CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

Description

Y02W covers technologies and processes designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or improve resource efficiency in wastewater treatment and waste management systems. This includes innovations in treatment methods, waste-to-energy conversion, circular economy approaches, and management practices that lower the carbon footprint of these operations. The classification encompasses both end-of-pipe solutions and preventive measures across municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewater contexts, as well as solid waste handling systems. Y02W serves as a cross-sectional tagging mechanism to identify climate-relevant inventions in waste-related fields, complementing more technical classifications elsewhere in the IPC/CPC system.

Filing statistics

CPC subclass Y02W recorded 500,961 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 18,253 in 2013 to 108,100 in 2023 (+492%), peaking at 134,846 applications in 2022. The most active applicants in class Y02 are CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (30,705 applications), TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (29,065 applications) and SGCC(STATE GRID CORPORATION OF CHINA) (22,908 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings