UK low carbon environmental goods and services (LCEGS) increased in sales by £5.4 billion last year from £116.8bn in 2009/10 to £122bn in 2010/11, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed this week.

The volume of UK LCEGS Employment for 2010/11 reached 939,627, compared with the 2009/10 figure of 914,273.

BIS said the statistics from last year were the “first really positive sign of employment growth in the sector since the recession in 2008” as this represents 2.8% annual growth. Annual growth in previous years had been 0.5% for 2008/09 and 0.2% for  2007/08.