The service life of most electrical appliances and equipment is becoming ever shorter – at the expense of the environment. The production of new models requires the consumption of valuable precious metals and energy which are not compensated by innovations such as lower energy use. UBA has drafted policy recommendations that will be fed into the European debate about the Circular Economy Package. read more
Extending the service life of electrical appliances
Federal Government business travel remains climate neutral
Operators of climate protection projects worldwide are eligible to apply for offsetting procedure. read more
2015 greenhouse gas emissions indicate a slight decrease for second year in a row
Germany recorded total emissions of 901.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents for 2015, which is 2.3 million tonnes (0.3%) less than in 2014 and 27.9% less than in 1990. This data is based on calculations which the German Environment Agency (UBA) has reported to the European Commission. The greatest reductions were achieved in the energy industries (11.8 million tonnes). read more
Convincing design, not short-lived disposable goods
Waste screening systems for marine litter, breathing building facades or bionic partition walls in airplanes: The German Federal Ecodesign Award is once again looking for daring pioneers of design and inventors of sustainable products for the award in 2017. The deadline for submission of entries to the competition is 10 April. read more
Pace of environmentally harmful subsidies phase-out continues to falter
Environmentally harmful subsidies in Germany continue to be in effect at an excessively high level and now total 57 billion euros, says a recent report by the German Environment Agency (UBA). More than 90 percent of these subsidies are a burden on the climate – and are therefore thwarting Germany's implementation of the Paris Agreement. read more
"Mehr als schön" - more than beautiful: Winners of German Federal Ecodesign Award announced
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and President Maria Krautzberger of the German Environment Agency (UBA) honoured eight winning projects from the Federal Ecodesign Award 2016 contest today. Awards were given to sustainable and recyclable textiles, energy-saving solutions for mobility and buildings, a near zero-emissions wood heating system and a next-generation concept for the removal of plastic particles from the oceans. read more
Grocery discounters should offer more deposit bottle beverages
The German Environment Agency (UBA) is appealing to the grocery trade to include deposit bottle alternatives in their beverage range in addition to non-returnables. read more
Resource-efficient products should be cheaper
More than 16 tonnes of metal, cement, wood and other raw materials per person are consumed in Germany every year – that’s 44 kilos per day. This places Germany at a high level compared with other countries around the globe and other EU states. These are the conclusions drawn in the resources report published by the German Environment Agency (UBA). read more