Environment

Policy matters

Eu - Technology

Keeping track of WEEE
26/03/2013
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...
'Concrete' solutions
11/03/2013
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,...
Island communities explore sustainability
11/03/2013
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 -...
SPIRE aims to inspire through resource and energy efficiency  
11/02/2013
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...
The 13th European Forum on Eco-Innovation: water sector eco-innovation in practice
15/01/2013
The 13 The Forum resulted in the production of recommendations that will inform the future development of activities for the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Water [see article on EIP http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/about-eco-innovation/policies-matters/eu/20121001_en.htm].The...
Tram depots: a blueprint for green building
12/12/2011
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,...
Steel supply chain innovations deliver green benefits
19/09/2011
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...
28/07/2011
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...
Cities setting standards in eco-innovation
02/05/2011
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...
Nanotechnology and environmental performance: what lies beyond the shiny promises?
07/02/2011
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...

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