Major airlines, including Easyjet, KLM and Air France, have joined with environmental NGOs to call for stricter policies on biofuels and reduce the aviation sector's environmental impact.
Soils extracted from construction sites are by far the biggest source of waste produced in Europe every year – five times the amount of household waste – yet governments are turning a blind eye to the issue.
New EU rules came into force on 1 January, prohibiting the shipment of unsorted plastic waste to foreign countries. Although the move will increase pressure on Europe to recycle, activists say the ban is likely to increase landfilling and waste burning inside the Union.
As the European Union seeks to transition to a ‘circular economy’, the policy focus in 2021 will turn to products: how they are designed, and why so many seem to be made to throw away.
Companies doing business in Europe may soon have to ensure their packaging contains a minimum amount of recycled plastic. But getting their hands on quality recycled materials in sufficient quantity is currently difficult.
Electric car and industrial batteries sold in Europe will soon face legally binding environmental standards, the European Commission said on Thursday (10 December), as it seeks to give local producers an edge in a rapidly growing global market.
For decades, the standard approach to production and consumption has been “ make, use, dispose”. How can the EU ensure that all products placed on the EU market become increasingly sustainable.
Deposit return and extended producer responsibility schemes are everywhere in the EU but have very different rules. Does this present a barrier to meeting the EU’s recycling objectives?
There is no doubt that 2020 has been and for the time being will continue to be an enormous testing period for Europe, its industry and especially its citizens. Roman Stiftner is the Secretary General of EUMICON. As one reflects...
European rules that dictate how waste materials can be transported within, into and out of the EU are due an update. Industrial players insist that a review cannot come quickly enough, as the current laws are an obstacle to green policies like recycling.
Jan Huitema, who is in charge of guiding the circular economy strategy through the European Parliament, says his report will include requirements for products to contain a minimum amount of recycled material.
Chemical recycling should be seen as a last resort option to deal with growing amounts of plastic waste while more research is needed to reduce its energy consumption, a senior EU official has said.
The world has managed to recycle enough plastic since the 1950s to equal the weight of 88,000 Eiffel Towers. Pretty impressive. The bad news is this is less than one-tenth[1] of the 8.3 billion tonnes[2] of plastic produced over the...
The EU’s circular economy plan aims to halve municipal waste in the next decade by increasing recycling rates. Can companies boost the use of recycled plastics in time to meet the target?
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used in plastics materials in electrical and electronic products to aid fire safety by reducing their propensity for ignition. This not only means a contribution to saving lives, but also products and property, thus preventing...
Around half of e-waste plastics are not recycled in Europe but rather shipped abroad where they often end up being dumped or burnt. Simpler laws on recycling in Europe would help keep those materials at home and recycle them, argues Chris Slijkhuis.
Scotland passed a law to make menstrual products free and end period poverty on Tuesday (24 November), but more needs to be done to discuss the environmental and health impacts of disposable products, according to environmental campaigners.
The EU should promote durable and repairable products, as well as boost a second-hand market and tackle greenwashing, under a proposal backed by the European Parliament on Tuesday (24 November).
The EU and the UK must bring waste incineration plants within the scope of emissions trading schemes (ETS) if they are to achieve net zero-emissions and comply with the Paris Agreement, writes Georgia Elliott-Smith.
Taxation will not escape the European Union's plans to curb planet-warming emissions, and levies should be revamped to reflect climate and environmental costs, the head of EU climate policy said on Monday (16 November).
Avoiding greenwashing and providing customers with more information about the sustainability of products is a key part of the Commission’s new consumer agenda, launched on Friday (13 November).
Since the publication of the Sustainable Finance Package in 2018, the European Commission has sent clear messages to investors in Europe that the financial sector must not harm the planet and its citizens, and must avoid green washing. The objectives...
While Europe is rapidly catching up with China on investments into batteries for electric cars, it is still lagging behind when it comes to securing supplies of the critical raw materials that are needed to produce them.
The EU brewing sector is exploring innovative solutions to upcycle wasted by-products from beer production into products suitable for human and animal consumption as part of their commitment to contribute towards the EU’s green goals.
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![Plastic ready to be recycled in the yard of a company specialising in ecological treatments. [Moreno Soppelsa/Shutterstock].](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/shutterstock-101127223.jpeg)
