News —

Resource efficiency in Europe — Policies and approaches in 31 EEA member and cooperating countries: This report provides an overview of resource efficiency policies and instruments in 31 member and cooperating countries of the European Environment Agency network (Eionet). A detailed survey was conducted during the first half of 2011 to collect, analyse and disseminate information about national experiences in developing and implementing resource efficiency policies, and to facilitate sharing of experiences and good practice. The report reviews national approaches to resource efficiency and explores similarities and differences in policies, strategies, indicators and targets, policy drivers and institutional setup and information gaps. It concludes with some EEA considerations for future policies on resource efficiency which could be considered in developing future resource efficiency policies at the EU and country levels. The analysis is illustrated with short examples of policy initiatives in the countries, described in more detail in the country profile documents available below.
Located in Publications
Green Economy, Sustainable consumption and production and resource efficiency – what does that mean?: Concepts such as Green Economy, Resource efficiency and Sustainable Consumption and Production are currently discussed as pathways to reduce environmental pressures in Europe and beyond. But what do these concepts mean? The European Environment Agency has interviewed some selected key stakeholders - from government, business, non-governmental organisations and academia - and asked them for their understanding of these concepts.
Located in Environmental topics › Green economy › Multimedia
Butterflies or business - Europe can have both!: The European Environment Agency (EEA) released today its fourth Environment State and Outlook report — SOER 2010 — a comprehensive assessment of how and why Europe’s environment is changing, and what we are doing about it. SOER 2010 concludes that a fully integrated approach to transforming Europe to a resource-efficient green economy can not only result in a healthy environment, but also boost prosperity and social cohesion.
Located in Press room › News
Green tip - the mug: Located in Multimedia centre
How to measure environmental pressures from production and consumption?: The consumption and production of goods and services is currently unsustainable in Europe, with ‘decoupling’ of environmental pressures from economic growth insufficient to date. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) describes methods for quantifying environmental pressures caused by European consumption patterns and economic production sectors. These methods can help target decoupling actions.
Located in News
Using resources more efficiently: Green Week 2011: Rethinking the way we use and manage resources is the subject of this year's Green Week, the European Commission's annual conference on environmental policy from 24-27 May, 2011.
Located in News
Europe's water: efficient use is a must: Clean water is a natural resource vital not only for life on Earth but also for the wellbeing of our societies and economy. However, in many parts of Europe, this valuable resource is coming under increasing pressure, often seen in the form of over-exploitation and pollution.
Located in Articles
Taking stock of our resource use on World Environment Day – 5 June 2011: Humans are consuming the world’s limited resources at increasingly rapid rate, and Europe is particularly reliant on imported goods to sustain its high levels of consumption. On World Environment Day, the European Environment Agency (EEA) draws attention to Europe’s resource use and offers tips to reduce it.
Located in News
Earnings, jobs and innovation: the role of recycling in a green economy: This short report explains the role of recycling in the green economy and examines the evidence of its contribution in Europe, focusing primarily on the economic benefits that recycling offers.
Located in Publications
Environmental indicator report 2012: Reliable, relevant, targeted and timely environmental information is an essential element in implementing environmental policy and management processes. Such information can come in many formats — with indicators being a long-established approach to distilling detailed information into trends that are robust and easily understandable by a broad audience.
Located in Publications