Press | Umweltbundesamt

A new age is dawning at UBA as the certified economist Mr Jochen Flasbarth, 47, assumes the office of President of Germany’s largest national environmental authority on 1 September 2009.  In early August the Federal Cabinet had unanimously appointed him as successor to Dr. Andreas Troge, who had asked to be retired at the end of July 2009 for health reasons. Flasbarth’s last post was as head of th... read more

It is now the public’s turn to comment, as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has asked for comments on its proposals to declare certain substances as ones of very high concern. Member States have recommended strict regulation of 14 chemicals according to REACH on account of their harmful impact on environment and health. One additional suggestion comes from ECHA itself: environmental and consum... read more

The share of reusable and ecologically advantageous one-way beverage packaging in 2007 continued its decline as compared to the previous year, taking a share of only 54.7%. The 2006 figure stood at 59.8%. The core reason for this decline is that one-way plastic packaging is squeezing reusable bottles and beverage cartons out of the market. The reusable beer bottle has been the only packaging to ho... read more

Although aviation emissions trading has not officially started, preliminary work is at full-speed. Only those air carriers who submit so-called monitoring plans for recording transport data and emissions of their aircraft to the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency can expect to receive free allocation of certificates in future. read more

The entry-into-force of the European Chemicals Regulation REACH has brought extensive obligations upon the private sector as concerns the production, import and processing of chemicals. Due to considerable uncertainty about the consequences of REACH on plastics recycling, several plastics industry associations and businesses, along with the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), have come to an agreeme... read more

They elasticise rubber, but they are toxic: anthracene oils extracted from black coal are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. As a rule PAHs persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, and are toxic. However, they continue to be used in products such as flip-flops or rubber handles. The European Union (EU) has already largely banned the use of PAHs in car tyres and foodstuffs. However, the F... read more

As of 16 June 2011 only highly efficient three-phase asynchronous motors with a performance range of 0.75 - 375 kilowatts (kW) may be put on the market. The Ecodesign Regulatory Committee endorsed these standards for electric motors in the EU Member States and issued them in the Official Journal of the EU as Regulation 640/2009, thereby establishing minimum standards in energy efficiency for three... read more

Circulating pumps are present in every house, yet hardly anyone knows how much electricity they consume although they easily rank as one of a household’s biggest power consumers. The use of highly efficient circulating pumps saves energy and CO2, and can save consumers money as well. Therefore, on 22 July 2009, the EU Commission adopted certain minimum efficiency standards in circulating pumps. As... read more