Environment

Main menu new

Policy matters

Key reports and studies

Eu - circular economy

Circular economy could double benefits from eco-innovation, study finds
25/06/2015
Circular economy could double benefits from eco-innovation, study finds
The European Union could be nearly a trillion euros per year better off by 2030 if a current surge of rapidly developing eco-innovations are put into practice within a circular economy framework, according to a study completed for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. New technologies and business...
Eu
Resource efficiency lessons from south-east Europe
04/11/2014
Resource efficiency lessons from south-east Europe
A recently-concluded project involving partners from Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia has published a library of guidance on resource efficiency policies and implementation for municipalities. The guidance is primarily intended for cities in the 16...
Eu
Sustainable usage practices for sustainable buildings  
23/09/2014
Sustainable usage practices for sustainable buildings  
An EU-funded project involving partners from Belgium, France and the United Kingdom has secured a one-year extension to build awareness about how to optimally use highly energy-efficient buildings. The first stage of the The REGAIN project started in 2008, with backing from the EU INTERREG...
Eu
No landfill, no incineration: municipalities commit to zero waste
04/12/2013
No landfill, no incineration: municipalities commit to zero waste
A European initiative involving municipalities, companies and citizens' groups is encouraging its members to commit to the elimination of residual waste, thereby ending landfill and incineration as waste management practices. Zero Waste Europe...
Eu
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

Pages