that must be developed in the four year period by the State General Administration's services or any other entity dependent on it. All statistics included in the National Statistics Plan are statistics for state purposes and are obligatory. The National Statistics Plan 2021-2024, approved by Royal Decree 1110/2020, of 15  December, is the Plan currently implemented. This statistical operation has governmental purposes, and it is included in the National Statistics Plan 2021-2024. (Statistics of the State Administration).

    
    

    The Statistics on Environmental Protection Activities appear as statistical operation 8097in the 2021-2024 National Statistical Plan.

    Until 2020, the survey has allowed to meet the requirements in terms of environmental expenditures in European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) no. 295/2008, of 11 March 2008, relating to the structural statistics of companies.
    https://www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30066

    Since 2021, this survey supports the Environmental Protection Expenditure Account, as set out in Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European environmental economic accounts.

  • 6.2Data sharing
    The exchanges of information needed to elaborate statistics between the INE and the rest of the State statistical offices (Ministerial Departments, independent bodies and administrative bodies depending on the State General Administration), or between these offices and the Autonomic statistical offices, are regulated in the LFEP (Law of the Public Statistic Function). This law also regulates the mechanisms of statistical coordination, and concludes cooperation agreements between the different offices when necessary.
    

    The microdata from the survey is provided to the Autonomous Communities of Andalucía, Aragón and Cataluña.

• 7Confidentiality
  • 7.1Confidentiality - policy

    The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that the INE cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity. Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society

    
    
  • 7.2Confidentiality - data treatment
    INE provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality. Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE employees have available the INE data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected. The microdata files provided to users are anonymised.
    

    The results are published, detailed, at a national level, aggregated by Autonomous Community, while those from the Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla are not published, due to the fact that the sample sizes produce estimates that are inefficient or that have an impact on confidentiality.

• 8Release policy
  • 8.1Release calendar

    The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.

    
    
  • 8.2Release calendar access

    The calendar is disseminated on the INEs Internet website (Publications Calendar)

    
    
  • 8.3User access

    The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release. At the same time, the data are posted on the INE's Internet website (www.ine.es/en) almost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice

    
    
• 9Frequency of dissemination
  • 9.1Frequency of dissemination

    The data is disseminated annually

• 10Accessibility and clarity
  • 10.1News release

    The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web

    
    
  • 10.2Publications

    The results are published in INEbase.

  • 10.3On-line database

    INEbase is the system the INE uses to store statistical information on the Internet. It contains all the information the INE produces in electronic formats. The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.

    
    

    Access to results tables and series in INEbase / Physical area and the environment / Environmental statistics:

    https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/en/operacion.htm?c=Estadistica_C&cid=1254736176846&menu=resultados&idp=1254735976612

     

  • 10.4Micro-data access
    A lot of statistical operations disseminate public domain anonymized files, available free of charge for downloading in the INE website Microdata Section
    

    The anonymised microdata file can only be provided via specific petition, once the viability of the petition granting access to the information under strict confidentiality conditions is analysed. .

  • 10.5Other

    There is the option of requesting customised information from the INE Customer Service Area:

    https://www.ine.es/en/prodyser/informacion.

    Limitations to confidentiality or precision are borne in mind at the time of processing said requests.

  • 10.6Documentation on methodology

    A detailed description may be viewed at:

    https://www.ine.es/en/daco/daco42/ambiente/metoemin_en.pdf

  • 10.7Quality documentation

    Base on Commission Regulation 275/2010 and European Parliament and Council Regulation 691/2011 (https://www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30066), the European Commission (Eurostat) assesses the quality of the data transmitted.

    Fields 10.6 to 17 of this document may be considered the quality report intended for users for this operation.

• 11Quality management
  • 11.1Quality assurance

    Quality assurance framework for the INE statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice made by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP is made up of 16 principles, gathered in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.

    
    

    The compilation process of the statistics has established controls for detecting and correcting errors, for the purpose of guaranteeing the quality thereof. The data collection in the Collection Units (URCEs) has programmed validation regulations, in order to filter the data as it is introduced by the user. During the data collection and filtering, measures are also taken for the reduction of non-response. Lastly, once the data arrives at the Central Services, the data is subjected to addition micro- and macrofiltering controls, which enable guaranteeing that the final product is of sufficiently high quality.

    The estimation procedures used are internationally contrasted and accepted, and they avoid introducing errors in the final processing of the information. In the process of analysing the results, the data is subjected to some interannual adjustment and verification criteria, as well as to comparisons with data from the industrial company and product surveys.
    
    

  • 11.2Quality assessment

    The survey has been complying the requirements to the Commision Regulation 275/2010 sets out that it must assess the data sent by the different Member States for the statistics of annexes I to IX of SBS Regulation (EC) no. 295/2008, based on the quality criteria listed in article 12, section 1, of European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) no. 223/2009, as follows: pertinence, precision, current nature, timeliness, accessibility, clarity, comparability and coherence.

    
    The statistics may be considered to be of high quality, because keeps the structure and therefore the survey as a sufficiently representative sample of the target population is obtained, on a national level and by Autonomous Community, for each economic activity stratum and company size. Moreover, the data is subjected to some interannual adjustment and verification criteria, as well as comparisons with data from the industrial company and product surveys.

• 12Relevance
  • 12.1User needs

    Worth noting among survey users are:

    • The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challengeand other public bodies (observatories, etc.)

    • Territorial administrations (Autonomous Communities)

    • Researchers and Academic institutions

    • Companies and non-profit institutions. (study services of companies, foundations, associations, etc.), trade units and employers' organisations.
    •The press and specialised media
    
    Likewise, there are foreign institutional users (Eurostat, OECD, the United Nations, etc.)

    The needs of different users refer to the evolution of environmental protection expenses in industry (investments, current expenses).

  • 12.2User satisfaction

    The INE has carried out general user satisfaction surveys in 2007, 2010, 2013,  2016 and 2019 and it plans to continue doing so every three years. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of the INE statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...

    On the INE website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.(Click  next link)

     

    
    

    Users are provided with the information they require, respecting the confidentiality of said information.

    The user satisfaction surveys conducted to date assess the Environmental sector in which the statistical operation is set in, which may provide direction with regard to the opinion users have of it.

  • 12.3Completeness

    The information collected permits meeting all the requirements of the Environmental Protection Expenditure Account, as set out in Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European environmental economic accounts.

    R1 (Rate of completeness of data) = 100%

• 13Accuracy and reliability
  • 13.1Overall accuracy

    The sample design tries to minimise the sampling errors, and the different survey processes are aimed at eliminating or reducing, as much as possible, the errors thereof, both in the collection phase (response rate and filtering control) and in the subsequent editing and imputation phases.
    The procedure for collection, coverage control, error filtering and imputation of non-response enables obtaining a high degree of reliability in the statistics.
    

  • 13.2Sampling error

    The reference framework used is the Central Business Register (CBR) for the economic activities from 05 to 35. The population of establishments is stratified, according to their main economic activity (CNAE-2009 divisions), their size, based on the number of wage earners,
    Size: wage earners
    10-19
    20-49
    50-99
    100-199
    200 and over
    and the groups of Autonomous Communities (Autonomous Communities),
    Region 1: Andalucia, Castilla y Leon, Cataluña, Comunitat Valenciana, Galicia, Comunidad de Madrid and Pais Vasco.
    Region 2: the remaining Autonomous Communities.
    In those strata in which the study is not comprehensive, we proceed to a systematic random-start selection.

    Sampling errors are calculated of the main variables, at different breakdown levels, using the Direct Method (E. Raulin Formula) and the Indirect method (Jackknife).

    A1 (sampling errors) = 01,06 % (current expenditure)

    Sampling errors at national level by type of expense for the total industry are available at the following link:

    Errores de muestreo por periodo, tipo de gasto y total de la industria. (ine.es)

     

    Information is available on the sampling errors by  Autonomous Communities.
     

  • 13.3Non-sampling error

    Non-sampling errors are controlled throughout the entire statistical process.

    In this sense, and for the purpose of limiting those errors arising in the information collection phase, which might affect the information obtained from the respondent units, after performing the recording of the questionnaires, and with the information available in electronic format, a coverage control of the information is carried out, so as to detect duplicates and coverage errors, and at the same time, be able to perform a first assessment of the quality of the variables collected in the questionnaires.

    The indicators which evaluate no-sampling errors and are applicable to be estimated for this survey provide the following results:

    • Over-coverage rate A2= 5.7%
    • Unit non-response rate A4= 5,8%
    • Imputation rate A7= 5.2%
• 14Timeliness and punctuality
  • 14.1Timeliness

    The definitive data are sent and disseminated in INEbase within 23 months.

    Opportunity of results: TP2= 23.

     

  • 14.2Punctuality

    The dissemination of the data is carried out in accordance with the structural statistics availability calendar that the INE compiles and publishes for each year.

• 15Coherence and Comparability
  • 15.1Comparability - geographical

    The strict application of the definitions and concepts from the European Regulation allows for comparing the survey results with results from other countries.

    The availability of a methodology, a sample design with representative units on a national level, by economic activity and size, and with a proportional approximate allocation, by Autonomous Community, for the purpose of enabling, as much as possible, the model-assisted estimation application for regionalising a limited number of aggregates, given the scarce sample size at this geographical level, and a common process for the collection, filtering, editing and elevation, throughout its geographical scope, guarantees the comparability of the results among the different Autonomous Communities.

  • 15.2Comparability - over time

    The results are comparable over time, given the continuity in the methodology applied since the implementation of the survey. However, it should be borne in mind that, in 2008, a logical break in the series occurred, as a result of the entry into force of the new national classification of economic activities (CNAE-2009).
    CC2 (Number of comparable elements from the time series as of the last break) = 14

  • 15.3Coherence - cross domain

    The results of the Survey on protection expenditure are coherent with the Industrial Company and Product Surveys conducted by the INE.
    

  • 15.4Coherence - internal

    The coherence is the result of a fundamental matter, both in the planning of the survey methodology, and in all of its preparation process. The coherence between the variables is contrasted in all phases of the statistical process.

    The statistics are coherent on an internal level, the annual results of all the variables are consistent amongst themselves, and with regard to the available annual series

• 16Cost and burden
  • 16.1Cost and burden

    For the purpose of reducing the response burden of respondent units, the completion of the questionnaires is facilitated for some large business groups, making the contacts directly from the department in charge of the survey, rather than doing so from the Subdirectorate General for Data Collection.

    Moreover, the design and selection of the sample are coordinated with other surveys, for the purpose of reducing, as much as possible, the overburden of certain respondent units that would be derived from the completion of several surveys in the same year. Cooperation formulae are established, so as to take the most advantage of the available information, and to avoid the unnecessary duplication of statistical operations. The sample size and the extension of the questionnaires are reduced to the essential minimum.

    In terms of the data collection, online completion is encouraged as a method that is easy and secure for respondents, and which enables achieving better information quality levels. In any case, respondents have other possible response channels available (print questionnaire by post, fax, electronic questionnaire.

    The estimation of the budgetary credit necessary to finance these statistics, as set out in the 2023 Annual Programme, comes to a total of 471,27  thousand euro.

• 17Data revision
  • 17.1Data revision - policy

    The INE of Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by the INE board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).

    This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow:  routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.

    
    

    Preview results are not disseminated. The data is published when it is final, and is not subject to revision.

  • 17.2Data revision - practice

    Not applicable

• 18Statistical processing
  • 18.1Source data

    The data obtained is based on a direct, sampling survey,

    The information regarding the main characteristics of the sample, and the directory used as the survey framework, may be viewed at the methodology link

    https://www.ine.es/en/daco/daco42/ambiente/metoemin_en.pdf

    The following is used as the reference framework for divisions 05 to 35 of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009), the Central Business Register (CBR)

    The CBR is a register that assigns and classifies statistical units by main economic activity, according to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE-2009) and by size as defined by the number of wage earners.
    It has been necessary to design independent samples for the different divisions and groupings of Autonomous Communities (Autonomous Communities); a stratified sampling has been used, compiling the strata based on the number of wage-earning persons.

     

  • 18.2Frequency of data collection

    The data collection is annual. For reference year t, the collection is carried out from September to December of year t+1.
    

  • 18.3Data collection

    There is a single questionnaire, and the respondent unit must fill in each section with the current and investment expenditure, intended solely to performing environmental protection activities.
    The different values must may be entered into each of the environmental areas considered in the questionnaire.
    The information collection is performed through the process of mailing the questionnaire by post and telephone support. Respondents are also offered the possibility of completing the questionnaire online and by fax. The questionnaire is sent to all companies in the sample. Together with the questionnaire, in each mailing, the respondent units receive the norms for completing the questionnaire, this document including a listing of possible independent and integrated equipment and installations for each environmental area.
    The collection tasks are supplemented by telephoning those companies that have not responding to the postal questionnaire by the deadline, for the purpose of requesting the information of them, advising them as necessary and obtaining the completed questionnaire. Support tasks for the collection are also carried out, such as updates to the directory, and the control and revision of the questionnaires.

  • 18.4Data validation

    The management of the sample data file, both for controlling the collection and for updating the data from the respondent companies, is carried out through a computer application established for this purpose, which allows for guaranteeing
    the control and organisation of the entire process. This system permits the data from there respondent units to be supervised and updated. The information is collected and filtered at the same time. This guarantees an efficient control over the process from the beginning of the survey onward, since systematic errors when completing the questionnaires can be detected rapidly in the initial stages, which facilitates their correction.
    The initial stage for processing the survey information coincides in time with the actual fieldwork, and is carried out in parallel with the collection, during the entire duration thereof. The main purpose is to establish quality levels that are high enough to enable a correct and adequate recording of the questionnaires, and that significantly simplify the subsequent information processing. The recording of questionnaires is carried out, establishing the control measures required to guarantee an adequate quality level throughout the whole process.
    The goal is to limit errors that appear in this stage that might affect the quality of the information given by the respondent units. Once the questionnaires have been recorded and the information is available on a magnetic medium, an information coverage control is performed, so as to detect duplicates and coverage errors, and at the same time, to carry out a first assessment of the quality of the variables included in the questionnaires. This stage is performed for each economic sector, and its implementation is prior to the creation of the survey file, and thus, to the joint processing of the information.

  • 18.5Data compilation

    Once the survey file is created, tasks are carried out for the errors and inconsistencies in the identification variables of each record to be detected and filtered; subsequently, different phases of content error filtering and imputation are carried out. Once the filtering phases are finished, analysis tables are obtained in order to eliminate errors or inconsistencies detected, and to compare the results obtained with other sources of information.
    

  • 18.6Adjustment

    No seasonal adjustments are carried out.

• 19Comment
  • 19.1Comment