Climate change and water: What's in it for Danish companies

1
Climate change and water What's in it for Danish
companies

• Technologies, knowledge and cooperation
• Danish Water Forum
• Bjarne Palstrøm
• Confederation of Danish Industries
• 2. October 2007

2
Major challenges - Major opportunities

• Adaptation to climate change
• worldwide challenge
• technology play major role
• Danish companies can assisst
• Many actors involved - complicated decisionmaking
• Various policy tools available

3
Danish "water" companies 1

• Some 150 companies
• 31 have more than 100 employees
• 20.000 employees in 2003
• 35 have export share over 40
• Value of export estimated to 7 billion DKK export
• 79 of watercompanies assess DK competences at
  same level as global leaders
• Source Miljøteknologiske styrkepositioner, FORA,
  Juni 2006

4
Danish "water" companies - 2

• Relatively high amount of start-ups compared to
  other cleantech areas
• Relatively strong on research and consultants
• However, mostly established companies and
  consultants that are drivers
• Danish home market is small. DK companies forced
  to think globally
• Cooperation could be better
• Source Miljøsektoren i Danmark, Vækstfonden,
  Marts 2007

5
Policy tools - what can we do?

• Framework conditions
• RD - innovation
• Competition and marketbased instruments
• Export facilitation
• Cooperation and partnerships

6
Framework conditions

• Create a level playing field with ambitious
  targets
• Administrative burdens
• Product standards
• Green public procurement - life-cycle thinking
• EU dimension - as a minimum - is important

7
RD - innovation

• Public and private RD
• Increase number of start-ups
• Continue strong connection to EU and global
  research community
• Cooperation between companies and research
  institutions
• Intellectual property rights

8
Competition and marketbased instruments

• Increased competition in Danish water sector
• Water technology fund and benchmarks
• Market based instruments also at EU-level

9
Export facilitation

• Support to Danish water companies
• DI activities such as Creative Nation and
  International Business Network
• Joint venture with energy dimension and COP-15
  preparations
• Targeted and focused

10
Cooperation and partnerships

• "Vandpartnerskabet"
• Second phase soon starting up
• All actors stand to benefit from increased
  cooperation
• Partnership conference 22. October
• DI working actively on all policy tools

11
Climate change and water What's in it for Danish
companies

• Thank you