This paper provides empirical investigation of the effects of environmental innovations
(EIs)on environmental performances, as proxied by the environmental productivity (EP) measure.
We focused on sectoral environmental productivity of Italian Regions by exploiting the Regional Accounting Matrix
including Environmental Accounts (Regional NAMEA).
Patent applications have been extracted by the Patstat Database and assigned to the environmental domain by adopting
three international classifications of green technologies:the WIPO IPC green inventory, the European Patent Office
climate change mitigation technologies classification (Y02) and the OECD ENV-Tech indicators.
Econometric results outline that regions -sectors characterized by higher levels of green technologies (GTs) are
actually those facing better environmental performance. These positive effects directlys tem from the introduction
of GT in the same sector, as well as from the introduction of GT in vertically related sectors.