Environment

Main menu new

Policy matters

Key reports and studies

Eu - Air quality

Regions test indicators of sustainable development
11/06/2013
Regions test indicators of sustainable development
A project backed by the European Union's INTERREG IV C programme has been working to show that an alternative is available. The For decades, the best way to measure the development and progress of societies and nations has been debated. Gross domestic product (GDP) as the main indicator of...
Eu
Keeping track of WEEE
26/03/2013
Keeping track of WEEE
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be used to ensure that waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is correctly processed, and that reuse of components and recycling of materials is maximised, according to a European Union funded project with pilot initiatives in the Czech...
Eu
'Concrete' solutions
11/03/2013
'Concrete' solutions
The European Union's construction sector faces a testing target. Under the EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC), it must, by 2020, reuse or recycle at least 70% by weight of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste. In some countries, such as Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands,...
Eu
Island communities explore sustainability
11/03/2013
Island communities explore sustainability
A group of North Sea island communities have combined their energies to test a range of sustainability ideas involving water, energy and materials use, in the European Union funded The island communities - representing Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom -...
Eu
SPIRE aims to inspire through resource and energy efficiency  
11/02/2013
SPIRE aims to inspire through resource and energy efficiency  
A major cross-sectoral partnership is planning to channel €1.4 billion in private sector research spending to resource and energy efficiency in Europe's process industries – those sectors, such as steel and cement, that transform bulk resources into products that underpin modern economies. The...
Eu
Tram depots: a blueprint for green building
12/12/2011
Tram depots: a blueprint for green building
Five European cities define the cutting-edge in sustainable urban building with four innovative new tram depots A new series of tram depots offers an answer to the challenge of building new public infrastructure both essential for urban development and constrained by stringent environmental,...
Eu
Steel supply chain innovations deliver green benefits
19/09/2011
Steel supply chain innovations deliver green benefits
A better integrated supply chain and consumption-based accounting would enable more efficient use of steel and less waste, so helping reduce the industry’s environmental footprint. The steel sector needs to think about how it can provide the same services with less steel, Julian Allwood from...
Eu
28/07/2011
Significant emission reductions possible at a low cost
A report from the European Commission Joint Research Centre indicates that environmental improvements in residential buildings could result in overall greenhouse gas emission reductions of 7%. The JRC IMPRO-Building report suggests that such reductions could be achieved without incurring...
Eu
Cities setting standards in eco-innovation
02/05/2011
Cities setting standards in eco-innovation
Curitiba is Brazil’s seventh largest city and ‘green capital’. One of the best examples of green urban planning, it shows a city can minimise its environmental impact and be attractive. Eco-innovation is usually applied to products, not cities. Yet the planning achievements of Curitiba and...
Eu
Nanotechnology and environmental performance: what lies beyond the shiny promises?
07/02/2011
Nanotechnology and environmental performance: what lies beyond the shiny promises?
The nanotechnology industry has over-promised and under-delivered according to Friends of the Earth, which proposes taking a precautionary approach to nanotechnology products. Nanotechnology has the potential to deliver novel approaches and transform the economy, although at a significant...
Eu

Pages