The Environmental Economy Report NRW 2022 analyses for the first time not only the economic value added and employment effects of the environmental economy in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also its direct and indirect benefits for the environment. Together with the Prognos Institute, the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) has quantified and economically valuated the ecological benefits of the various market segments and technologies of NRW’s environmental economy. For example, the climate impact of environmentally friendly agriculture, the positive effects of local public transport on air pollution reduction and the contribution of municipal sewage treatment plants to water pollution control were quantified and evaluated. The ecological benefits for the year 2020 amount to about 23 billion euros, of which about 15.5 billion euros alone come from the avoidance of environmental damage. The assessment is part of the fourth NRW Environmental Economy Report, which IÖW and Prognos prepared on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of NRW (MUNV). The report is available for free download on the MUNV website.