Press release from | No. 32/2014

UBA tests outdoor jackets: Weather-proofing is harmful to waters

Wanderer mit einer roten Regenjacke und einem Rucksack läuft durch einen Wald bei Regen

The waterproofed layer of weatherproof functional jackets releases environmentally harmful chemicals which contain fluoride. These chemicals are put into the environment, for example by washing. Waste water treatment facilities cannot degrade these chemicals, and thus they are released into rivers, seas and groundwater, and ultimately accumulate in the bodies of humans and animals. The Federal Env... read more

Press release from | No. 30/2014

Drag hose for fields, filters for animal housing

Drag hoses spreading slurry directly onto the field.

The President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Maria Krautzberger, made a plea for more protection of the environment in agriculture at the German Farmers' Day: "More and more consumers want not only tasty, healthy and affordable products but also products which do not put a strain on the environment. The organic food trend is a clear reflection of this. But conventional farming can make a... read more

Press release from | No. 26/2014

Marine litter: a problem for a long time to come

a beach full of plastic garbage

The volume of litter entering the oceans in future must become less than it has been up to now. This is the goal of the regional action plans of the Conventions on Protection of the North and Baltic Seas and of the Mediterranean Sea to combat marine litter. The action plans include measures to counteract the loss of fishing equipment in the marine environment and also recommend avoiding the use of... read more

Press release from | No. 25/2014

The Federal Environment Agency turns 40

Logo 40 Jahre UBA

A revolution was started in Germany over 40 years ago, the ecological revolution. The then Federal Government, in the Social -Liberal coalition under Chancellor Willy Brandt, presented its environmental programme in 1971 and three years later, Germany had its first national environmental authority: the Federal Environment Agency, or UBA. The UBA started out with a staff of about 170 in West Berlin... read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment