8 February 20227 February 2022 Sustainable products initiative Under its sustainable products initiative expected on 30 March, the European Commission will, for the first time, aim to ensure that all products placed on the EU market are designed with sustainability objectives in mind
20 January 202217 January 2022 Agriculture Commissioner throws his weight behind carbon farming The Commissioner promised to "endeavour to ensure that carbon farming, to an extent as large as possible, will be incorporated in [CAP] strategic plans"
19 January 202214 January 2022 Haldor Topsoe signs €45 million funding deal with European Investment Bank to drive green energy transition The European funding highlights the company’s commitment to developing new technologies to support a wide range of energy intensive industries in their transition towards a low-carbon future
EIB vergibt 45 Millionen Euro an Haldor Topsøe für eine schnellere Energiewende Europäische Unterstützung verdeutlicht, dass das Unternehmen sich der Entwicklung neuer Technologien widmet, um energieintensiven Industrien einen schnelleren Übergang in eine kohlenstoffarme Zukunft zu ermöglichen
14 January 20227 January 2022 How to make the EU’s carbon border tax effective and fair The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) seeks to even the playing field by putting a price on emissions from imported goods, thereby creating an incentive for producers outside the EU to invest in clean technologies
13 January 202210 January 2022 A sustainable carbons cycle or a vicious emissions cycle? The European Commission’s proposed carbon removal strategy, although it contains some good elements, is also problematic and confusing on other aspects, writes Wijnand Stoefs
Commission’s carbon farming ambition just buries the problem, stakeholders warn Small farmers’ association European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) blasted the communication, calling it “another step towards the financialisation of agriculture and land speculation”
12 January 202210 January 2022 EU paves way for renewable and low-carbon gases to replace fossil fuel The European Commission on Wednesday (15 December) unveiled a package of gas legislation that aims to steer Europe away from fossil gas towards more sustainable energy sources, like renewable and low-carbon hydrogen
Erneuerbare und kohlenstoffarme Gase als Ersatz für fossile Brennstoffe Die Europäische Kommission hat am Mittwoch (15. Dezember) ein Paket von Regelungen zur Gaswirtschaft vorgestellt, das Europa von fossilem Gas weg und hin zu nachhaltigeren Energiequellen wie erneuerbaren Energien und kohlenstoffarmem Wasserstoff führen soll
11 January 20225 January 2022 900 Millionen Euro für Wasserstoffprojekt H2Global – Habeck: „Starten mit dem Hochlauf der Wasserstoffwirtschaft“ Kernidee: Über ein wettbewerbliches Verfahren sollen Wasserstoff oder Wasserstoffderivate in Nicht-EU-Ländern zum geringstmöglichen Preis mit 10-Jahres-Verträgen eingekauft, um dann zum höchstmöglichen Preis an deutsche und europäische Unternehmen weiter verkauft zu werden
New German government gives go-ahead for H2Global initiative The H2Global scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen in non-EU countries, which will be then imported and sold in the EU
France to strongly back Commission’s deforestation proposal during EU presidency Denormandie said France would commit to imposing so-called 'mirror clauses' on antibiotics used in livestock farming or towards EU countries harmonising the maximum residue limits of pesticides authorised for imported products
10 January 20226 January 2022 New ‘own resources’ for EU budget will come from carbon market, executive says EU countries need to agree to the new own resources or face paying back the COVID recovery fund themselves, said Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration
Unvermeidliche Debatte um CO2-Senken jetzt vorwärtsbringen Felix Schenuit und Oliver Geden, Experten für EU-Klimapolitik der Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, argumentieren, dass der Schwerpunkt für das Ziel Klimaneutralität auf der Emissionsvermeidung liegen müsse und nicht in einer Entnahme von CO2 aus der Atmosphäre
6 January 20222 January 2022 FAO and JRC launch new guidance note on monitoring bioeconomy sustainability New bioeconomy Guidance note describes in easy-to-follow steps how countries and macro-regions, such as the European Union (EU), can monitor sustainability along with their bioeconomy strategies and policies
5 January 20222 January 2022 European Green Deal: Commission proposals to remove, recycle and sustainably store carbon The Communication also aims to develop blue carbon initiatives, as using nature-based solutions on coastal wetlands and regenerative aquaculture, provides further benefits for the environment
Europäischer Grüner Deal: Vorschläge der Kommission zu Entfernung, Recycling und nachhaltiger Speicherung von CO2 Mitteilung der Europäischen Kommission zielt auch darauf ab, Initiativen für blauen Kohlenstoff zu entwickeln, da die Nutzung naturbasierter Lösungen in Küstenfeuchtgebieten und bei regenerativer Aquakultur weitere Vorteile für die Regenerierung der Umwelt bietet
4 January 202215 December 2021 United Nations recommends bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics The Bioplastics industry needs stronger political support - and the European Commission should lead efforts to develop a more accurate picture of where the use of bioplastics brings real benefits in reducing conventional plastic pollution
The Basajaun demo building in Finland will showcase innovative wood-based materials and solutions VTT has started a construction project to build a Northern demo building made of wood-based materials and components
17 December 202113 December 2021 EU agricultural outlook 2021-31: lower demand for feed to impact arable crops All relevant market data, accompanied by an explanation of assumptions, and a description of the macroeconomic environment
ArcelorMittal expands partnership with carbon capture and re-use specialist LanzaTech through US$30 million investment Investment is ArcelorMittal’s fourth via its XCarb™ innovation fund
16 December 202116 December 2021 Political Tailwind for Alternative Carbon Sources More than 30 leading pioneers of the chemical and material sector welcome the latest political papers from Brussels, Berlin and Düsseldorf
13 December 20218 December 2021 European Bioplastics Conference confirms bioplastics make significant contributions to the European Union’s ambitious climate goals New European Bioplastics market data, based on research from the nova-institute, gave a very positive outlook for bioplastics production
10 December 20218 December 2021 EU plant 320 Millionen Euro für die Bodenforschung als Beitrag zur Kohlenstoffentfernung Nach Schätzungen der Europäischen Kommission betragen die mit der Verschlechterung der Bodenqualität verbundenen Kosten in der EU mehr als 50 Milliarden Euro pro Jahr. Außerdem gelten 60-70% der Böden in Europa als "ungesund"
EU earmarks €320 million for soil health research to contribute to carbon removal The funding from the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation will be used to support "living labs and lighthouses" to lead to transition towards healthy soils”
9 December 20217 December 2021 Finland set to reject EU taxonomy rules over biomass Finland has stated that it would oppose the EU taxonomy climate delegated act presented in April, Sweden is expected to align itself.
Finnland wird aufgrund von Biomasse gegen EU Taxonomie stimmen Finnland hat erklärt, dass es den im April vorgelegten delegierten Rechtsakt zur EU-Klimataxonomie ablehnen wird. Schweden wird sich voraussichtlich anschließen
7 December 20211 December 2021 European SSuchy Project Update after 4 years of work 3 years after the project launch, the 17 European partners gathered online to review their work & plan for the last year of the project
1 December 202126 November 2021 Carbon capture and utilisation technologies are solutions to reduce CO2 emissions and move away from fossil resources CCU is a broad term that covers processes that aim at capturing CO2 from flue gas or directly from the air and converting it into a variety of products such as renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials
30 November 202125 November 2021 bvse sieht Entwurf für neue Abfallverbringungsverordnung kritisch Sekundärrohstoffe werden gegenüber primären Rohstoffen eklatant benachteiligt
29 November 202124 November 2021 The SHIKIFACTORY100 – Modular cell factories for the production of 100 compounds from the shikimate pathway Cell metabolism includes hundreds of crosslinked metabolic pathways, such as glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and the shikimate route
Spain views carbon farming as a climate solution The government has proposed incentives for producers to incorporate sustainable harvests, crop rotation, direct sowing and plant covers and uncultivated land to protect biodiversity
26 November 202123 November 2021 Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking to be launched at the end of November Partnership between the European Union and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC) will build on the success of BBI JU to advance competitive circular bio-based industries in Europe
A first biodegradable version of velcro has been created, drawing inspiration from climbing plants, to safeguard the environment The new technology has been created by a research team led by Barbara Mazzolai at the IIT - Italian Institute of Technology as part of the European project GrowBot, and with the support of the National Geographic Society
23 November 202117 November 2021 Farmers see chances in carbon farming but must be market-led In practice, by using various agricultural methods ranging from crop rotation, cover crops, and reduced tillage to precision nitrogen application, farmers aim to contribute to tackling climate change
Landwirt:innen sehen Chancen im Carbon Farming, müssen sich aber am Markt orientieren In der Praxis wollen Landwirt:innen durch den Einsatz verschiedener landwirtschaftlicher Methoden – die von Fruchtfolge, Deckfrüchten und reduzierter Bodenbearbeitung bis hin zur präzisen Stickstoffausbringung reichen – zur Bekämpfung des Klimawandels beitragen
16 November 202111 November 2021 Traceless receives €2.42 million grant from European Innovation Council (EIC) Company has been selected together with 65 other start-ups to get funded for breakthrough innovations
Carbon capture and utilisation technologies are solutions to reduce CO2 emissions and move away from fossil resources Most of these technologies, when appropriately integrated, will significantly aid in meeting climate goals
12 November 202110 November 2021 COP26: European Commission announces €1 billion pledge to protect world forests Within the €1 billion pledged, €250 million will go to the Congo Basin, covering eight countries - it is the European Commission's contribution to the Global Forests pledge
COP 26: Europäische Kommission sagt 1 Mrd. EUR für den weltweiten Schutz der Wälder zu Von den zugesagten 1 Mrd. EUR sind 250 Mio. EUR für acht Länder des Kongobeckens vorgesehen - Europäische Kommission leistet ihren Beitrag zur globalen Waldschutzinitiative
11 November 20219 November 2021 VCI-Politikbrief: Den Kreislauf in Schwung bringen Wie kann die Politik dazu beitragen, die Kreislaufwirtschaft voranzubringen und gute Rahmenbedingungen für die Weiterentwicklung von Innovationen schaffen?
8 November 20214 November 2021 Airbus testet Flugzeug mit Treibstoff auf Pflanzenöl-Basis Bei den derzeit verwendeten Flugzeugen müssen dem SAF bestimmte Stoffe zugesetzt werden, welche die Eigenschaften von Kerosin imitieren
5 November 20215 November 2021 European Parliament approves Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking The EU Council is now anticipated to ratify the rule in the second half of November, paving the way for the CBE JU to be launched and its Programme Office to be established by the end of 2021
28 October 202125 October 2021 Biotenside: Nachhaltig waschen und reinigen Dossier mit Überblicksfakten zu unseren unverzichtbaren Zusätzen in Reinigungsmitteln
25 October 202120 October 2021 Fighting food waste: BBI JU-funded projects support the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy The policy emphasises the need to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable food system that preserves biodiversity and has a neutral or positive environmental impact
19 October 202114 October 2021 nenu2PHAr project update after 1 year of work One year after the launch of the project, the 16 European partners gathered online to review their work and plan the next activities of the project
11 October 20216 October 2021 EU Commission, industry clash over green jet fuel mandate EWABA, which represents over 35 companies from the waste-based and advanced biofuels supply chain, says the inclusion of fuels made from waste lipids, such as used cooking oils and tallow, will essentially ringfence the industry for big suppliers and harm efforts to decarbonise vehicles and ships
1 October 20211 October 2021 Forest policy splits Nordic lawmakers in the European Parliament Leading lawmakers from the Socialist and the Greens group in the European Parliament held contrasting views on forest policy during a EURACTIV event earlier this month
30 September 202127 September 2021 European plastics producers call for a mandatory EU recycled content target for plastics packaging of 30% by 2030 An enabling policy framework and collaboration with the value chain are essential to reach target
29 September 202127 September 2021 EU should stay away from Finnish forests Finland already rejected the Commission's Forest Strategy, saying it was too detailed with regard to forest management and wood markets