The economic uncertainty increased during 2022 due to the geopolitical tensions related to the Ukraine conflict, resulting in subsequent energy crisis, mounting inflation, rising interest rates and lowered economic growth prospects. Inflation accelerated during the year and the cost inflation related to material prices, including fuel costs, continued to impact also the building technology market. There have also been supply shortages and delays in some areas. Caverion has proactively taken various measures to optimise the supply chain and to manage pricing. Economic sentiment weakened in the EU during 2022 along with lower economic growth prospects. Also the corona pandemic still continued to have some impact on the operating environment through sick leaves.
In Services, the market demand and general investment activity remained positive. Caverion has continued to see a general increasing interest for services supporting sustainability, such as energy management and advisory services, driven by regulation and by the expected governmental and EU stimulus packages supporting investments in green growth. There has also been increasing interest towards long-term and large-scale service agreements. Growth has been limited by the availability of competent workforce and delays in the supply chain.
In Projects, the market demand remained mostly stable. The interest for energy improvement projects has picked up, driven by the focus on energy consumption due to the energy crisis. The market was impacted by increases in material prices, delays in decision-making and supply chain as well as uncertainty in the business environment, especially related to new construction.
Built environments are a major source of carbon emissions today. Buildings are responsible for 30% of Europe's CO2 emissions. By modernising and digitalising buildings we can reduce the CO2 emissions up to 20%. Also when industrial production facilities operate as planned, production disruptions, uncontrolled emissions and waste are eliminated. Our company is well positioned to help provide a sustainable, digital future for our customers.
The megatrends in our industry have developed in our favour in recent years and support our growth. We have seen a general increasing interest for services supporting sustainability, such as energy management and advisory services, driven by regulation and the expected governmental and EU stimulus packages supporting investments in green transition.