The German Environment Agency welcomes the EU’s initiative to change the use of plastics in Europe. The European Commission presented its Plastics Strategy on January 16th.
"Greenwashing" can often disguise the negative impact of products and services on the environment. But the German Federal Ecodesign Award is different. For the seventh year in a row and until 09 April 2018, companies from all industries and of all sizes as well as designers and students can now submit their ecologically designed products and services.
Environmental and nature conservation associations can gain recognition pursuant to art. 3 Environmental Appeals Act (Umwelt-Rechtsbehelfsgesetz, UmwRG) and thereby acquire special participation and litigation rights. The German Environment Agency (UBA) and the competent authorities at federal state (Länder) level are responsible for granting recognition.
UBA and the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) organised an expert workshop in May 2017. The aim was to exchange views on the potential applicability of the FET test for regulatory purposes under REACH, Biocidal Products- and Classifcation and Packaging Regulation and explore how it might be used as part of weight of evidence approaches for acute fish toxicity.
If Germany wants to live up to the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement, its transport sector must quickly and drastically cut its greenhouse gas emissions. A recently published paper commissioned by the German Environment Agency confirms this conclusion and proposes concrete measures by which emissions can be reduced significantly and ensure that the climate action goals are achieved.
Mould infestation is one of the most frequent problems in indoor space. If it is not cleaned up it can trigger or worsen respiratory diseases such as asthma or cause allergic reaction. The re-edited and updated mould manual (in German) from the German Environment Agency (UBA) shows how to deal with mould in the home, including its prevention, detection and clean-up.
The German Environment Agency recently published its Data on the Environment 2017 report. Action is needed with regard to climate protection policy, improvement of resource efficiency and nutrient pollution, good news for recycling rates and drinking water quality.
Environmental labels can provide transparency and orientation
Since 2016, there are new legal requirements for the assessment for nutrients and substances of the waters in Germany. New assessment procedures for hydromorphology were developed. These assessment instruments and the results of the application are described in the brochure "Waters in Germany: Status and Assessment".
The prizes of the 2017 contest go to repair services, mobile applications to initiatives to fight food waste, energy-saving design products, concepts for resource-efficient and recyclable fashion and a vision for the opportunities which living plant construction provides.
People in developed countries spend the majority of their lives indoors, on average about two thirds in their home. However, the quality of indoor air is not always beneficial to human health.
The transport sector is under pressure and faces tremendous challenges - not only in Germany. Hence, many countries are looking for solutions that mitigate the sector’s environmental impact and promote sustainable alternatives. UBA and GIZ collected promising ideas and innovations from emerging and developing countries that show great potential for the German context.
