Moreover, the industry used a total of 901 million cubic metres of water, estimates show. On the other hand, the industry invested EUR 91m in environment protection in 2010, the Statistics Office has said.

The Statistics Office issued the waste production figures after Earth Day was observed around the world on Sunday. The motto this year was Mobilise the Earth, promoting sustainable future, as industry remains the biggest polluter in the world.

Some 42% of industrial waste accumulated in Slovenia in 2010 was processed internally, 12% was eliminated, 40% forwarded to processing, while some 6% of the waste had been temporarily stored or exported abroad.

In 2009, 56% of all greenhouse gases emitted in Slovenia came from manufacturing and services sectors. In this group, 67% of greenhouse gases were emitted from power plants and 29% from manufacturing facilities.