23.04.2025
12:30-13:30
Will the Ecological Transformation Lead to Deindustrialisation?
WIFO Research Seminar
Organised by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Language: German
WIFO, Helene-Lieser-Saal or online via MS Teams
In the public narrative, ecological transformation and deindustrialisation are presented as two sides of the same coin. Actually, the fact that European industry is falling behind in e-mobility or solar panels seems just as disadvantageous as the high costs of hydrogen production far from sunny coasts.
However, exploratory interviews with manufacturing companies present a more differentiated picture. There are not only indications of an increase in value creation in the energy industry, but also more economic activity in the areas of circular economy and recycling. In addition, there is considerable investment in the decarbonisation of industrial processes. The value chain plays a central role here, as many Austrian companies are increasingly producing cleantech components. For an industrialised country like Austria, a decline in industrial value creation seems unlikely.