薛涛：环保行业不是“内卷”，而是出清和优胜劣汰

Core Viewpoint - The central government is promoting measures to combat "involution" in various industries, including the environmental sector, which is expected to undergo a market clearing process rather than traditional overcapacity issues [2][3][4] Industry Overview - The environmental industry is characterized by customized solutions, which means it does not face the same overproduction issues as other manufacturing sectors [3][4] - The current challenges in the environmental sector stem from a decline in market demand, particularly in municipal infrastructure, rather than excessive production capacity [4][7] Market Dynamics - The environmental sector's "involution" is more accurately described as market clearing, driven by changes in environmental governance intensity and a decrease in market scale [4][5] - The industry is experiencing a natural selection process due to reduced demand and financial pressures on local governments, leading to a decline in environmental investments [8][9] Competitive Landscape - The environmental industry lacks a high concentration of leading firms, with regional market fragmentation still prevalent, preventing the formation of monopolistic structures [6][12] - New entrants, including large state-owned enterprises, are entering the environmental sector, leveraging their construction expertise and financial capabilities [13][14] Future Outlook - The potential for a Chinese equivalent of global leaders like Veolia is limited, as domestic firms face challenges in achieving the same level of operational and technical integration across various environmental services [10][11] - The future of the environmental industry will likely favor companies with core competitive advantages rather than those relying solely on scale expansion [14]