Publications

Recent forecasts indicate serious hazards for our economies, the stability of ecosystems and sustainable development. A global temperature rise of 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels appears to be the very most that can be tolerated.

After twenty years of preparative work the Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy (the EU Water Framework Directive, WFD) finally entered into force as of 22.12.2000 when it was published in the Official Journal.

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that surface waters in Europe must reach a good status by 2015. The prerequisite for this is achieving a good chemical status.

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) lays down new requirements for surface water monitoring, including 33 substances or groups of substances subject to a high ecotoxicological risk potential. Environmental discharges of these substances must be prevented and their concentration in the environment reduced as much as possible.

Germany is pursuing ambitious goals regarding the further development of wind energy use. The German Federal Government considers the expansion of renewable energy use as a central element of its climate conservation and energy policies.

The scarcity of many raw materials holds significant conflict potentials as global demand increases rapidly. This does not only apply to fossil resources, focussed in the public debate, but also to many rare mineral resources. An important example is the ore coltan, from which tantalum is separated for the use as material or in the electronics industry.

The building product directive of the European Union defines the term ‘building product’ as “a commercial product that is manufactured with the purpose of remaining in the building over a long period of time”.

This brochure provides figures and facts about the use of natural resources in Germany. Indicators and trends show the areas in which efficiency gains are emerging and those in which resource efficiency still needs to be increased.

'Every individual is entitled to an environment conducive to the highest attainable level of health and well-being'.

The number of countries where RET have seen significant market growth is steadily increasing. However, in most countries of the world, dissemination of new renewable energy technologies is still very limited. A range of barriers – financial, economic, institutional, political and technical – impede implementation. 

What are phthalates and what is their use? Phthalates are primarily used as plasticisers for soft PVC. The chemical industry in Western Europe produces around one million tons of phthalates annually. More than 90% go into the production of soft PVC. 

The aim of the project „Survey of Heavy Metal Content of Batteries – Analysis of Representative Samples of Customary Batteries and Batteries Sold in Appliances – Preparation of a Sampling Plan, Purchase of Samples and Analysis (Hg, Pb, Cd)“ was to describe the situation concerning the compliance of the existing limits for heavy metal content in commercially available batteries in Germany on the