1. The creation and use of joint environmental and economic
dataset at the micro level: Italian experience.
OECD workshop
Istat – Istituto Nazionale di Statistica
Roberto Nardecchia
Paris 10,11 July 2018

2. Paris 10,11 July 2018
Index
 Introduction
 Overview of data sources
 The survey on environmental protection expenditure
 Conclusions

3. In Italy, traditionally SBS are estimated based on direct surveys
SME survey: a sample survey annually investigates about 100,000 enterprises with less
than 100 persons employed in the industrial, construction, trade and non-financial
services sectors (about 4.3 million of units as target population)
SCI survey: a census survey, concerne enterprises with 100 and more persons employed
(10.657 for the reference year 2015) The response rate was 75.0% for the reference year
2015 and with the integration process using administrative data the coverage of target
population is almost complete.
In 2013-2014, Istat developed a new statistical register on economic account called
“Frame” . The register is a new system for the production of SBS data for the enterprises
with less than 100 persons employed. It is based on the use of administrative data as
primary source of information and the sample survey is used to investigate variables
which are not available in the admin sources (i.e. investment) or single item of main
economic variables. In this way, it has been possible to obtain a multidimensional set of
estimates for all the enterprises of the population with less than 100 persons employed.
The Frame allows to overcome some limitations of sample survey, like the low response
rates and sampling errors.
Data sources for SBS Regulation

4. Combining Frame/Sme survey and Sci survey has been built a multidimensional
micro data matrix (called “FrameSBS”), containing the information of Business
Register and the economic variables to estimate the characteristics required by
the SBS Regulation. Frame SBS represents the reference framework for the
convergence and consistency of many statistics on the structure, activity,
competitiveness and performance of businesses in Italy, at different level of
breakdown (economic activities, size class and regional): Number of enterprises,
Turnover, Production value, Value added at factor cost, Gross operating surplus,
Total purchases of goods and service, Personnel costs, Wages and salaries,Gross
investment in tangible goods, Number of: persons employed, Number of
employees, Number of hours worked by employees ecc.
The annual production process of the statistical register consists of three macro-
phases:
1. Sources’ acquisition and standardization;
2. Sources’ integration;
3. Estimation.
Data sources for SBS Regulation
Paris 10,11 July 2018

5. Paris 10,11 July 2018
The Frame SBS structure
Main SBS variables by source of data in Frame SBS (Year 2014) (%).
Source Units
Persons
Employed Turnover Value added
Personnel
costs
BIL 16.7 28.3 37.0 32.9 36.1
SDS 66.9 36.2 13.4 21 12.3
UNI 11.1 3.6 0.8 1.4 0.4
IRAP 1.3 1.7 4.5 1.9 1.9
SCI Survey 0.2 27.1 42.1 40.7 47.0
No source 3.8 3.1 2.3 2.0 2.3
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Estimates
Source: Istat

6. Paris 10,11 July 2018
Main advantages on using FrameSBS
• improving the consistency and quality of economic statistics (SBS and National
Accounts)
• performing statistical analysis on the data, cross section and on the longitudinal
scale, being able to use a large panel for all the units of the business register for
the period 2011-2016
• producing very detailed estimates, over the domains of SBS regulation
• reducing the statistical burden on businesses by simplifying the questionnaires
and the redesign of the samples

7. Annual enterprise statistics for industry listed in Annex II Section 4 paragraphs 2
and 3 of the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 295/2008
concerning structural business statistics.
Characteristics: 20 11 0 Purchases of energy products (Series 2A)
Definition: Purchases of all energy products during the reference period should
be included in this variable only if they are purchased to be used as fuel. Energy
products purchased as a raw material or for resale without transformation should
be excluded.
Frequency Annual: Activity coverage NACE Rev.2 Sections B-E (Sections D
and E excluded)
Level of activity breakdown: NACE Rev.2 4-digit level (class)
 Item of Total purchases of goods and services
Paris 10,11 July 2018
SBS Characteristics

8. Paris 10,11 July 2018
Annual enterprise statistics on environmental protection expenditure by environmental
domains for industry listed in Annex II Section 4 paragraphs 3 and 4 of the European
Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 295/2008 concerning structural business
statistics.
Characteristics:
• 21 11 0 Investment in equipment and plant for pollution control, and special
antipollution accessories (mainly end-of-pipe equipment)
• 21 12 0 Investment in equipment and plant linked to cleaner technology
(‘integrated technology’)
Level of activity breakdown: NACE Rev.2 2 digit level (divisions).
Frequency: Annual
Activity coverage: NACE Rev.2, sections B-E (except for NACE Rev.2 divisions 37, 38
and 39)
SBS and environmental protection expenditure

9. Paris 10,11 July 2018
Level of breakdown by environmental domains: Protection of ambient air and
climate, Wastewater management, Waste management, Other environmental
protection activities, total.
Level of size class breakdown: Number of persons employed: 0-49, 50-249, 250+,
total
Multiannual enterprise statistics on environmental protection expenditure by
environmental domains for industry listed in Annex II Section 4 paragraphs 3 and 4
of the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 295/2008 concerning
structural business statistics.
Characteristics: 21 14 0 Total current expenditure on environmental protection
Frequency: 3-yearly (from 2010)
Level of breakdown: by environmental domains and by size class.
SBS and environmental protection expenditure

10. Paris 10,11 July 2018
The survey on environmental protection expenditure
Statistical unit: enterprise
Target population: as the SME survey and SCI survey
Frequency: Annual
Characteristics: Investments end-of-pipe, ‘integrated technology’ and
total current expenditure on environmental protection breakdown in the
environmental domains: Protection of ambient air and climate, Wastewater
management, Waste management and Other environmental protection activities.
Current expenditure is the sum of ‘in-house expenditure’ and ‘purchases of
environmental protection services’.
Pourpose: Estimates to comply the SBS Regulations and National Environmental
Account.
Data collection: CAWI
Response rate: 32.4% of sample in SME survey, about 74% in SCI survey for the
reference year 2015.
Dessimanation: Time t+18 months, annual Report and Istat web site (I.stat)

11. Paris 10,11 July 2018
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
2012 2013 2014 2015
end-of-pipe ‘integrated technology’ % Gross investment in tangible goods
Environmental protection investment of manifacturing industry.
Italy. Year 2012-2015 (Thousand EUR and % of Gross investment in
tangible goods)
Estimates
Source: Istat
%
ThousandEUR

12. Paris 10,11 July 2018
Conclusions
Pro
SBS frame could be joined with environmental protection expenditure
Against
Environmental protection expenditure in future legal basis for business
statistics (FRIBS)
Investments by type of assets or function performed are not covered by
admin sources
Tips
Methodological solutions by adopting for the treatment of non
respondent unit