In advance of the 3rd Meeting of Competent Authorities for REACH and CLP (CARACAL) on October 12-13, 2009 in Brussels, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) calls for an amendment of Annex XIII of the REACH regulation which lists the criteria for the identification of PBT/vPvB substances. Several member state authorities are arguing that the criteria are out-of-date and do not reflect the cu... read more
Climate protection is driving force for employment
Ambitious climate protection efforts result in more jobs: some 630,000 new jobs might be created in Germany-provided the federal government continues to pursue its goal of reducing national greenhouse gas emissions up until 2020 by some 40 percent over the 1990 index year. One important step towards this goal is measures to improve energy efficiency. Speedy and thorough implementation of climate p... read more
Growing interest in cleaning products and detergents with the EU ecolabel
The interest of several manufacturers in the EU ecolabel for cleaning products and detergents has grown in the past two years. Whereas initial interest was registered for ecolabels on all-purpose cleaners and dishwashing machine detergents, there is now an interest in ecolabels for laundry detergents. What is certain is that by consuming roughly 1.3 million tonnes of cleaning agents and detergents... read more
106 million tonnes less CO2
A new report by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) which accounts for the emissions from renewable energy sources (Emissionsbilanz erneuerbarer Energieträger) concludes that roughly 106 million tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) were saved through the use of renewable energies in 2007. The report provides an account of renewable energy sources that has been updated in terms of met... read more
New: Maps on air quality
What is the annual average level of atmospheric particulates (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone pollution in Germany? All the answers are now available, totally free of charge, from the Federal Environment Agency at http://gis.uba.de/Website/luft/index.htm. The data in this geographic information system (GIS) provide a quick look at the regional distribution of air pollution in Germany, dat... read more
Experts explain climate change
What are the origins of climate change? What impact does the current change in climate have on ecosystems in the various regions around the globe and on human health? Climate experts at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) have the answers to these and similar questions in a newly published brochure. It is based on findings from the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climat... read more
When tags interfere with recycling
Some consumers have already taken notice of them: ever more packaging with adhesive tags or unusual labelling. It is a system using so-called Radio-Frequency identification, or RFID tags, which will eventually replace the barcode commonly used today. Their advantage is that they store more information on minimal space and are quickly read by readers. RFID tags are well-placed everywhere where good... read more
One in every five supermarkets still using refrigerant R 22 and damaging the climate
The Federal Environment Agency is urging quick replacement of the refrigerant R 22 with climate-friendly alternatives. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are still being used as coolants at butchers’, in canteen kitchens, air conditioning systems, or in supermarkets. Although it damages the ozone layer if it leaks, one in every five supermarkets in Germany still uses R 22. The European Union has ban... read more
