As the world looks to rebuild after COVID, we need to change our approach to the environment, particularly the chemicals and single-use plastics involved in food packaging, writes Frédérique Ries.
Green campaigners have warned that failure by the EU to designate rubber infill derived from tyres as a banned microplastic will lead to significant environmental harm – a claim the tyre and recycling industries strongly reject.
Europe has an opportunity to use the textiles strategy, due to be published this year, to build on its history of textile manufacturing and switch to a more sustainable industry, benefitting citizens and the environment, writes Valérie Boiten.
The current political debate on industrial policy lacks an honest acknowledgement of how much is already decided – from EU recovery budgets to the 2030 climate targets, write Sandrine Dixson-Declève and Janez Potočnik. Sandrine Dixson-Declève is the president of The...
Lawmakers in the European Parliament passed a resolution to tackle environmental and human rights issues in the supply chains of EU businesses by 504 votes to 79 on Wednesday (10 March) ahead of the Commission’s proposal on corporate due diligence later this year.
The European Commission's proposed Euro 7 emission rules on cars, vans, trucks and buses would amount to "a ban through the back door" of internal combustion engines as of 2025, if implemented in their current form, industry has said, calling the proposal premature and "completely out of the question".
Europe's current economic model "has no future" and does not respond to "major environmental challenges", Portugal's prime minister António Costa said on Friday, calling for the adoption of new models such as the circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy.
European soft drink makers unveiled their new vision for 2030 on Monday (22 February), announcing plans to reach 100% recycled or renewable materials in plastic bottles by the end of the decade.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament adopted a set of ambitious proposals on the EU’s circular economy action plan on Tuesday (9 February), including calls to introduce mandatory targets to reduce waste.
The EU needs to introduce strict measures to slow overconsumption in the fast fashion industry and increase the recyclability of textiles in order to reach a zero waste and net zero economy by 2050, according to a new report.
Faced with the boom of single-use masks in France, the country's National Assembly set up a "flash mission" on the topic and concluded that the wearing of washable facemasks should be recommended to the public. EURACTIV France reports.
Many of the "green" claims on companies' websites are exaggerated, false and potentially illegal, according to a study of online shops and traders by the European Union and national consumer protection authorities.
The COVID-19 crisis is accelerating the shift of consumers toward more green and local forms of fashion, writes Mariam Harutyunyan. As high streets haemorrhage, fashion will need to fundamentally remodel itself, she argues.
Japanese video game maker Nintendo will face an EU-wide complaint for premature wear of a joystick controller on its Switch console, French and EU consumer groups said Wednesday (27 January).
The European Parliament's legal affairs committee adopted a report on Wednesday (27 January) calling on the European Union to legally require companies to protect human rights and the environment in their supply chains.
Switching to a circular economy could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 39% and ease pressure on virgin materials by 28%, according to the Circularity Gap Report, published on Tuesday (26 January).
Twelve EU countries will jointly invest almost three billion euros into innovation in battery cell technology for electric vehicles and energy storage, cementing the EU as a “global hotspot” for battery innovation, the European Commission announced on Tuesday (26 January).
Lawmakers in the European Parliament's environment committee will call for legally-binding targets to reduce raw material use in a report due to be voted on this week.
Pop-up stores and restaurants using converted shipping containers are a growing trend in Europe and across the world, apparently boosted by behavioural changes caused by the Covid pandemic. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
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.
![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)
