Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Chemicals

Necessary adaptations for a harmonized fieldtesting procedure and risk assessment of earthworms (terrestrial)

The purpose of this project was to provide scientifically robust and practical information on the variability of the endpoints assessed in earthworm field studies, the statistical significance of the results and the level of the statistically detectable effects of the chemicals tested - with the aim of developing suggestions for improving the test design. Based on the results of the evaluation of...read more

Chemicals

Advancing REACH: Substances in Articles

This report analyses the current legal framework of ⁠REACH⁠ instruments governing the risk management and related notification and communication obligations concerning “substances in articles” (SiA). The study discusses the definition of the term “article” and its interplay with chemical substances contained in the article or that are an integral element thereof. The subsequent secti...read more

Climate | Energy

Analysis and assessment of the design of an offsetting system for international aviation

This discussion paper assesses how robust accounting could be implemented under the Paris Agreement in order to avoid double counting between nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) implemented under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The paper focuses on how host countries of carbon-offset pro...read more

Waste | Resources

Producer responsibility of third-country producers in e-commerce

In order to enforce producer responsibility under waste law against producers of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and packaging from countries outside the EU, so-called third countries, a new study recommends adding two new actors into the law and create a compulsory verification for them. Producers from third countries mostly sell their products in Europe via electronic marketplaces...read more

Climate | Energy, Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Raising the EU 2030 GHG Emission Reduction Target

Implications for ETS and non ETS sectoral targets

The political debate on raising EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target for 2030 from at least 40 percent up to 55 percent or even higher is in full swing. While the European Commission has proposed to reduce emissions by at least 55 percent below 1990 levels, the European Parliament went a step further and adopted a target of 60 percent emissions reductions. This paper intends to enri...read more

Economy | Consumption, Waste | Resources

9 principles for a circular economy

Sustainable development is hardly imaginable without a consistent circular economy. However, turning away from a predominantly linear economy requires many political, economic and social decisions.The German Environment Agency has now developed principles for politics, business and society, which systematically outline the objectives, scope, maxims for action, requirements and success factors of a...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Planetary boundaries: Challenges for science, civil society and politics

The planetary boundaries concept was formulated in 2009 by a research group led by J. Rockström and revised by W. Steffen et al. in 2015. The most important challenges for the further processing of the concept include the translation, operationalization, utilization, downscaling and application of the concept. This was the starting point of the project “Planetary Boundaries: Challenges for science...read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Lessons from the Corona Crisis: New guiding principles required for environmental and sustainability policy? – a discussion paper

The position paper reflects, which guiding principles for future environmental and sustainability policy might be necessary in addition to the existing ones in order to achieve firstly effective crisis management of current and possibly future pandemics and secondly the kick-off into socio-ecological transformations needed to reduce long-term environmental risks. The proposals are based on a caref...read more