EU Commission: Adoption of the Amendment of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive

On 05 November 2024, the EU Commission adopted the revised Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). It comes into force on 01 January 2025. In April 2023, the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) took position on this in its Scientific Opinion Paper "Moving forward: The European Commission's Proposal for a Recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive".

Directive 2024/3019

Moving forward: The European Commission’s Proposal for a Recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive

New relevant Micropollutants

On 10 and 28 June 2024, the committee for the identification of relevant micropollutants approved the relevance classifications of 6-PPD and its transformation product 6-PPDQ. 6-PPD is used in the manufacture of tires and rubber products as an antiozonant and antioxidant.

Relevant Micropollutants

Success for the "Round Table 1H-Benzotriazole": Stiftung Warentest evaluates the use of benzotriazole in dishwasher detergents

In the latest issue (test 8/2023) of the German consumer's magazine Stiftung Warentest, a new criterion was included in the evaluation of dishwasher tabs under the category "water pollution": The use of triazoles and thus also of the trace substance 1H-benzotriazole, which is classified as relevant, leads to a downgrading in the quality rating. Thus, dishwasher tabs containing the trace substance 1 H-benzotriazole as a silver protection agent can at best achieve an overall rating of "satisfactory" (grade 3.0). At the same time, the report shows that the use of 1-H benzotriazole is not necessary for good performance in material protection. The new approach of Stiftung Warentest is a positive incentive for manufacturers to adapt their formulations and thus reduce water pollution.

Round Table 1H-Benzotriazole test 8/2023 | Dishwasher tabs (in German)