Publications | Umweltbundesamt

Waste | Resources

UBA’s key aspects to increase plastic recycling and the use of recyclates

The recycling of plastic waste and the use of recyclates in new products conserve primary raw materials and, unlike the production from crude oil, save energy and reduce CO2 emissions. Recycling (i.e. material recovery) is usually the most environmentally friendly choice among waste management processes. Consequently, material recovery from waste is at the top of the recovery options in the Circul...read more

Klima | Energie

SD-Benefits in Future Market Mechanisms under the UNFCCC

Final Report

The research project identifies and evaluates the positions of relevant players and the issue of sustainable development in the debates on existing and future climate market mechanisms. Subsequently, it focuses on barriers for the integration of sustainable development benefits into market mechanisms and develops recommendations for possible solutions. Overall, it assesses nine different barriers...read more

Chemicals

Assessment of environmental persistence: regulatory requirements and practical possibilities – available test systems, identification of technical constraints and indication of possible solutions

Final Report

A literature study was performed to review the applicability of established and new tests for biodegradability for assessing persistence under ⁠REACH⁠. Screening tests for ready and inherent biodegradability, proposals for enhanced ready tests as well as newly designed compartment-specific screening tests were analysed for strengths and weaknesses and proposals are made how to improv...read more

Waste | Resources

Documentation of IFAT 2016 Side Event Climate-friendly Waste Management through NAMAs in Emerging Economies and Developing Countries

Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) allow emerging economies and developing countries to design waste management strategies and systems that lead to effective greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. On a side event at IFAT / Munich in June 2016 international experts from climate policy and waste management exchanged their experiences on key features of Waste-NAMAs, such as funding and financ...read more

Climate | Energy

Citizen Consultation “World Wide Views on Climate and Energy” in the run-up to COP 21 in Paris 2015

The worldwide initiative for citizen participation “World Wide Views”, which was first cooperatively led by Denmark and France in 2009, was the first opportunity to give the non-organized civil society a platform and a voice. In the year 2015, the citizen participation was organised on climate and energy questions in regards to the international climate conferences. In Germany, the civil dialogue...read more

Chemicals

Development and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the environment under environmentally relevant concentrations of antibiotics and its risk assessment

Literature Study

This report addresses the role of antibiotic residues for the development or dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the environment. It summarizes data on fate and occurrence of antibiotics in the environment and gives an overview of the existing information on effects at realistic concentrations. At present, there is too limited information to judge whether antibiotic residues in the environme...read more

Chemicals

Summary of the results of the Sponsorship Programme for nanoscale titanium dioxide of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials

The Sponsorship Programme is the central testing programme of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) launched in 2007. It was called into being to create the conditions for a coordinated approach between the member countries with regard to the safety of manufactured nanomaterials. The WPMN brings together 30 member countries of the OECD and the EU Commission. Some non-member c...read more

Waste | Resources

Development of tools to prevent food waste

Short Version of the Final Report

Food losses and food waste along the food value chain are a central problem not only for moral and ethical reasons, but also from an environmental perspective. The production and processing of food entail serious environmental impacts which could be reduced significantly by lowering food loss rates. Reducing food losses and food waste may as well contribute significantly to climate and to resource...read more