life and resource efficiency

LIFE and resource efficiency Decouplinggrowthfromresourceuse

LIFE Focus I LIFE and resource efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use

More information on the European Union is availa�le on the �nternet ��le on the �nternet �http://europa.eu).

Cataloguing data can �e found at the end of this pu�lication..

Luxem�ourg: Pu�lications Office of the European Union, 2011

�SBN 978-92-79-19764-2

�SSN 1725-5619

doi:10.2779/74370

© European Union, 2011

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Printed in Belgium

Printed on recycled paper awarded the EU Ecola�el

EuropEan CommissionEnvironmEnt DirECtoratE-GEnEral

LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched �y the European Commission and co-ordinated �y

the Environment Directorate-General �L�FE Units - E.3. and E.4.).

The contents of the pu�lication “L�FE and Resource Efficiency: Decoupling growth from resource use” do not necessarily reflect the

opinions of the institutions of the European Union.

Authors: Ga�riella Camarsa �Environment expert), Justin Toland, Eamon O’Hara, Tim Hudson, Wendy Jones, Ed Thorpe, Christophe

Thévignot �AE�DL, Communications Team Coordinator). Managing Editor: Hervé Martin, European Commission, Environment DG,

L�FE E.4 – BU-9, 02/1, 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels. LIFE Focus series coordination: Simon Goss �L�FE Communications

Coordinator), Evelyne Jussiant �DG Environment Communications Coordinator). Technical assistance: Audrey Thénard, Nicolas

Tavitian, Agnese Roccato �Astrale GE�E). The following people also worked on this issue: Al�an De Villepin, Federico Nogara,

Simona Bacchereti, Santiago Urquijo-Zamora, Sylvie Ludain �Environment DG, L�FE Environment and Eco-innovation Unit), Carina

Vopel, Jonathan Murphy �Environment DG, Communication Unit), Ro�in Miege �Environment DG, Green Week Task Force).

Production: Monique Braem �AE�DL). Graphic design: Daniel Renders, Anita Cortés �AE�DL). Photos database: Sophie Brynart.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to all L�FE project �eneficiaries who contri�uted comments, photos and other useful material for this

report. Photos: Unless otherwise specified; photos are from the respective projects.

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Resource efficiency is a cross-cutting issue that affects our daily lives and economy. We rely

on natural resources to provide us with shelter, food, employment, quality of life and a host of

other services. �n order to protect the long-term availa�ility of these resources, we need to take care

to use them wisely in sustaina�le ways. For this to happen, new approaches are required, approaches

that need to involve long-term considerations aimed at achieving a �etter �alance �etween economic,

environmental and social interests.

The L�FE Programme has �een at the forefront of such moves to promote more resource efficient

solutions for today’s environmental challenges, and a large portfolio of good practices in this area has

�een gathered �y L�FE since its launch in 1992. A sample of some of these approaches is highlighted

in the following L�FE Focus �rochure, which presents some of the practical actions �eing implemented

throughout the EU.

Topics featured in the �rochure span the full sustaina�le development spectrum and aim to illustrate

how L�FE’s �road remit is a�le to assist a multitude of different environmental activities in a variety of

different contexts. Pu�lic, private and voluntary sector organisations throughout Europe have all used

L�FE co-finance for good effect and the results of their efforts are explained in the following articles.

Over 120 L�FE projects are featured, which demonstrates the critical mass of knowledge that is held

�y the Programme in key fields such as waste management techniques, water conservation methods,

energy efficiency options, and lower impact transport. Between them, the L�FE projects that are spot-

lighted in this �rochure offer many opportunities for readers to �uild their own capacity for helping to

shape and safeguard a more resource efficient future for Europe.

Resource efficiency has a central part to play in Europe’s 2020 strategy for growth and jo�s, and

accordingly the European Commission is launching a num�er of far-reaching new initiatives

in this area. But for many of Europe’s front-runners, greening our society is already a reality: not only

governments and large companies, �ut local actors and small innovative companies too are commit-

ted to the idea, whose strength often comes from the grassroots level. Businesses and organisations

have understood that improving efficiency and innovative products, processes and �usiness models

affords valua�le opportunities for increased productivity and growth.

While individual companies and organisations can often achieve simple gains in efficiency without

massive investment, making sure that good innovative ideas actually reach the market can require

su�stantial funds. The L�FE+ programme can play a key role here, helping ensure that a shift to a

resource efficient Europe �ecomes a reality, and acting to relieve or prevent future scarcities of essential

resources such as energy and water. � am pleased to �e a�le to say that �y providing real-life solutions

to real-world pro�lems, the �est L�FE practices featured in this �rochure are an important inspiration

for policymakers, and that moreover, these examples reflect areas where we are considering future

policy action.

A solution to a pro�lem is merely anecdotal, unless the message can �e shared. But when �est prac-

tices �ecome �etter known, major changes can result. That’s why communication has always had a key

role to play in L�FE – and why pu�lications such as this are so important for policymakers and actors

on the ground. This L�FE Focus pu�lication is only one part of L�FE outreach – check out the 2011

Green Week conference and exhi�ition, and the L�FE and Green Week we�sites for more examples of

good practices �eing shared.

Hervé MartinHead of Unit – LIFE Environment and Eco-innovationDirectorate-General for the Environment, European Commission

Robin MiègeGreen Week Task ForceDirectorate-General for the EnvironmentEuropean Commission

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introduction ........................ 3

Building a resource efficient Europe ....................3

production processes .......... 5

L�FE producing resource efficient industrial growth .....5

ME�GLASS �rings new L�FE to waste glass ....10

Eco-products and eco-design ........................ 13

L�FE conserving resources in product design, production, use and disposal ................13

L�FE helps drive greener tyre making .........................18

lifecycle thinking .............. 21

Lifecycle thinking - a key thought of L�FE ...................21

ACADEMY: managing the lifecycle of complex products .............................26

Water efficiency ................ 29

Water - an essential component of L�FE ............ 29

sustainable transport ........ 33

A cleaner and more efficient transport system ...33

Energy efficient buildings .. 37

L�FE helps �oosts the energy efficiency of EU �uilding stock .....................37

Taking the risk out of resource efficiency investments ........................41

Fish and marine resources ........................... 43

Protecting Europe’s fisheries and marine resources ........43

No discards, zero waste .....46

land use and planning ...... 49

Planning for a more resource efficient European landscape ...........................49

Food and beverage resource efficiency ............ 51

L�FE turns food for thought into action .............51

agriculture and ecosystem services ............................. 55

L�FE aids agriculture to pre-serve resources .................55

Conservation agriculture reduces soil erosion in Andalusian wetlands ..........59

Green public procurement and Green skills ................ 62

L�FE shows the environmental �enefits of GPP ................................62

project list ......................... 64

available liFE Environment publications ...................... 69


The EU’s Europe 2020 Strategy1 for

growth sets the priority of moving

to a more resource efficient, green and

competitive economy. Under the Europe

2020 strategy, the Flagship �nitiative for a

resource efficient Europe2 has �een intro-

duced to help the EU achieve sustaina�le

growth �y ‘decoupling’ economic growth

from increasing resource use.

The Flagship �nitiative sets out a vision

for a more resource-efficient economy �y

2050. �t proposes new policy initiatives3

that will stimulate greater innovation for

short-term and long-term economic and

environmental �enefits4. �t also allows

for the development of a set of tools

for policymakers to drive and monitor

progress.

The Flagship recognises that resource

efficiency is a cross-cutting issue that

� COM (20�0) 2020 Communication from the Commissions Europe 2020 – A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth2 COM (20��) 2� final A resource-efficient Europe – Flagship Initiative under the Europe 2020 strategy� The proposals that have been adopted are: Energy 2020: A strategy for competitive, sustainable and secure energy, Energy infra-structure priorities for 2020 and beyond – A Blueprint for an integrated European energy network and Tackling the challenges in com-modity markets and on raw materials� The Flagship Initiative for a resource effi-cient Europe provides a long-term framework for actions in many policy areas, supporting policy agendas for climate change, energy, transport, industry, raw materials, agriculture, fisheries, biodiversity and regional develop-ment. Links to the key proposals can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/resource-effi-cient-europe/

affects all aspects of our daily lives.

Hence, coordination is needed at EU

level as well as in Mem�er States at

national, regional and local levels. Prac-

tical action at Mem�er State level will �e

particularly important and the su�sidiarity

principle remains essential to ensure that

appropriate solutions are put in place at

appropriate times, in appropriate ways,

in appropriate places.

Empowering the participation of private

sector stakeholders, citizens, consumers

and NGOs is also fundamental for turn-

ing around Europe’s increasingly unsus-

taina�le resource use ha�its. Resource

efficiency is as relevant for Europe’s

ur�an areas as it is to rural communities

and the wider countryside. Everyone is

affected �y the environmental challenges

that we face and everyone can make

their own positive contri�utions to help

achieve the Flagship’s goals.

Uptake of these resource efficient

approaches can �e assisted �y raising

awareness of the long-term �enefits that

are possi�le from adopting sustaina�le

approaches. There are many examples

of how the wise use of environmental

Building a resource efficient Europe

The concept of resource efficiency emphasises a need to use the Earth’s limited

resources in a sustainable manner. For Europe to have a vibrant economy and a high

quality of life, we need a sustainable base of raw materials and resources. However,

our economic growth patterns continue to exert increasing pressures on EU resource

bases. As such it is becoming more and more important that we improve our ability to

live, produce and consume within the limits of our ecosystem.

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The LIFE programme has a long track record of innovative approaches for building a resource efficient Europe

http://ec.europa.eu/resource-efficient-europe

http://ec.europa.eu/resource-efficient-europe


assets can strengthen the resilience of

our economies and secure growth and

jo�s �y �oosting competitiveness. At

the same time, resource efficiency has

�een shown to help drive down costs,

improve productivity, stimulate innova-

tion, and support employment, espe-

cially in growth areas such as the ‘green

technology’ sector.

Timing for wider adoption of resource

efficient principles is important as pres-

sures on our resources rise in line with

increases in wealth and population

growth in an ever industrialising world.

This is one of the core glo�al challenges

that must �e faced now. �f we do not act

assertively in the present the pro�lems

will �e exacer�ated and tackling them

will �ecome even more difficult in the

future.

aCtion on all lEvEls

Recognising the multi-level complex-

ity of resource efficiency, the Flagship’s

mandate stretches across a far reaching

remit of material resources, including

metals, minerals, food and feed, air, soil,

water, �iomass and ecosystems.

Some of the main o�jectives refer to

enhanced energy efficiency. Here the

Flagship aims to achieve a transition to

a resource and car�on efficient society.

This will require a mix of instruments that

act together in complementary ways to

help increase the sta�ility and security

of energy supplies whilst halting energy

production systems that impact most

negatively on the environment. Waste

minimisation is also seen as central to

the EU’s resource efficiency agenda. By

increasing recycling rates the pressure

on primary raw materials will reduce.

Furthermore, improved waste manage-

ment systems can ensure that valua�le

materials are reused, there�y reduc-

ing energy consumption and green-

house gas emissions from extraction

and processing.

Other pieces of the resource efficiency

jigsaw relate to industry and consumers.

These primary stakeholders need to �e

mo�ilised to make them less dependant

on the availa�ility of certain resources

and so less vulnera�le to supply con-

straints and volatile market prices. Attrac-

tive alternatives are required to convert

this rhetoric into reality and stakeholders

need to possess the capacity to make

the necessary changes.

Lifecycle analysis �LCA) can help make

products and services more ‘material

efficient’ �y reducing energy demands

and lowering raw material inputs. Tech-

nological improvements, via eco-inno-

vations, in high impact sectors such as

energy, transport, industry and agricul-

ture are all also needed to facilitate the

resource efficiency Flagship o�jectives.

Eco-innovations not only come from

technological advances, �ut �y apply-

ing new �usiness models and novel

ways of thinking.

�ncentives can further assist a speedy

uptake of these multi-level structural

changes in consumer �ehaviour and pro-

duction patterns. �ncentives can come in

different forms and more policy empha-

sis on measures that ensure commodity

prices reflect the “full cost of resource

use to society” will help market forces

promote resource efficiency.

rEsourCE EFFiCiEnt liFE projECts

The L�FE programme has a long track

record of pioneering effective approaches

for �uilding a resource efficient Europe.

L�FE has generated a vast portfolio of

know-how in resource efficiency meth-

ods for a diverse range of �eneficiaries.

LCA approaches, skills transfers and

eco-innovations feature prominently in

L�FE’s wide-ranging portfolio, which con-

tinues to find new ways of lightening and

lessening our environmental footprints

in order to achieve a more resource effi-

cient Europe.

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LIFE projects have developed techniques that increase recycling rates, thereby reducing pressure on primary raw materials


Policy on resources needs to take account of the value chain and the full lifecycle of

resource use. How products are produced is a key part of this. The LIFE programme

has been at the forefront of efforts to implement resource efficient and innovative pro-

duction processes at all stages of the lifecycle, from extraction to end-of-life.

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LIFEproducingresource efficient industrial growth

Over the past 10 years resource

productivity has improved 2.2%

per year. This is largely due to efficiency

improvements in production, as well as

the increasing role of services in the

economy. However, market rewards for

production changes and further impetus

to resource efficient and eco-innova-

tive production processes are needed

to reduce dependency on raw materials

and to encourage optimal resource use

and recycling1.

The European Commission proposes a

fresh approach to industrial policy that

puts competitiveness and sustaina�il-

ity centre stage. “The whole value and

supply chain must �e considered, from

access to energy and raw materials to

after-sale services and the recycling

of materials.” The upcoming review

of the Sustaina�le Consumption and

Production and Sustaina�le �ndustry

Policy Action Plan foreseen in 2012 will

� COM(2008) �97 final on the Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy Action Plan

include actions to address resource

efficiency.

Effective planning of production proc-

esses can ensure that a range of

resources are used more effectively.

Resource efficient production is not

merely desira�le, however: it is �ecom-

ing increasingly essential.

WatEr EFFiCiEnt manuFaCturinG

For instance, tightening water supply,

caused �y competition for water, could

mean disruption of production processes

or higher input costs, with severe eco-

nomic damage. This highlights the vital

importance of water efficiency in produc-

tion processes, something that the L�FE

programme has helped implement across

a wide range of industrial sectors.

The ‘wet process’ stages of textiles pro-

duction are extremely water intensive

�typically requiring 4 litres/kg of fa�ric

produced2) and generating large volumes

of discharged wastewater. Treatment and

reuse of this water would not only reduce

stress on water resources for industry,

it could also increase the availa�ility of

drinking water in some areas. Since most

textiles producers are small and medium-

sized enterprises, they often lack the

2 Water Conservation in Textile Industry, Muhammad Ayaz Shaikh, Assistant Profes-sor, College of Textile Engineering, SFDAC

LIFE funding has helped resource efficiency in production processes across a wide range of industrial sectors


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A su�sequent �talian textiles sec-

tor project, BATTLE �LIFE05 ENV/

IT/000846), attempted to design and

demonstrate a new �est availa�le tech-

nique �BAT) for efficient wastewater

reuse in the textile industry. An analysis

of production processes at Stamperia

di Martinengo, a medium-sized textile

finishing factory in Lom�ardy, was car-

resources to implement state-of-the-art

environmental procedures. However,

several L�FE projects have shown how

this can �e achieved.

�n �taly, the PROWATER project �LIFE04

ENV/IT/000583) developed prototypes

for effluent treatment and reuse in pilot

sites at four textiles plants. Wastewa-

ter was treated using physical-chemi-

cal processes �coagulation and lamel-

lar sedimentation or flotation) and

innovative mem�rane technologies.

These techniques exceeded targets for

removal of surfactants �62%, against a

target of 50%) and colour �98%, against

a target of 85%), whilst also meeting

targets for the removal of other pollut-

ants, such as chemical oxygen demand

�COD) and total suspended solids

�TSS). The treated wastewater was then

reused in production processes includ-

ing fa�rics softening, reducing overall

water consumption �y 40%. �f imple-

mented across Europe on an industrial

scale, the PROWATER team calculates

potential water savings of 44 million

m3/yr. The technology can also reduce

costs and has a pay�ack time of five

years. Enhanced cost effectiveness will

help generate new employment oppor-

tunities for European industries and

also improve competitiveness against

low-wage textile producing countries

and enhance green credentials.

ried out to ascertain which effluents were

potentially reusa�le and which were not.

Based on this analysis, the most cost-

efficient technology for water reclamation

was selected and different water reuse

schemes were designed for cost/�enefit

comparisons. A pilot plant was then con-

structed to demonstrate the applica�ility

of the technologies in practice. This plant

treated some 500 m3/day of process efflu-

ents, producing 374 m3/day of recovered

water on average. Most significantly, the

project’s findings also fed into the proc-

ess for developing new BREF reference

guidelines for the textiles sector, helping

improve water efficiency across the EU.

Efficient water use was just one aspect of

L�FE RES�TEX �LIFE05 ENV/E/000285),

a Spanish textiles industry project that

developed and tested �est availa�le

techniques �BAT) for waste management

that could �e applied to all textiles su�-

sectors. The key output of the project

was a guide�ook: “Procedure for Waste

Management in the Textile Sector”, which

provided advice on good management

practices �e.g. how water savings can �e

made �y moving from light to dark colours

during a production cycle); selection and

su�stitution of chemicals; equipment and

new technologies; and ways of minimis-

The LIFE RESITEX project demonstrated how water savings can be achieved in the textile sector

The HAGAR project reduced consumption of high-quality water for the marble extraction industry in Hebron


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ing resources and making use of recycling

opportunities �including guidance on how

to recover and reuse printing pastes or

rinsing water and how to use �iological

sludge on agricultural land).

The guide�ook developed �y the RES�-

TEX project will help Europe’s textiles

SMEs reduce their waste, and keep

costs down while complying with envi-

ronmental legislation, something that will

�e increasingly important as the sector

faces greater competition from low-wage

producers in China and �ndia.

HElpinG lEatHEr look bEttEr

The same could also �e said of the

leather/tanneries industry which, with

L�FE’s assistance, has �egun taking

steps to decouple its resource use from

its economic growth. �mproving water

efficiency was again the goal of a L�FE

project in Lorca, Murcia �LIFE02 ENV/

E/000216), where some 40% of Spanish

leather production takes place. L�FE sup-

port ena�led the construction of a �io-

logical water treatment plant that used

ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis tech-

niques to �ring tannery effluent within

legal limits and ena�le its safe disposal.

The plant now discharges 8 000 m3/day

of wastewater that can �e recycled and

used in agriculture and industry.

The N.E.S.S. project �LIFE04 ENV/

IT/000414 ) implemented process

improvements at a factory in �taly spe-

cialising in the skin finishing stage of the

tanning production cycle, drawing on the

BAT developed �y the earlier L�FE G�ADA

project �LIFE00 ENV/IT/000184). The

redesigned finishing line achieved signifi-

cant reductions in the use of chemicals

�95% - and consequently a 28% reduc-

tion in emissions of volatile organic com-

pounds), water �up to 75%) and electric-

ity �up to 95%), as well as in the amount

of waste sludge generated �up to 98%).

Working conditions were also improved

thanks to noise a�atement measures

�cutting acoustic pollution �y 85%) and

the introduction of water-�ased, rather

than solvent-�ased colours. Finally, the

process improvements also reduced

operating costs and the time required

for skin finishing.

A current L�FE Environment project in

Spain �LIFE08 ENV/E/000140) is simi-

larly implementing process improve-

ments that should make more efficient

use of resources. The OXATAN project

aims to demonstrate the effectiveness

of replacing polluting and potentially

carcinogenic chrome tannage with an

environmentally friendly ‘oxazolidine’

tanning agent com�ined with other veg-

eta�le or synthetic agents. The project

will promote its ‘chrome-free’ leathers to

tanning, footwear and upholstery com-

panies in Spain, �taly and Slovenia.

rEsourCE EFFiCiEnCy From bEGinninG to EnD-oF-liFE

There is a window of opportunity for

the EU to influence production and

resource standards in developing coun-

tries through EU market compliance

standards. This o�liges countries aim-

ing to enter the EU market to comply

with these standards. L�FE, through its

Third Countries strand, has provided an

impetus towards this goal. For instance,

the HAGAR project in Gaza �LIFE05

TCY/GA/000115) worked closely with

the �talian mar�le industry to esta�-

lish new environmental procedures in

He�ron municipality and address pro�-

lems associated with the treatment of

de�ris, sludge and water from mar�le

extraction. Measures such as the con-

struction of a prototype plant for recy-

cling industrial wastewater and separat-

Significant reductions in the use of chemicals, water and energy were achieved in the tanning sector thanks to the N.E.S.S project


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ing calcium car�onate have contri�uted

to a reduction in the consumption of

high-quality water, as well as limiting

pollution in soil and underground reser-

voirs from the stone sludge.

Another L�FE project that tackled the

environmental impacts of extraction

industries was �NWATCO in the UK

�LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140), which dem-

onstrated and evaluated innovative

techniques and procedures for inte-

grated management of groundwater

resources in former coal mining areas.

A river �asin catchment-scale demon-

stration project took place in Wake-

field �UK), with supporting activities in

Romania, to assess the applica�ility of

the project methodology to all major

European coal mining regions. Data

from �NWATCO’s comprehensive water

sampling and analysis programme were

used to evaluate potential minewater

management options and the relation-

ship �etween minewater systems and

the wider surface water and groundwa-

ter content. This information fed into

a Good Practice Guide on integrated

water resource management in former

coal mining regions. The guide is an

important tool for implementing the EU

Water Framework Directive in the many

regions of Europe where coalfield drain-

age is a major consideration and has

attracted widespread interest.

Poor materials management leads to

significant wastage in the economy,

with great economic cost. �mproving

material efficiency requires lifecycle

and value chain perspectives. We have

already seen how the L�FE programme

is helping to realise resource efficiency

gains at the initial phase of production

�extraction). Yet, equally L�FE is playing

its part in the development of a resource

efficient economy �ased around recy-

cling and reuse of end-of-life products.

The OXATAN project is one good exam-

ple of this; another is ELVES �LIFE05

ENV/E/000317), a Spanish project

that developed a system for separat-

ing metal alloys from end-of-life vehi-

cle �ELV) engines and reusing them in

The INWATCO project developed innovative techniques and a Good Practice Guide for integrated management of groundwater, which are important tools for implementing the EU Water Framework Directive

INWATCO demonstrated that groundwater systems that interact with mine workings can be managed to ensure good water quality


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new auto parts and engines. A facility

capa�le of treating 33 000 tonnes/yr of

ELV engines with 99% efficiency was

�uilt, kickstarting a new market in the

process. The L�FE co-funded factory is

a�le to recover more than 5 100 tonnes

of aluminium per year, decreasing EU

dependence on foreign raw material

imports as a result.

tHE bEnEFits oF EnErGy EFFiCiEnCy

�mproving the energy efficiency of pro-

duction processes has �een one of the

success stories of the L�FE programme,

particularly for the most energy-inten-

sive sectors such as the metals indus-

try. For instance �NCOCAST �LIFE05

ENV/D/000185), a “Best” L�FE Envi-

ronment project for 2007-2008, sought

to demonstrate the effectiveness of

an alternative process to the cold-�ox

technique used �y most foundries for

casting aluminium. The project signifi-

cantly reduced energy consumption,

emissions, deposits and wastewater

through its ‘inorganic warm �ox’ cast-

ing technique and laid the foundations

for the future use of this method in the

mass production of more resource effi-

cient aluminium engine �locks and cyl-

inder heads.

The �talian New ESD project �LIFE04

ENV/IT/000598) developed and tested

an innovative cold-drawing system for

the production of steel wire rod that has

drastically cut energy consumption and

the production of dangerous chemical

wastes. �f the techniques developed �y

this L�FE Environment “Best of the Best”

project 2008-2009 were implemented

throughout �taly, a country that proc-

esses 1.7 million tonnes/yr of steel wire

rod, it would lead to environmental sav-

ings of 72 000 tonnes/yr of water con-

sumption; 6 400 tonnes/yr of sulphuric

acid and 1 900 tonnes/yr of hydrochlo-

ric acid production, and a reduction in

energy consumption of some 430 000

kcal/tonne of product, a massive con-

tri�ution to resource efficiency.

L�FE continues to work to improve the

energy efficiency of other areas of the

metals industry and elsewhere, for

instance, �y helping companies develop

new, energy and resource efficient prod-

ucts that could lead to widespread proc-

ess improvements. The L�FE Green Bear-

ings project �LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176)

is just one example. An estimated 50

�illion �earings3 are installed in machin-

ery worldwide. This means that even

small frictional power savings per �ear-

ing amount to enormous glo�al - and

European - power savings. L�FE Green

Bearings introduced thin film lu�rication,

lightweight polymers and improved seal

technologies �e.g. hard seal coating) to

deliver energy reductions of 30-70%,

depending on the �earing and load.

Project �eneficiary SKF calculates that

a 50% implementation of its Energy

Efficient Bearings among existing cus-

tomers would reduce energy consump-

tion �y 4 000 GWh/yr and disposal of

waste lu�ricants �y 4 million tonnes/yr in

Europe. The su�stantial energy savings,

reduction of lu�ricant use and increase

of product longevity are also calculated

to �ring economic �enefits to customers

in less than five years.

� A part of a machine designed to reduce friction between moving parts or to support moving loads.

‘Chrome-free’ leathers for tanning, footwear and upholstery companies in Spain, Italy and Slovenia will be produced by the OXATAN project

Energy Efficient Bearings could reduce energy consumption by � 000 GWh/yr and disposal of waste lubricants by � million tonnes/yr in Europe


This groundbreaking Italian LIFE project has established the first factory in Europe tur-

ning the unwanted waste fraction of recycled glass bottles into raw materials for the

glass container, ceramics and bricks industries.

MEIGLASSbringsnew LIFE to waste glass

Recycling of glass �ottles is now

a long-esta�lished practice in

Europe. Yet the average citizen is pro�-

a�ly unaware that recycled glass produc-

ers also generate significant waste. Some

23-25% of glass from pu�lic collection

points is rejected �y the glass container

industry and sent to landfill �ecause of

impurities in the cullet �the technical name

for crushed waste glass that is ready to �e

remelted into new �ottles etc). This per-

centage is likely to increase as the hollow

glass industry demands oven-ready cullet

that will ena�le it to produce containers

with even greater resistance to thermal

shock and mechanical stresses. “�f the

glass industry wants �etter quality cullet it

has to reject more,” says Dr. Piero Ercole,

scientific and technical director of the

ME�GLASS project and president of AT�V,

the �talian technical association of glass

producers. Drawing on its long experi-

ence processing mined minerals, in 2003

the �talian company SAS�L SpA �egan

trials of a new process that promised to

revolutionise the raw material use of the

glass container industry, with significant

resource efficiencies all round.

As project manager Paolo Bertuzzi

explains, SAS�L’s aim was to clean the

reject cullet and then grind and sieve it

into pieces of 70-800 microns �0.07-0.8

mm) – so called ‘glassy sand’ – which

could �e melted without pro�lems during

glass container manufacturing.

With the support of L�FE, SAS�L was

a�le to invest in upgrades to its facility in

Brusnengo, Piedmont, that would allow

it to implement its new process on an

industrial scale. L�FE co-funding was to

�e invested in three areas: a wastewater

treatment plant; a pyrolysis plant gener-

ating heat and power from waste plastic

separated from the dirty cullet during

glassy sand manufacturing; and in prod-

uct development and testing.

SAS�L’s new water purification plant

offers significant resource efficiencies,

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as it allows the company to recycle 90%

of its process water, greatly reducing

the need for fresh water during glassy

sand manufacturing �just 10% of the

process water - lost through evapora-

tion - must �e replaced).

Following teething pro�lems with the

initial design, SAS�L plans to start up its

pyrolysis plant in 2011. The oil and the gas

generated �y the low temperature plant

�450-500° C ) will feed a tur�ine that will

generate 2 MW of heat for SAS�L’s drying

processes and 1 MW of electric power.

Most significantly though, L�FE support

has �een used to optimise the technical

quality not only of glassy sand, �ut also

of two other products generated �y the

process of cleaning and grinding of dirty

cullet - ‘ceramic sand’ and ‘�rick sand’.

Ceramic sand, which accounts for some

25% of the output of SAS�L’s plant, is

another example of the resource effi-

ciency of the ME�GLASS process, since

it is made up of pieces of less than 70

microns which would float on the surface

and reflect heat if melted in a furnace for

glassmaking. �nstead, these fine gran-

ules are separated �y an air stream and

mixed with feldspar for sale to the ceram-

ics industry, where they are used as an

alkali carrier. A further 5% of production, a

water suspension of very fine sand mixed

with clay, is sold to the �rick industry.

The process is very flexi�le, allowing

SAS�L to change the ratios of glassy and

ceramic sand in line with market needs.

The company is also �uilding on the L�FE

ME�GLASS project �y investigating the

possi�ility of mixing the fine particles

�under 70 microns) with larger granules

to allow even more cullet to �e returned

to the glass industry. The first test results

are “very promising” says Dr. Ercole.

lEss rEsourCEs, morE quality

L�FE ME�GLASS has generated sig-

nificant environmental �enefits. These

include a reduction in the amount of

cullet going to landfill of some 20 truck

loads per day �from 25% to 2%). The

180 000 tonnes/yr of waste cullet now

reused �y SAS�L means that 300 000

tonnes/yr less material needs to �e

mined for the glass container industry, a

significant raw material saving. Further-

more, every tonne of glassy sand used

in the furnace saves 300 kg of CO2. This

means in 2008, SAS�L helped the con-

tainer industry avoid generating 43 500

tonnes of CO2, equivalent to taking 26

000 cars with a Euro 4 engine off the

road for a year.

Other �enefits of using glassy sand

include the fact that it has a chemical

oxygen demand �COD) 10 times lower

than standard furnace-ready cullet �a

COD of 100 mg/l as opposed to 1 000

mg/l) and 25 times lower than that of the

cullet rejects.

�ncreasing the quantity of glassy sand

has also �een found to reduce the energy

consumption in the furnace per kilo of

glass produced �y some 5%. “The melt-

ing furnace’s specific energy consump-

tion is reduced �y a�out 0.67% for each

percentage of glassy sand used instead

of natural raw materials,” notes Dr. Ercole.

Furthermore, as Mr. Bertuzzi indicates,

“decreasing the amount of ceramic

stones is a �ig challenge for glass fac-

tories - with glassy sand they o�tain this

effect.” Trials show that with 3% glassy

sand and 47% furnace-ready cullet,

there were an average of 0.24 ceramic

stones/tonne of glass pulled; when the

mix was changed to 18% glassy sand

and 32% furnace-ready cullet, the ratio

of stones dropped to 0.09/tonne of glass

pulled.

Significantly, tests have shown that

glassy sand can also improve the quality

of glass containers. Results from the field

indicate that when 25% glassy sand is

used in the �atch, the internal pressure

resistance of �ottles is 9% higher under

the same thermal and forming condi-

tions. “Glassy sand also ena�les �etter

Washing is one part of the process of turning reject cullet into glassy sand

Project beneficiary SASIL SpA is capable of producing up to 200 000 tonnes/yr of glassy sand for the glass bottle industry


control of oxy-reduction reactions and

consequent higher consistency �oth in

colour and in infrared light a�sorption,”

explains Dr. Ercole. The result, he says, is

that “there is more consistent �ehaviour

of the glass in forming processes thanks

to the improved chemical and thermal

homogeneity.”

sprEaDinG tHE mEssaGE

Results of the ME�GLASS project have

�een widely disseminated, with sev-

eral articles in technical journals and

local newspapers, and presentations

at events in Croatia, Finland and even

Vietnam ��y project partner Joanneum

Research), as well as in �taly. “Other

firms can learn from how SAS�L per-

suaded the glass industry of the �enefits

of glassy sand,” �elieves Dr. Ercole.

As a sign of its success, sales of glassy

sand have increased from 6 235 tonnes

in 2003 to 144 337 tonnes in 2008, and

SAS�L’s factory is today capa�le of pro-

ducing 200 000 tonnes/yr. The company

is also looking to extend its resource

efficient process into new areas, includ-

ing the washing of furnace-ready cul-

let to improve its properties and allow

colour separation of glass �which does

not happen at source in �taly). �n addi-

tion, one of SAS�L’s existing customers

is now aiming to recover civil demolition

waste glass and car windscreens and

use glassy sand to produce flat glass.

“This is a very important development,”

says Dr Ercole. “Very little flat glass is

recycled today.”

SAS�L is looking to develop other, new,

resource efficient products and proc-

esses from waste glass. Now, with

further support from L�FE, the NOVED�

project �LIFE07 ENV/IT/000361) sees

the company in the process of devel-

oping a lightweight insulation material

made from art and mosaic glass, light

�ul�s, cathode ray tu�es and compu-

ter screens, all forms of glass that can-

not �e used to make glass containers

�ecause of their high lead and fluorine

content.

With the VAL�RE project to recycle

incinerator residues into high-value

�uilding materials �LIFE08 ENV/

IT/000421) also in the pipeline, SAS�L

is showing just how far it is possi�le to

take resource efficiency in manufactur-

ing. As CEO Lodovico Ramon is keen

to stress: “Waste is the raw material of

the future.”

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With LIFE support, SASIL SpA has established the first plant in Europe capable of generating new raw materials from waste cullet

After MEIGLASS, NOVEDI: Paolo Bertuzzi shows off a display about SASIL’s latest LIFE project

Project number: L�FE06 ENV/�T/000332

Title: Minimising the Environmental �mpact of GLASS recycling and glass container production

Beneficiary: SAS�L SpA

Contact: Paolo Bertuzzi

Email: c�[email protected]

Website: http://www.sasil-life.com/

Period: Dec-2005 to Dec-2009

Total budget: e6 065 000

LIFE contribution: e1 144 000

ITALY

mailto:[email protected]


Current patterns of consumption and production have significant environmental

impacts, including the emission of greenhouse gases, pollution and the depletion of

natural resources. Much can be done to make consumption and production in Europe

more resource efficient. LIFE has an important role to play in supporting EU actions

and proposals to improve the environmental performance of products and to stimulate

demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies.

��

LIFEconservingresources in product design, production, use and disposal

It is estimated that over 80% of

all product-related environmen-

tal impacts are determined during the

design phase of a product. Against this

�ackground, eco-design aims to reduce

the environmental impacts of products,

including energy consumption, through-

out their entire lifecycle.

Apart from changing the user’s �ehaviour,

there are two ways of reducing the energy

consumed in products: la�elling to raise

consumer awareness of the real energy

use in order to influence �uying decisions,

such as la�elling schemes for domestic

appliances; and energy-efficiency require-

ments imposed on products from the

early stage of the design phase.

Eu aCtion

The EU’s Sustaina�le Consumption and

Production / Sustaina�le �ndustries Action

Plan �July 2008) provides a framework to

improve the energy and environmental

performance of products and to help

consumers make �etter choices. Build-

ing on earlier EU policies and initiatives,

it includes extensions to the scope of the

Eco-design and La�elling directives and

Ecola�el Regulation, as well as significant

revisions to the voluntary eco-manage-

ment and audit scheme �EMAS ��).

A European Commission review of the

Action Plan is expected in 2012, includ-

ing assessment of the new Eco-design

Directive �2009/125/EC), which has �een

extended so that it covers not only energy-

using products �EuPs) on the EU market,

such as computers, televisions, �oilers,

and industrial fans; �ut also energy-related

products �adding products that don’t con-

sume energy during use, �ut have an indi-

rect impact on energy consumption, such

as taps and window frames).

As many of the following L�FE project

examples show, the efficient use of

resources �whether for production, use

or disposal) can �e good for �usiness

as well as for the environment, particu-

larly as the glo�al market for environ-

mental industries is expected to grow

to €200 �illion �y 20201.

savinG EnErGy … anD valuablE rEsourCEs

L�FE has provided financial support to

enterprises across Europe seeking to

explore more energy and resource efficient

production methods and processes.

� http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases Action.do?reference=MEMO/08/ 507&format=HTML&aged=0&language= EN&guiLanguage=en

http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/08/507&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en





The ceramics sector, where the finish-

ing process in particular is associated

with significant environmental damage,

has �een the focus of several successful

L�FE projects. The �talian EWG project,

�LIFE04 ENV/IT/000589) demonstrated

a new clean technology for the decora-

tion of ceramics on flat and textured sur-

faces using a soft roll that is a�le to adapt

itself to the surface’s shape. A pilot plant

reduced wasted glazes �y 98% and

waste caused �y printing faults �y 8%.

�ts implementation generated a reduction

in energy consumption of up to 76%.

Another cleantech project in this sector,

Microfinishing �LIFE02 ENV/IT/000052)2

developed a new, dry finishing process for

2 A Best LIFE Environment Project winner 2006-07

ceramic tiles that cut energy consumption

in half, eliminated the need for water and

reduced to zero any resultant pollution.

Energy efficiencies were also shown �y

Eco-Ceramics, �LIFE05 ENV/E/000301),

as part of its innovative waste manage-

ment concept targeting the re-use of

sludge as a raw material for the structural

ceramics industry. The project demon-

strated that small quantities �1-10%) of

sludge from wastewater treatment plants

could �e mixed with the clay material

traditionally used to produce �ricks.

According to the project �eneficiary, the

concept, which replaces conventional

gas-fired �oilers with �iomass heaters,

could result in 6% potential net energy

savings for the ceramics sector.

Two other ongoing projects targeting,

respectively, the greening of window-

making and the cleaning sector, are

also looking to su�stantially reduce

their use of natural resources. The Slov-

enian UN�SASH project �LIFE07 ENV/

SLO/000710) is aiming to develop a new

type of environmentally friendly manu-

facturing process suita�le for PVC, wood

and aluminium windows. �t is aiming to

reduce consumption of raw materials �y

20-35% per unit. This should equate to

energy savings of 20-40% per unit. Cost

savings from these environmental �en-

efits are also expected through reduced

production costs.

The French C�SDP project �LIFE08 ENV/

F/000481) is promoting the implementa-

tion of a sustaina�le development pro-

gramme for the country’s cleaning com-

panies. The programme contains more

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An Italian LIFE project, EWG, developed a technology to decorate ceramic tiles that reduces wasted glaze and energy consumption

A manufacturing process for PVC, wood and aluminium windows that reduces raw materials consumption is currently being demonstrated by the Slovenian UNISASH project


than 50 concrete actions targeting the

conservation of natural resources and

preservation of the environment through

reduced water consumption and pollu-

tion, less waste and improved recycling.

Furthermore, 50% of all employees will

receive training thus creating green skills

in this sector.

EnErGy-EFFiCiEnCiEs in rEFriGEration

Domestic fridges and freezers have

increased in energy efficiency �y more

than 40% in the past decade or so,

thanks in part to the introduction of the

Energy La�el Directive �92/75/EEC).

However, the commercial world has �een

slow to make the same advances.

The Austrian PROCOOL project, �LIFE03

ENV/A/000002)3 organised a Europe-

wide competition among manufacturers

to promote innovation and show that

hydrofluorocar�ons �HFC)-free, energy-

efficient and cost-effective commercial

appliances can �e successfully pro-

duced. Entrants were set strict criteria,

� A Best LIFE Environment project winner 2007-08

which included recycling potential and

repair-orientated designs.

Eight leading manufacturers, repre-

senting 30% of the European market,

entered the competition. Seven prod-

ucts finally met the competition’s tough

stipulations. The winning entries incor-

porated enterprising solutions that

found immediate markets for their

new designs. All showed an energy

saving of up to 50% compared with

standard products, and also avoided

harmful refrigerants and insulation

materials, while comforta�ly meeting

standards on noise levels.

Meanwhile, the Danish CO2REF

project, �LIFE05 ENV/DK/000156)

investigated the use of CO2 as a

greener refrigerant alternative to

HFCs and then successfully intro-

duced it in a pilot supermarket sys-

tem. �nitial results showed reduced

energy consumption of around 4%,

as well as service cost savings of

15%. Significantly, the system has

proved to �e a commercial, as well

as a technical success, with 26 units

in operation and a further seven on

order �2008).

rEDuCinG WastE anD Emissions

As well as demonstrating resource and

energy efficiencies, many innovative L�FE

projects have also shown important reduc-

tions in emissions and waste. A num�er

have also reported significant economic

�enefits from the more efficient manage-

ment of resources previously wasted.

A particular focus has �een the metal

industries, traditionally associated with

very high environmental impacts. For

example, the �talian Clean-Deco project

�LIFE00 ENV/IT/000213)4 developed a

cleantech solution for the replacement of

the highly polluting process of galvanising

metals using physical vapour deposition

�PVD) technology. This has resulted in the

elimination of chromium wastes and a su�-

stantial reduction in the use of dangerous

chemicals: chromium trioxide �CrO3) �y

100%; hydrogen chloride �HCl) �y 30%;

and sulphuric acid �H2SO4) �y 90%.

Europe’s aeronautics sector was the

focus of a high-profile French project,

� A Best LIFE Environment project winner 2005-06

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�LIFE05 ENV/F/000062)5, targeting the

development of a less polluting tech-

nology for aircraft panel manufactur-

ing. �mplemented �y Dufieux �ndus-

tries, a new Green Advanced Panels

�GAP) mechanical milling process was

designed to replace the chemical milling

processes conventionally used for the

machining of complex-shaped panels,

a process that produces large volumes

of toxic sludge. �ndependent analysis

suggests this project could generate

significant water and chemicals sav-

ings, a 57% decrease in electricity

consumption, and cuts in emissions of

greenhouse gases �6 200 tonnes/yr of

CO2) and volatile organic compounds

�850 tonnes/yr). Together with a 16

000-tonne/yr reduction in the amount

of waste produced, the project makes

an important contri�ution towards the

implementation of the integrated pol-

lution prevention and control ��PPC)

Directive �91/61/EC).

paCkaGinG, WooD anD papEr solutions

Two L�FE projects have focused

their activities on helping packaging

producers make �etter use of their

resources and raw materials. The

REC�PLAS project in Spain �LIFE03

5 A Best LIFE Environment project winner 2007-08

ENV/E/000106)6 successfully recycled

plastic from vehicle factory waste to

produce pallets. The recovered mate-

rial is a highly transfera�le process,

which has ena�led the �eneficiary, a

manufacturer of linings for car interiors,

to turn its waste �previously all sent to

landfill) into a 100% recovera�le, re-

usa�le and recycla�le high-quality

plastic. The success of the scheme

also has particular relevance within the

motor industry, where EU directives

concerning end-of-life vehicles require

6 A Best LIFE Environment project winner 2007-08

that all vehicles must contain the high-

est-possi�le proportion of recycla�le

materials.

An earlier L�FE project in �taly, Use

and… re-use �LIFE99 ENV/IT/000034)

developed an innovative system to

avoid the su�stantial amounts of waste

generated in the packaging of fruit

and vegeta�les. The project designed

recycla�le plastic �oxes, which can �e

folded and re-used up to 30 times. The

scheme included a processing centre

to handle the cleaning, re-use and

recycling of the �oxes, and computer

software to track their journeys. At the

�eginning of the L�FE project in 1999,

the �eneficiary �CPR system) was a

small cooperative with 900 000 �oxes,

47 mem�ers and a handful of staff.

By the end of the project, the coop-

erative had 355 mem�ers, �etween

them using over 5 million �oxes, sav-

ing not only 50 000 tonnes/yr of pack-

aging waste �ut also €6.5 million/yr in

waste disposal costs. �mportantly, the

scheme has continued to grow. Today

it has over 950 mem�ers and 12 mil-

lion �oxes that are used a total of 110

million times/yr. This saves more than

100 000 tonnes/yr of waste, 100 Mwh/

yr of energy and €13 million/yr in waste

disposal costs. The company is now

present in all �talian regions and tens of

jo�s have �een created. Yet the project

cost only €1.5 million �with €600 000 of

EU co-financing).

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Packaging producers have made better use of raw materials by recycling plastic from vehicle factory waste

The results of the RECIPLAS project will help the motor industry comply with EU directives on end-of-life vehicles

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Another innovative project aiming to

show significant resource savings is

the ongoing WOODRUB project in

Spain �LIFE09 ENV/ES/000454), which

is looking to develop construction

materials from household waste wood

products �furniture, doors, windows,

floors, etc) and used tyres. This re-use

initiative will provide wood/tyre pro-

ducers with a new ‘end-of-life’ route,

and offer pu�lic and private construc-

tion firms with a more environmentally

friendly product option. Moreover, the

planned new products will operate as

car�on sinks – increasing the car�on

storage in �uildings using the products

and replacing other, less green, �uilding

materials.

The manufacture of paper has a sig-

nificant environmental footprint �oth

upstream �where raw materials are

acquired and processed) and down-

stream �waste-disposal impacts). Recy-

cling o�viously reduces this impact.

One of the earliest L�FE projects to tar-

get this sector �LIFE95 ENV/IT/000393)

was implemented �y �talian specialist

paper manufacturer, Favini. The com-

pany tested the use of various �io-

waste materials �e.g. pomace, algae,

apple peel) to develop 100% recycla-

�le paper of the same high quality as

its other products. Results included a

10% saving in trees and a 12% saving

in energy consumption.

voluntary aCtions

A Greek L�FE project, ECO-TEXT�LE

�LIFE03 ENV/GR/000204 ) helped

spread awareness of the EU’s Ecola-

�el scheme in its early days. When the

project was launched in 2003, only a

handful of Hellenic textile firms had

�een awarded an Ecola�el in recog-

nition of the good environmental per-

formance of their product or service.

The project was particularly successful

in promoting the �enefits of the Eco-

la�el to an audience that was largely

sceptical �mainly due to a lack of infor-

mation and knowledge on how to par-

ticipate). �t produced a �est practice

guide, esta�lished an eco-consultancy

and successfully guided four textiles

companies through the process. �ts

main achievement, however, was to

show how the Ecola�el with its guar-

antee of greener credentials, can pro-

vide a competitive edge to Greek, and

other European textile manufacturers,

who are increasingly under pressure

from lower-cost garments imported

from China, and cheaper raw materials

from countries such as Turkey.

Another voluntary initiative is currently

�eing investigated �y a Spanish-led

project to encourage more environ-

mentally friendly practices among

Europe’s footwear manufacturers.

SHOELAW �LIFE08 ENV/E/000147) is

seeking to develop an e-platform for

environmental self-diagnosis among

50 companies in five European

countries: Spain, �taly, Portu-

gal, Greece and Slovenia.

These countries jointly

represent 90% of Euro-

pean footwear companies.

Focusing on improvements

in environmental standards

and the promotion of compli-

ance with environmental legislation, the

overall goal is to help manufacturers in

this sector reduce their environmen-

tal footprint through awareness of the

legal requirements they need to meet.

An alert system will �e set up to inform

companies of relevant environmental

legislation.

a liFECyClE approaCH

Finally, the �ntegrated Product Policy

��PP) approach has contri�uted signifi-

cantly to the development of environ-

mental policies in Europe in the areas of

product design, use of natural resources

and management of waste.

Reflecting this lifecycle approach is

the Luxem�ourg L�FE+ ECO2 Tyre Tech

project �LIFE09 ENV/LU/000390) just

underway, led �y European and world-

wide tyre producer, Goodyear �see

pages 18-20). Another important �PP

project targeting the automo�ile indus-

try was the French ED�T project �LIFE00

ENV/F/000593). The project success-

fully developed lifecycle assessment

�LCA) methodologies and support

software tools for the management of

vehicle components. The approach

involved key stakeholders: carmakers,

parts’ manufacturers, and raw material

suppliers; and covered all stages of the

product lifecycle, including end-of-life

issues.

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Construction materials will be produced from household waste wood products, such as furniture, doors and floors with the WOODRUB project

90% of European footwear companies will be involved in the SHOELAW project to improve their environmental perform-ance and compliance with environmental legislation

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There is growing awareness among Europe’s man-

ufacturers that opportunities for greater resource

efficiencies can bring both economic as well as

environmental gains. Two LIFE projects demon-

strate opportunities for sustainable growth through

the development of greener materials for tyres.

These materials will help to reduce the environ-

mental impact of tyres, could avoid or mitigate

problems of ever-scarcer resources and costly

raw materials and also contribute to improved con-

sumer safety.

LIFEhelpsdrive greener tyre making

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Road transport generates over

20% of all CO2 emissions in the

EU, with passenger cars responsi�le for

more than half these emissions. Further-

more, �ecause of a significant increase

in traffic, CO2 emissions from road trans-

port have risen �y more than 20% since

1990. This represents a major concern to

the EU, which aims to achieve an aver-

age CO2 emission for new cars of 120

g/km �y 2012 and 95 g/km �y 2020. The

contact of rolling vehicle tyres with road

surfaces creates a drag force known as

the ‘rolling resistance’. Any reduction

achieved in rolling resistance means

lower fuel consumption and related CO2

emissions.

Thus the overall aim of the 2005-09 L�FE

BioTyre project �LIFE06 ENV/L/000118)

was to demonstrate the technical and

economic via�ility of an environmentally

friendly tyre design that achieves a su�-

stantial reduction in rolling resistance of

up to 30%.

Coordinated �y Goodyear Luxem�ourg

SA, the partnership project also involved

�talian company, Novamont, and German

car manufacturer BMW. �ts first compo-

nent was to develop an alternative to

traditional non-renewa�le fillers, such

as petroleum-�ased car�on �lack or

mineral-�ased silica, used in tyres for

their reinforcement properties. The new

�iofiller would �e made from renewa�le

resources �a new starch-�ased mate-

rial), there�y reducing its environmental

impact and allowing reductions in CO2

emissions during its production. The

project’s second component consisted

of an in-depth analysis and modification

of the tyre structure, aimed at minimis-

ing energy loss through rolling resistance

while the vehicle is in motion.

A final phase was to incorporate the

developed new material and use the

results of the optimisation of the tyre

structure to develop prototype tyres to

�e tested at the �eneficiary’s technical

facilities in Luxem�ourg. After this, the

�est prototypes were sent to BMW for

further testing under real life conditions.

The project successfully achieved all its

goals over the 42 month project period.

A new Bio Tyre with a ‘BioTRED’ com-

pound was developed �see �ox), and

the tyre structure optimised. Thanks

to these actions, the project was a�le

to gain a higher than targeted - 34%

- reduction in rolling resistance, with-

out any loss in safety, vehicle handling

performance or longevity.

A major difficulty for the project team,

according to principal engineer, Chris-

tian Kaes, was to achieve this ultralow

rolling resistance in the two-year time

period for prototype optimisation and

Fuel consumption was reduced by 5-6% thanks to the environmentally friendly tyre design


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technological validation. From a tech-

nical point of view, this was a “�ig

challenge… �t was very, very difficult

to reduce the rolling resistance, while

keeping all the other performance

parameters expected �y our custom-

ers,” he explains.

rEDuCinG Co2 Emissions

The main environmental �enefit of Bio-

Tyres will come once they are fitted to

cars and in use. The �eneficiary estimates

that a 30% decrease in rolling resistance

corresponds to a 5%-6% decrease in

fuel consumption. Considering a typi-

cal average run distance in Europe of 40

000 km/yr run �y 1 million BioTyres, this

would mean a saving of the equivalent of

80 000 tonnes/yr of CO2. Moreover, the

production process of the second gen-

eration of �iofiller developed in the L�FE

project has an even more positive CO2

�alance, compared with the first gen-

eration: the a�sorption capacity through

photosynthesis of the corn starch �eing

greater than the CO2 rejected during its

transformation process into a �iofiller. �n

contrast, the production of car�on �lack

is a significant source of greenhouse gas

emissions.

An additional �enefit is that BioTyres

incorporate the �eneficiary’s ‘run on flat’

�ROF) technology, which means vehi-

cles only require four tyres �no spare)

– another resource saving and weight

reduction that should help to keep costs

down for motorists, as well as improving

safety ��y maintaining car control after

sudden air loss).

�mportantly, since the project finished,

Goodyear has moved from pilot phase

into production. Partner BMW currently

foresees using BioTyres in new car mod-

els �e.g. for the 2012 BMW 3-Series) and

there has �een considera�le interest

from other vehicle manufacturers.

Project manager Georges Thielen says

the close cooperation of the partners

played an important part in its suc-

cessful outcome. �n addition, European

Commission support via the L�FE pro-

gramme was “very important”, he says,

Partner BMW expects to use BioTyres in new car models, and there is considerable interest from other vehicle manufacturers

Italian partner Novamont used nano-particles of corn starch to produce the new biofiller to reinforce tyres

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DEVELOPING THE ‘BIOTRED’ FILLERItalian partner, Novamont, a specialist in the production of bioplastics

from renewable raw materials of agricultural origin, was responsible for the

development of the new industrial biofiller. Made from nano-particles of corn

starch, it is designed to partially replace the non-renewable fillers such as

carbon black and silica.

As well as producing and testing experimental grades of biofiller (more than

80 new materials in total), Novamont was also responsible for validating the

second generation of BioTRED filler, in order to provide the project beneficiary

with sufficient materials to produce the first tyres for testing. The aim with

these new grades was to significantly improve the tyres’ rolling resistance while

maximising the renewable raw material content in the biofiller, thereby improv-

ing interface properties, reducing weight and minimising costs.


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as it provided a European platform for

the product. For BMW, it demonstrated

the carmaker’s commitment to sustaina-

�le technologies via its ‘EfficientDynam-

ics Programme’. And for all partners,

it will help meet the policy o�jectives

highlighted in the EU’s 6th Environment

Action Programme and the Flagship �ni-

tiative under the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Building on the experience of the first

project, a new L�FE+ ECO2 Tyre Tech

project �LIFE09 ENV/L/000390) is

underway, coordinated once again �y

Goodyear Luxem�ourg. The 2010-14

project �rings together three partners

of the tyre supply chain from material

supply �Ru��er Resources - The Neth-

erlands), tyre production �Goodyear) to

car manufacturing �BMW).

�ts aim is to develop environmentally

sustaina�le tyres incorporating innova-

tive green materials from recycling or

renewa�le origin and weight-reducing

tyre designs. All lifecycle stages of the

activities involved during the manufac-

turing, as well as the use and recycling

of tyres will �e improved and further

developed. A lifecycle assessment �LCA)

study will �e carried out with a targeted

reduction of 35% over all life stages

�mportantly, all the targets concern-

ing improvements to the tyres �rolling

resistance, noise, etc) are well a�ove

the upcoming EU regulations concern-

ing safety and environmental efficiency

of tyres and as such are also likely to

ena�le suppliers to �enefit from the

new rules governing tyre la�elling1 i.e.

a system of A-G grading information

for customers �along the lines of the EU

Energy La�el).

As with the L�FE BioTyre project, the new

consortium will work jointly towards the

validation and first industrialisation of

the tyres. Furthermore, the project will

also contri�ute to the main o�jectives

of the EU REACH legislation �y reduc-

ing emissions and exposure risks during

fa�rication into soil, water and air, while

maintaining principle climate change

o�jectives.

The goals in relation to tyre manufactur-

ing are to introduce:

• Recycla�le materials �derived from

used ru��er articles);

• New renewa�le source materials from

wood �e.g. lignin, cellulose); and

• New chemicals for tyre vulcanisation

and ageing protection with low envi-

ronmental impacts and improved tyre

mileage.

� Regulation (EC) No �222/2009 of the Euro-pean Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other essential parameters

The project also seeks to improve tyre

performance during use, and is targeting

a 40% rolling resistance reduction; 25%

weight reduction; 25% mileage improve-

ment; and a 3dBA noise reduction.

The expected improved environmental

tyre performance will �e tested on �oth

conventional and electric cars under

various driving conditions. Finally, the

project is also expected to contri�ute

to the end-of-life phase �y providing

new processes for the recycling of large

quantities of used ru��er goods.

Project number: L�FE06 ENV/L/000118

Title: Development and validation of ultra low rolling resistance tyres with environ-mentally friendly resources

Beneficiary: Goodyear Luxem�ourg SA

Contact: Georges Thielen

Email: [email protected]

Period: Dec-2005 to May-2009



LUXEMBURG



The resource efficiency of a product or process can only truly be understood by con-

sidering its whole lifecycle. LIFE projects have raised awareness of this, produced

improved tools for implementing lifecycle assessments and demonstrated the impor-

tance of eco-design and end-of-life management to resource efficiency over the life-

cycle.

��

Whether a process or product

uses resources efficiently can-

not �e assessed �y looking at the natu-

ral resources consumed during operation

alone. Natural resources are used as raw

materials in the production of the origi-

nal parts and are consumed during their

collection, treatment and transportation.

Further down the chain, marketing and

distri�ution, and the treatment and dis-

posal of products at the end of their life,

all consume natural resources.

To improve resource efficiency, policies

and practices therefore need to take

account of the value chain and the full life-

cycle of resource use for any process and

product, considering upstream and down-

stream activities. Evaluating the impact

and costs of products and processes from

cradle to grave in this way is the concept

of lifecycle thinking. Yet, the complexity

of this and the num�er of actors involved

can �e a major o�stacle.

Lifecycle Assessment �LCA) is a meth-

odological tool that applies lifecycle

thinking to create a quantitative environ-

mental analysis. �mportantly, LCAs seek

not only to highlight where resource

efficiency gains can �e made, �ut also

ensure that apparent environmental

gains at one stage of a product’s life-

cycle do not create greater costs at

another stage. Similarly, LCAs seek to

ensure that impact �urden is not simply

shifted from one form of environmental

impact to another. �t is the overall envi-

ronmental �alance of the whole lifecycle

that is important.

Lifecycle thinking -akeythoughtofLIFE

Lifecycle assessments, eco-design and end-of-life management have also been the focus of LIFE funding

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Comprehensibleinformation

Tools & Methods

Break down the information requirements into tools & methods

Identify information required for decision

Information for decision-making

Interpretthe acquiredinformation

Info

Basicinformation

Informationrequirements


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authoritative guidance for policymakers

and �usinesses on how to conduct an

LCA to quantify the emissions, resource

consumption and environmental impact

of a product. These documents provide

detailed technical guidance on all steps of

LCA. The EU, through the Joint Research

Centre �JRC), is currently developing

lifecycle-�ased indicators to measure

progress towards sustaina�le consump-

tion and production, with particular focus

on the de-coupling of environmental

impacts from economic growth.

�ndicators of resource efficiency,

resource productivity and consumption

– ‘�askets-of-products’ - can �e used

to monitor the environmental impacts of

relevant goods and services consumed

�y EU citizens as well as the transition

There are clear theoretical resource effi-

ciency �enefits to �e had from apply-

ing a lifecycle approach to material and

product management. �t can help identify

synergies and trade-offs within intercon-

nected elements of a product’s lifecycle.

�t can also highlight which element of a

product’s lifecycle is the most inefficient,

or draw attention to previously over-

looked resource use associated with a

product. A lifecycle approach can thus

inform changes in policy or practice that

make a real difference to overall environ-

mental impact and �e a key to the trans-

formation towards a resource efficient

economy.

liFECyClE tHinkinG in poliCy

LCA is increasingly used in sustaina�le

�usiness decision-making and environ-

mental policymaking, already playing a

key role in EU policies in areas such as

�ntegrated Product Policy ��PP), sustain-

a�le consumption and production and

waste legislation.

�SO 14040 provides a standardisation

framework for LCA that covers the defini-

tion of the goals and assessment param-

eters of an LCA, lifecycle inventories

�LC�), assessment of the inventory data

in LC�A and interpretation of results.

The Commission communication on

European �PP �COM�2003)302) recog-

nises that the lifecycle of a product is

often long and complicated and that

there cannot �e one simple policy meas-

ure for everything. A range of measures

are needed to encourage and stimulate

actors as diverse as designers, manu-

facturers, retailers and consumers to

improve their environmental perform-

ance. These include o�ligatory measures,

such as su�stance �ans and voluntary

ones, such as environmental la�elling.

The EU has created and developed an

important information source for LCA

practitioners, providing lifecycle inventory

data from a range of European �usiness

sectors. The first edition of the �nterna-

tional Reference Life Cycle Data System

��LCD) hand�ook was pu�lished in March

2010. The hand�ook consists of a series

of technical documents that provide

The RESOLVED project demonstrated new recycling methodologies for thin film photo-voltaic panels to produce valuable raw materials with a purity of 99.99%

One of the 2� different strategies that the DANTES project produced using existing tools and methods for environmental assessment, such as LCA

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towards more sustaina�le consumption

�ehaviour. They can also help assess the

impact of policy measures with regard to

more environmentally sound goods and

services.

Waste management indicators, covering

the entire waste management chain, are

designed to help the EU monitor how

technological progress and changes in

the amount of waste result in reduced

environmental impacts. They will also

highlight material and energy resources

saved via �etter waste management.

However, there are still some gaps in

understanding and lack of expertise in

the implementation of LCAs and �PP,

which limit the impact of the lifecycle con-

cept on resource efficiency. A num�er of

L�FE projects have �een at the forefront

of challenging these o�stacles, raising

awareness, developing tools to facilitate

implementation and carrying out ground-

�reaking lifecycle assessments.

liFE anD liFECyClE tHinkinG tools

L�FE projects have worked to raise

awareness of lifecycle thinking and pro-

vide practical tools and guidance on how

LCA can �e used to make real resource

efficiency gains in often complex sectors

of the economy.

The Swedish DANTES project �LIFE02

ENV/S/000351) demonstrated and

assessed new tools for environmental

sustaina�ility, including lifecycle assess-

ment and lifecycle cost. As well as aware-

ness, the project provided analysis of

how to use the methods and tools within

companies to assess resource efficiency

and other environmental information. The

project we�site also provides �usinesses

with a guide to the lifecycle information

they need to make improved environ-

mental decisions.

The L�FE EQuation project �LIFE00

ENV/NL/000808) optimised innovative

LCA tools for the construction industry

in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK.

Through practical application, the project

team optimised an advanced computer

model for calculating environmental

impact and an environmental assessment

method for homes, making them easy to

use and developing understanding of the

tools amongst municipalities and other

decision-makers. Over 100 sustaina�le

�uilding projects were then assessed and

improvements identified with designers,

architects and developers. Environmen-

tal performance improvements of 15%

were achieved, particularly �y facilitating

improvements in the preliminary design

stage.

The Spanish project FEN�X �LIFE08

ENV/E/000135) has �een working since

2008 to develop an easy-to-use tool for

o�taining LCA results for the specific

context of packaging waste. The project

expects to provide pu�lic authorities with

tools for tackling waste management and

to create an ��erian network of experts

in LCA and waste management. The

project highlights the need to ensure that

measures to improve the management

of waste do not consume more natural

resources than they save, a key principle

of the lifecycle approach. LCA is impor-

tant to make sure that there is an over-

all resource efficiency �enefit from any

waste management system, as well as

ensuring positive overall economic and

social outcomes. Data from the project

will also �e fed into the ELCD to help

complete this European data�ase.

An interesting tool for encouraging life-

cycle thinking is the use of eco-la�els

awarded for environmental performance

of the whole value chain. The �talian

L�FE project Aquala�el �LIFE03 ENV/

IT/000333) sought to develop such a

��

LIFE EQuation used LCA tools in the construction industry with over �00 sus-tainable building projects being assessed and improvements identified

The FENIX project aims to provide public authorities with tools for tackling waste management and to create a network of experts in LCA

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quality and environmental management

la�el for water distri�uted in waterworks

systems, according to �SO14024 stand-

ards. The project identified wastewater

treatment, water sanitisation and pump-

ing operations as the processes in the

water supply cycle with the greatest

environmental impact. �t produced a

manual outlining the measures nec-

essary for overall certification with an

eco-la�el from the relevant environ-

mental �odies. The project thus pro-

vided awareness and practical under-

standing of how water supply systems

can improve their resource efficiency

throughout the lifecycle of the water.

liFE anD lCa in spECiFiC ContExts

L�FE projects have �een particularly

instrumental in showing how LCA tools

can �e used in specific �usiness con-

texts and sectors.

Linking with European �ntegrated Prod-

uct Policy ��PP), the �talian project LA�PP

�LIFE04 ENV/IT/000588) worked to

show how LCA could �e implemented

in the furniture industry. �t ran pilot

actions including LCAs and Product-

Oriented Environmental Management

Systems �POEMS), aiming towards �SO

certification, in six companies. �t suc-

cessfully optimised three LCA software

programmes for different types of user,

providing tools for future LCAs. �t also

esta�lished Product Category Rules

�PCR) and Environmental Product Dec-

larations �EPD) for �oth office desks and

cooker hoods, showing how lifecycle

thinking can promote improved resource

efficiency for these specific products in

the furniture industry.

A Greek L�FE project, ECO�L �LIFE04

ENV/GR/000110), developed a ground-

�reaking LCA for the olive oil industry in

Spain, Cyprus and Greece. �t provided

analysis of the whole olive oil lifecycle,

from tree cultivation to waste manage-

ment, ena�ling comparisons of resource

use at different stages of the lifecycle.

This showed where optimisation could

�e possi�le and highlighted environ-

mental success stories within the pro-

duction chain. The project thus helped

stakeholders identify where they could

provide improved environmental perfor-

mance and where they could demand it

from others, particularly from their sup-

pliers.

At the opposite end of Europe, L�FE

OSELCA in Estonia explored LCA for

oil-shale electricity production and

energy intensive products �LIFE03

ENV/EE/000194). �t was the first large-

scale application of LCA in Estonia and

has �een a �enchmark for other indus-

tries in the country to follow. Led �y a

major energy company, it compared the

resource use of electricity generated

from oil-shale with that produced from

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The ECOIL project developed a groundbreaking LCA for the olive oil industry providing an analysis of the whole olive oil lifecycle, from tree cultivation to waste management

The LCA for oil-shale electricity production and energy intensive products used by the OSELCA project has set a benchmark for other industries in Estonia

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hard coal and �iomass. �t also looked

at the significant impact of the energy

source used on the total resource effi-

ciency of a random product - in this case

a wooden weather�oard. �t successfully

demonstrated that energy production

will often �e one of the most significant

factors of a product’s overall resource

efficiency.

L�FE projects such as ECO�L and

OSELCA have used lifecycle thinking

to show how stakeholders can improve

the resource efficiency of their industry,

not just �y improving their own perform-

ance, �ut through their choice of sup-

pliers. Energy-intensive products can

transform their resource efficiency �y

using green energy. Such modification

of purchasing decisions �ased on sup-

pliers’ environmental performance could

�e crucial in implementing Europe’s �PP

�y creating market pressure for more

resource efficiency throughout the sup-

ply chain without the need for prohi�i-

tive legislation.

liFE, ECo-DEsiGn anD EnD-oF-liFE

One of the key messages of the lifecycle

approach is that particular consideration

needs to �e given to resource efficiency

at the �eginning and end of a product’s

lifecycle. Some of the greatest efficiency

gains can �e achieved �y extracting

resources from a product at the end of

its life for re-use rather than sending

them to landfill or incineration. Equally,

environmentally aware design can avoid

all manner of inefficiencies downstream,

such as high resource use from transpor-

tation and waste management. A num�er

of L�FE projects have looked at how to

implement eco-design and effective end-

of-life strategies to improve a product’s

resource efficiency over its lifecycle.

The Rural L�FE Design project �LIFE00

ENV/FIN/000656) implemented �PP in

rural SMEs �y promoting tools for eco-

design. The project conducted LCAs

of possi�le products and developed

pilot eco-�rands and eco-marketing

with four rural enterprises. The project

showed how successful grassroots

rural entrepreneurship can �e encour-

aged using LCA to identify opportuni-

ties for resource-efficient products that

can �e marketed as such. Thinking from

the design stage through the lifecycle

of a product can raise the awareness of

designers, investors and consumers to

promote resource-efficient products.

�PP TEL in Greece �LIFE04 ENV/

GR/000138) conducted LCAs and car-

ried out tests on telecommunications

products to identify the major costs

and challenges of efficient end-of-

life management. �t used its analysis

to demonstrate how eco-design of a

modem could significantly improve its

overall resource efficiency. �t proposed

eco-la�el criteria for modems �ased on

these findings.

�mproved end-of-life management for

high-technology products could have a

�ig impact on overall resource efficiency.

The German project, Resolved �LIFE04

ENV/DE/000047), demonstrated an

environmentally friendly process for

extracting the valua�le raw materi-

als from thin film photovoltaic panels.

�n Portugal, L�FE Electrovalue �LIFE07

ENV/P/000639) is looking at effectively

extracting and exploiting raw materi-

als from waste electrical and electronic

equipment. Both projects are demon-

strating how high-tech practical meas-

ures taken at the end-of-life of certain

products can make a major contri�ution

to improving resource efficiency overall.

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Electrovalue is looking at effectively extracting and exploiting raw materials from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

IPP TEL used LCAs to demonstrate how eco-design of a modem could avoid some of the challenges of its end-of-life management

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Environmental management systems (EMS) have improved the environmental perform-

ance of many companies. However, their benefits can be limited by the complexity of

products’ production and lifecycles. The LIFE ACADEMY project has demonstrated how

EMS can be successfully applied over the lifecycle of an extremely complex product

- aircraft.

ACADEMY:managing the life-cycle of complex products

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Environmental Management Sys-

tems are typically applied at site

level. This means that an installation is

assessed for the environmental impact

of all the activities taking place there.

However, in complex industries such as

the aeronautical sector, many sites are

involved in the lifecycle of the product.

�t is possi�le to achieve high environ-

mental standards at each site and still

fail to optimise overall product resource

efficiency.

Applying environmental assessments

at site level fails to take into account

the impact of practices at one site on

environmental performance elsewhere

in the production chain. For example,

an aircraft could �e �uilt with a material

that is resource efficient in its extraction

and treatment, �ut which implies high

resource use in its maintenance or end-

of-life treatment downstream.

DEvElopinG a nEW approaCH - spoEms

The major European aeronautical

company Air�us - with around 52 500

employees worldwide - recognised the

limitations of its existing environmental

efforts at achieving EMAS certification

at its sites. “�mproved management was

essential to put environmental perform-

ance at the core of Air�us’s strategy. Yet,

traditional approaches were not enough;

we needed to look at the full lifecycle

of the product,” explains ACADEMY

project manager Bruno Costes.

�sa�elle Delay, one of the project leaders

within Air�us, highlights the importance

of the lifecycle approach for a complex

product: “Environmental assessment at

one site revealed that volatile organic


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compound �VOC) emissions were a key

environmental concern. However, there

was only so much that could �e done

to tackle this at that site. The �est way

to reduce VOC emissions is to choose

materials in the design phase that do

not create the pro�lem.”

Air�us applied for L�FE funding to run

the ACADEMY project �LIFE04 ENV/

FR/000353) and set a�out creating a

new tool, which it named SPOEMS -

Site and Product Oriented Environmen-

tal Management System. This aimed to

tackle the complexity of carrying out

the Lifecycle Assessment �LCA) of an

aircraft �y involving as many sites as

possi�le in an integrated environmental

assessment of the product’s lifecycle.

Air�us expanded the internal application

of EMS to cover an impressive 93% of

its network of 16 production sites, pro-

gressing in stages so that learning could

�e acquired and shared �etween sites.

“�mportantly, this meant that the sites

were now speaking a common environ-

mental language and developing consist-

ent ways of reporting,” notes Ms. Delay.

This was an essential precondition for

ena�ling the company to calculate the

overall environmental impacts and costs

of a product across its various sites.

ACADEMY then carried out two pilot

Lifecycle Assessments on aircraft within

the Air�us fleet. To make the process

managea�le, these used a customised

and streamlined approach to LCA, cov-

ering the more important aspects of

the aircraft’s production and lifecycle

- design, procurement, manufacturing,

transport, in service operations �includ-

ing maintenance), end-of-life and recy-

cling and collating the data from the site-

specific monitoring processes. What it

provided was a new understanding of

the environmental impact of the aircraft

throughout the company and through-

out its life, �eyond traditional addressed

challenges such as noise and in-flight

emissions.

tHE impaCt oF tHE spoEms approaCH

�mplementing SPOEMS did not sud-

denly solve all Air�us’s environmental

Eco-design is crucial for resource efficiency

Assessments were carried out throughout �6 Airbus production sites, covering 9�% of its network


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challenges. However, it has provided

the means to implement an ongoing

process of environmental review and

improvement. According to Ms Delay,

“SPOEMS has �een a real catalyst for

the identification of possi�le improve-

ments in the production chain.” �t allows

the company to have a vision of the

overall production process and �etter

identify where and how the most sig-

nificant efficiencies could �e accom-

plished.

One of the key achievements of the

L�FE ACADEMY project was to suc-

cessfully engage all levels of Air�us in

the SPOEMS approach and create new

internal momentum for environmental

improvement. Right up to the highest

levels of management, this has improved

the a�ility of the company to communi-

cate on environmental issues, helping

to identify synergies and spread good

practice. Additionally, SPOEMS has had

an impact �eyond the company �y help-

ing the procurement team identify where

changes to contracts with suppliers can

su�stantially improve overall resource

efficiency for a product.

The achievements and ongoing com-

mitment of Air�us to improved environ-

mental management was recognised �y

environmental certification �SO 14001

following a company-wide audit �y

DNV in Decem�er 2006. This was �oth

an aerospace industry first and one of

the �roadest environmental manage-

ment certifications ever made, covering

the whole company, including design,

procurement, manufacturing, transport,

and in-service operations �maintenance,

aircraft end-of-life and recycling). “What

we have achieved is unique,” �elieves

Mr Costes. “�t is the first demonstration

of how �ntegrated Product Policy ��PP)

can �e implemented at this scale.”

Another major achievement of ACAD-

EMY has �een to create momentum for

improved environmental management in

the wider aeronautical industry. �mpor-

tantly, the SPOEMS approach to lifecy-

cle thinking was widely disseminated �y

the national aerospace trade associa-

tions of France, Spain and the UK, and

the cham�er of commerce in the French

region of Midi-Pyrenees.

There is increasing recognition in inter-

national aeronautical companies of the

importance of environmental issues as

a driver towards sustaina�le develop-

ment and how SPOEMS can anticipate

environmental trends and regulations.

The European Aeronautic Defence and

Space Company �EADS), of which Air�us

is a part, has made a firm pu�lic commit-

ment to “a continuous assessment of its

environmental performance throughout

the lifecycle of its products, so as to find

out the �est way to improve it.”

The L�FE ACADEMY project lives on in

Air�us through its strategic commitment

to use SPOEMS to �ecome a leader in

the aeronautical sector on eco-effi-

ciency, com�ining environmental and

economic o�jectives. The company has

gone on to use SPOEMS to enhance

resource efficiency in its production

processes �y developing environmental

innovations. These include the use of a

greener, chemical-free milling process

for fuselage panels; more environmen-

tally friendly painting processes; and

steps to minimise energy and water con-

sumption during the production cycle.

For its aircraft product line, Air�us con-

tinues to work on quieter and more fuel

efficient jetliners, and on clearly defined

and targeted short and long-term envi-

ronmental targets and has renewed its

EMS certification with Bureau Veritas.

Air�us also complemented ACADEMY

with another L�FE project - PAMELA -

looking at a Process for Advanced Man-

agement of End-of-Life Aircraft �LIFE05

ENV/F/000059).

The LIFE ACADEMY project has helped AIRBUS improve the overall resource efficiency of its product

Project number: L�FE04 ENV/FR/000353

Title: ACADEMY - Air�us Corporate Answer to Disseminate �ntegrated Environmental Management System

Beneficiary: Air�us S.A.S.

Contact: Bruno Costes

Email: �runo.costes@air�us.com

Website: http://www.air�us.com/ innovation/eco-efficiency/

Period: Sept-2004 to Aug-2007



FRANCE


http://www.airbus.com/innovation/eco-efficiency/

http://www.airbus.com/innovation/eco-efficiency/

Water is one of the most crucial natural resources - for both human activities and eco-

systems. Yet pressures on clean water supplies in Europe are only increasing. More

efficient use of available water is a major policy challenge. LIFE has shown ways for-

ward with pioneering projects on reducing demand for water and making better use of

existing supplies.


��

Water-an essential component of LIFE

Water is life, sustaining eco-

systems and regulating our

climate. But it’s a finite resource, and

less than 1% of the world’s freshwa-

ter is accessi�le for direct human use.

Competition for water poses a growing

risk to the economy, communities and

the ecosystems they rely on. �f climate

change keeps raising average tempera-

tures across Europe, water is expected

to �ecome even scarcer in many areas,

so it is vital to find solutions to protect

this resource.

An adequate supply of good-quality

water is a pre-requisite for economic

and social progress, so we need to save

water, and also to manage our availa�le

resources more efficiently.

Water scarcity in the EU is most acute

in the south, �ut �y no means limited to

these areas: most Mem�er States have

suffered episodes of drought since 1976,

and many now report frequent water

scarcity pro�lems and over-exploited

aquifers. But demand for water con-

tinues to rise across Europe, putting a

strain on our resources. �n a ‘�usiness

as usual’ scenario, water consumption

�y the pu�lic, industry and agriculture

would increase �y 16% �y 2030. Cli-

mate change will add to the pro�lems

of water scarcity and droughts. On the

other hand, it is estimated that some

20-40% of Europe’s availa�le water is

�eing wasted �through leaks in the sup-

ply system, dripping taps, unnecessary

irrigation etc.).

A variety of approaches are �eing used

at EU level to preserve Europe’s waters.

Legislation, market instruments, moni-

toring, research and awareness raising

can all make a contri�ution.

�n 2000, the EU introduced the Water

Framework Directive �WFD), the most

am�itious and comprehensive piece of

EU legislation ever approved in water

policy. Taking a genuinely European

LIFE has contributed to preserve Europe’s waters with innovative approaches and technologies

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approach, it esta�lishes a management

system �ased on natural river �asin dis-

tricts rather than regional and national

�oundaries. The aim is to �ring together

all water managers – from governments

to local communities – the pu�lic and

all affected sectors to safeguard ground

and surface waters, and achieve good

ecological status �y 2015.

�n 2007, the EU put forward a Com-

munication addressing the challenge

of water scarcity and droughts. The

Communication identified seven policy

initiatives that had to �e addressed if

Europe was to move towards a water-

efficient and water-saving economy.

EU policy related to water scarcity and

droughts is �ased on the principle of a

‘water hierarchy’. This means that addi-

tional water supply infrastructure, such

as water transfers or desalination plants,

should �e considered only when all

demand-side measures, e.g. water-sav-

ing, water efficiency improvements and

water-pricing, have �een exhausted.

A 2009 EU policy paper on adapting to

climate change highlights the need for

further measures to enhance water effi-

ciency and to increase resilience to cli-

mate change. This approach reinforces

the consistency of measures taken at

�oth EU and national level, and sets the

scene for further European action.

The policy on water scarcity and

droughts will �e reviewed �y 2012,

together with the assessment of the

Mem�er States’ plans for managing

Europe’s river �asins, as required �y

the Water Framework Directive, and

the review of the vulnera�ility of water

resources to climate impacts and other

man-made pressures. These evalua-

tions will contri�ute to the Blueprint to

Safeguard Europe’s Waters planned for

2012. The Blueprint will foster a move

towards prevention and preparedness

with a view to ensuring a sustaina�le

�alance �etween water demand and

the supply of clean water, taking into

account the needs of �oth human activ-

ities and of natural ecosystems.

As the importance of water efficiency

�ecomes increasingly apparent, les-

sons and knowledge can �e drawn

from the innovative approaches taken

�y numerous L�FE projects. These

have already �een at the forefront of

investigating and developing new and

effective means of reducing water loss,

improving natural recharge of ground-

water supplies, reducing demand and

reducing waste.

liFE improvinG tHE supply oF ClEan WatEr

As much as 50% of water wastage in

some areas of Europe is the result of

leaky infrastructure. �n addition to the

waste of resources and economic cost,

leaks can have additional impacts on

groundwater quality. L�FE projects have

specifically tackled water loss from the

supply infrastructure in different con-

texts through the introduction of tech-

nologies to detect leaks more rapidly

and �etter regulate water flow, cost-

effectively increasing the effective sup-

ply of clean water to households and

�usinesses without having to explore

new sources of water.

The RAKWANET project �LIFE00 ENV/

EE/000922) in Rakvere, Estonia showed

that significant water savings could �e

achieved in ageing Soviet-era infra-

structure with a moderate investment.

The new system reduced the time taken

to detect leaks from around six days to

three and introduced a computerised

cali�rated hydraulic model of the water

network. By ena�ling quicker interven-

tion, water losses were decreased from

37% to 21% of total extraction.

The Pump And Leakage Management

project PALM �LIFE09 ENV/IT/000136)

is a new �talian project taking a similar

approach. �t is introducing the latest

acoustic technologies to detect leaks

and a cali�rated hydraulic model to

Water losses were decreased by introducing an innovative detection system in Estonia

Measuring the river flow using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)

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optimise water flow and close valves to

control leaks.

Another �talian project, TRUST �LIFE07

ENV/IT/000475) has directly tackled the

challenge of over-exploited groundwa-

ter, which threatens the long-term sup-

ply of clean water. �t is working at river

�asin level to coordinate macro-actions

for artificial aquifer recharge using

excess surface waters, nota�ly caused

�y floods. The project is demonstrating

a cost-effective means of maintaining

natural water sources over time to meet

usage needs. �t is also introducing cli-

mate change predictions into river �asin

management to meet future, as well as

existing, challenges.

A different approach to making �et-

ter use of availa�le water resources is

to find cost-effective and environmen-

tally friendly means of cleaning water

sources to a sufficient standard for their

use or re-use. The Dutch project VER-

BAL �LIFE03 ENV/NL/000467) success-

fully tested innovative vertical-flow reed

�eds for filtering surface water. �t demon-

strated that, in a closed system of mildly

polluted ur�an surface water, it could

reduce phosphate levels to �elow 0.05

mg/l, making the water not only suita�le

for swimming and water sports, �ut also

providing a cleaner source for drinking

water production.

An earlier German L�FE project �LIFE98

ENV/D/000509) looked at re-use of fil-

ter �ackwash water from the process

of cleaning frequently used filters in

groundwater treatment. The project was

a�le to recover 99.85% of the water in

drinka�le form through the use of su�-

merged mem�rane modules, effectively

increasing the remaining supply of clean

fresh water and reducing waste.

liFE rEDuCinG DEmanD For ClEan WatEr

Dealing with limited water resources

does not necessarily require dramatic

solutions. As a num�er of L�FE projects

have shown, significant progress can

�e made �y encouraging and ena�ling

households, �usinesses, farms and

pu�lic �odies to use only the water

that they need, saving this valua�le

resource and saving money and, in

agriculture, often leading to �etter end

results.

The least technical means of reducing

demand is increasing pu�lic aware-

ness of the need to save water and of

how small gestures, such as turning

taps off when not in use and taking a

shower rather than a �ath, can reduce

water consumption considera�ly. The

Eco-Animation project �LIFE07 INF/

UK/000950) has produced a series

of cartoons aimed at teaching young

children a�out key environmental mes-

sages including the importance of pre-

venting water wastage.

A German project demonstrated a process to recover 99% of backwash water and use it as drinking water

The TRUST project is introducing climate change predictions in river basin management

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The city of Zaragoza in Spain has used

L�FE funding to turn itself into a demon-

stration ‘Water Saving City’, particularly

for other countries in southern Europe.

The city applied for L�FE funding

�LIFE96 ENV/E/000509) to run a mas-

sive awareness campaign. This used

the full range of media and promotional

tools to encourage households, �usi-

nesses and pu�lic authorities to reduce

their water consumption.

The project gave practical guidance

on how to save water and persuaded

more than 140 companies to market

and/or give discounts on water-saving

products. �t increased the sale of exist-

ing domestic appliances with �uilt-in

water savers �y 15% and saw use of

water meters and water-saving taps

increase 400% and 600% respectively.

The num�er of households practising

water-saving measures dou�led and

over 1 �illion litres of water were saved

in 1998 alone.

A num�er of partners in Zaragoza

sought to �uild on the progress made

�y the L�FE project and further initiatives

followed. A second L�FE project, OPT�-

M�ZAGUA �LIFE03 ENV/E/000164),

used sensors to detect moisture in soil

and weather conditions, and com�ined

it with knowledge of the water needs

of different crops and grass. This ena-

�led an automated watering system to

provide only the amount of water nec-

essary on any given day, replacing the

previous safety-first approach of erring

on the side of too much water �for fur-

ther details see pp 43-45).

Such approaches demonstrate how

water efficiency policies can �e imple-

mented without negative side-effects.

An innovative Dutch project, Maas-

tricht Water �LIFE00 ENV/NL/000790),

worked to introduce a system of inte-

grated water management for a cluster

of eight industries. �t sought to meet

existing demand using less total water.

Although una�le to achieve all its o�jec-

tives, it found synergies �etween indus-

tries - for example one industry using the

wastewater of another - which reduced

overall water consumption. �t favoured

use of water from the River Maas rather

than already stressed groundwater sup-

plies and prevented the discharge of

nitrates into the water system.

The Dropawater project �LIFE02 ENV/

E/000183) sought to tackle all sides

of the water efficiency question in the

water-stressed Spanish exclave of Ceuta

�North Africa). Demand in 3 800 houses

was reduced �y 10% through the intro-

duction of state-of-the-art water meters.

Water supply efficiencies were achieved

�y checking pipes metre-�y-metre for

leaks, a process which saved more than

dou�le the money it cost, through saved

water. The project also introduced sys-

tems for using non-drinking water in

appropriate applications, such as street

cleaning and watering gardens.

WatEr EFFiCiEnCy in aGriCulturE

We have already seen how L�FE fund-

ing has helped reduce water a�straction

for agriculture. Another Spanish project

HAGAR �LIFE02 ENV/E/000210) also

introduced modern technologies into

irrigation systems to calculate the real-

time water requirements of plants and

thus avoid over-watering. The project

extrapolated the results from 12 pilot

fields and concluded that this optimisa-

tion of water use throughout the river

�asin could restore natural aquifers and

wetland areas in its catchment, there�y

contri�uting to European �iodiversity

o�jectives and international commit-

ments such as the Ramsar Convention

on Wetlands.

The experiences of these and other L�FE

projects point the way to achieving water

efficiency improvements and implement-

ing the EU’s water hierarchy, as well as

achieving complementary European

o�jectives around water quality and

water-�ased ecosystems.

The EcoAnimation project worked with children across several European countries to evaluate the content of cartoons con-cerning water

An innovative watering system developed by the OPTIMIZAGUA project has brought great efficiencies in the irrigation of crops and parks

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LIFE projects are at the forefront of demonstrating successful approaches to imple-

menting EU legislation on sustainable transport. LIFE innovations contribute directly to

efforts to promote cleaner and more resource efficient transport systems, as well as

to reducing transport demand.

��

LIFE projects have contributed towards a low-carbon, resource efficient and competitive transport system

Acleanerandmore efficient transport system

The transport sector is a major con-

tri�utor to resource use in the EU,

not only in term of the significant use of

non-renewa�le fossil fuels, �ut also in

terms of the environmental impact of

emissions from the com�ustion of these

fuels and the impact on ha�itats and the

landscape of transport infrastructure.

�n contrast to other sectors of the econ-

omy, progress in reducing these envi-

ronmental impacts has �een slow. The

transport sector still depends on fossil

fuel for around 97% of its total energy

requirement and improvements in the

sector’s energy and emissions intensity

have not �een sufficient to offset growth

in transport volumes. The development

of new transport infrastructure, particu-

larly in the newer Mem�er States, also

continues to put pressure on ha�itats

and �iodiversity.

Technological improvements need to �e

made to transport systems to achieve a

more resource efficient Europe. Transport

is important to Europe’s economy, �ut

its environmental performance has to �e

improved �y reducing transport demand,

improving the efficiency of transport

systems, vehicles, mo�ility and logis-

tics, and �y promoting a modal shift to

more sustaina�le transport options and

the transition to clean technologies and

renewa�le energy sources. This is under-

lined in the “Flagship initiative under the

Europe 2020 strategy”, which foresees a

reform of the trans-European networks

for transport and states that the future

Transport White Paper will “present a

vision for a low-car�on, resource-effi-

cient, secure and competitive transport

system �y 2050 that removes all o�sta-

cles to the internal market for transport,

promotes clean technologies and mod-

ernises transport networks”.1

EU transport policy currently addresses

some of these issues. A �inding target of

� See COM (20��) 2� Communication on A resource-efficient Europe – Flagship initia-tive under the Europe 2020 Strategy

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a 10% share of renewa�le energy sources

in transport �y 2020 has �een agreed

as part of the EU’s Climate and Energy

package, which also sets targets for a

20% reduction in greenhouse gas �GHG)

emissions ��elow 1990 levels) and a 20%

reduction in primary energy use �y 20202.

�n addition, a �inding target was set to

reduce transport fuel GHG intensity �car-

�on per unit energy) �y 6% �y 20203

Legislation setting energy and emission

performance standards for new pas-

senger cars4, heavy vehicles� and rail-

way transport6 has also �een adopted.

On the demand side, this is supported

�y initiatives to promote the market for

clean and energy-efficient vehicles. EU

air quality directives �in particular Direc-

tive 2008/50/EC), which set limits for

2 Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources� Directive 2009/�0/EC on fuel quality� Regulation (EC) No ��/2009 setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the Community’s integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles5 Directive 88/77/EEC On the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the measures to be taken against the emis-sion of gaseous pollutants from diesel engines for use in vehicles On the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the measures to be taken against the emission of gaseous pollutants from diesel engines for use in vehicles6 Directive 97/68/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to measures against the emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from internal com-bustion engines to be installed in non-road mobile machinery

sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and

oxides of nitrogen, particulate mat-

ter and lead concentrations in am�ient

air, provide further impetus to efforts

to improve the environmental perform-

ance of the transport sector. Promoting a

‘modal shift’ from roads and air transport

towards more sustaina�le travel modes

is also an important component of EU

transport policy7.

mappinG tHE routE aHEaD

A good example of how L�FE Environ-

ment has demonstrated successful

approaches to improving transport effi-

ciency is L�FE �MMACULATE �LIFE02

7 Regulation (EC) No ��82/200� on the pro-motion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles

ENV/GR/000359), a project that tested

the potential �enefits, and �arriers to

market uptake, of cleaner and more effi-

cient engine technologies.

Monitoring the energy performance of

hy�rid vehicles in the city of Thessa-

loniki �Greece), the project showed that

fuel consumption was 52% lower in a

hy�rid car than in a compara�le con-

ventional car during use in ur�an areas

and 27% lower on the motorway. Similar

reductions in CO2 emissions were also

o�served. A survey of users of the test

vehicles found that while most would �e

willing to use a hy�rid car, the vast major-

ity would only �uy one if it was the same

price or cheaper than a conventional car

in the same category. The project su�-

sequently carried out a detailed cost-

�enefit analysis of different measures to

provide financial and non-financial incen-

tives to help �oost the market.

L�FE PARFUM �LIFE06 ENV/D/000477)

looked at the potential of different clean

vehicle technologies �electric, hy�rid,

natural gas, methane) for city logistics

and pu�lic transport, focusing in partic-

ular on the cities of Bremen �Germany),

Padova ��taly) and Rotterdam �Nether-

lands). Modelling and monitoring car-

ried out during the project showed the

disproportionate environmental impact

of heavy duty vehicles �HDV), which only

represent some 10% of city traffic, �ut

can contri�ute up to 50% of harmful

emissions.

The project demonstrated the potential

of the different technologies to reduce air

The PARFUM project combined innovative technologies for clean vehicles for city logistics and public transport

The MHyBus LIFE project aims to develop and test a first prototype hydro-methane bus

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pollution, especially in ur�an hot spots,

�ut it also highlighted the importance

of support measures and incentives to

encourage the wider uptake of these

technologies.

Hydrogen also offers considera�le poten-

tial as a clean and renewa�le transport fuel

when produced from renewa�le sources.

Recognising this potential, the MHyBus

project �LIFE07 ENV/IT/000434), which

is �eing implemented �y the Region of

Emilia-Romagna ��taly) aims to develop

and test a first prototype hydro-methane

�us, powered �y a fuel �lend of up to

20% hydrogen and 80% natural gas.

From tHE FryinG pan to tHE FlEEt

Focusing on the production of transport

fuel from recycled material, the L�FE

ECOBUS project �LIFE02 ENV/E/000253)

demonstrated the potential for producing

�iofuels from used cooking oil. The project

esta�lished a collection system involving

800 commercial esta�lishments, as well

as three collection points for domestic

waste oil. The waste oil collected was

then processed to produce �io-diesel,

which was mixed with conventional die-

sel to power the city’s �us fleet. During the

project, around 800 000 litres of cooking

oil was collected to produce 322 654 litres

of �io-diesel that was used to fuel 264

�uses, displacing an equivalent amount

of conventional diesel. As an additional

result of the project, the �eneficiary sent

Valencia City Council a proposal to esta�-

lish, at local level, regulations for manag-

ing the used cooking oil.

�n Portugal, the O�L PROD�ESEL project

�LIFE05 ENV/P/000369) also successfully

developed an integrated system for the

collection and recycling of used cooking

oil. Located in Oeiras, a small town on the

outskirts of Lis�on, the L�FE project esta�-

lished 20 collection points and developed

a prototype 1 000-litre �iodiesel process-

ing plant. The fuel produced was tested in

the municipal transport fleet, demonstrat-

ing �oth energy and cost savings.

Recycling of waste oil is an important com-

ponent of the ETRUSCAN project �LIFE08

ENV/IT/000425), which also incorpo-

rates the use of solar power in order to

demonstrate, not only the potential for

increased use of renewa�le energy in the

pu�lic transport system, �ut also the pos-

si�ility to source all of this energy locally.

The project will develop two hy�rid �us

prototypes. �t will also esta�lish two pho-

tovoltaic electric recharging su�-stations

and two �iodiesel processing plants,

which together will provide sufficient

energy to power the two �uses.

EnCouraGinG bEHavioural CHanGE

Encouraging a shift to more sustaina�le

modes of transport is a key component of

EU transport policy. The L�FE S�DDHARTA

project �LIFE03 ENV/IT/000319), suc-

cessfully demonstrated the �enefits of

introducing a ‘demand responsive’ pu�-

lic transport service on two ur�an �us

routes in the city of Genoa ��taly). The

existing diesel-powered �uses on these

routes were replaced with methane-run

vehicles, which were then operated “on-

demand” �i.e. the passenger would enter

journey start and end points via phone or

�nternet and a computer system would

then match the request to the vehicle in

the �est way).

The new service was then promoted

with an awareness-raising campaign, to

encourage private car users to switch to

pu�lic transport. The pilot scheme, which

ran from June 2004 to Septem�er 2005

showed an increase from 40% to 63%

in the num�ers of daily pu�lic transport

users within the target zone.

Modal shift was also the aim of the

GESMOPOL� project �LIFE05 ENV/

E/000262), which esta�lished on-site

partnerships to promote sustaina�le

mo�ility in six industrial parks in the

The ECOBUS project collected cooking oil to produce some �2� 000 litres of bio-diesel to fuel 26� buses in Valencia

The ETRUSCAN’s project prototype urban bus also incorporates solar power

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region of Catalonia �Spain). Mo�ility plans

were produced for each estate and pilot

actions were carried out to promote and

demonstrate the �enefits of car pool-

ing and alternative modes of transport.

ClEanEr anD morE EFFiCiEnt transport ovEr WatEr

EU transport policy actively encour-

ages a modal shift to transport over

water as a more sustaina�le alternative

to road or air transport. However, it also

recognises the considera�le scope for

improving the environmental perform-

ance of water-�ased transport, which

is still largely reliant on diesel or heavy

fuel oils.

The L�FE LNG Tanker project �LIFE03

ENV/NL/000474) �uilt and delivered the

smallest liquid natural gas �LNG) carrier

in the world, the 1 100 m3 Pioneer Knut-

sen, which operated on short sea water-

ways in Norway for a 41-week demon-

stration phase. Compared with a diesel

alternative, the ship demonstrated a

30% reduction in CO2 emissions, a 60%

reduction in hydrocar�on emissions and

an 80% reduction of NOx. The success

of the project led to an order for three

similar vessels from Gaz de France.

L�FE W�NTECC �LIFE06 ENV/D/000479)

demonstrated an innovative wind pro-

pulsion technology for cargo vessels.

�mplemented �y Beluga Fleet Manage-

ment, an SME that manages heavy lift

cargo shipments worldwide, the project

succeeded in developing the SkySails-

System: a fully automated towing kite

and a wind-optimised routing system,

which is designed to �e used in addition

to the ship’s propeller. The first proto-

type was tested in 2008 and during its

maiden voyage energy savings of more

than 20% were achieved, equivalent

to daily savings of some 2.5 tonnes of

fuel, or more than €500, according to

the project �eneficiary.

Another German project, ZEM/SH�PS

(LIFE06 ENV/D/000465), developed the

first hydrogen-powered passenger ship.

Power-assisted �y an electric motor run

from a fuel cell, the ship commenced

service in August 2008 on Ham�urg’s

Alster lake.

intEGratED approaCHEs

Bringing together a com�ination of dif-

ferent approaches, the CATCH project

�LIFE02 ENV/UK/000136) successfully

demonstrated the potential of inte-

grated strategies for reducing the envi-

ronmental impact of transport. Focusing

primarily on the city of Liverpool �UK),

the project com�ined actions to reduce

transport demand, such as walking

and cycling initiatives, with the deploy-

ment of clean fuels and hy�rid �uses.

The project’s evaluation showed that

the wider implementation of the project

actions throughout the city would result

in emissions reductions of 50 939

tonnes/yr of CO2, contri�uting directly

to the EU GHG reduction targets, as well

as targets for air quality and the use of

renewa�le energy sources.

The L�FE RAVE project �LIFE02 ENV/

IT/000106) also successfully demon-

strated an integrated “slow mo�ility sys-

tem” in the city of Novara, �taly. Led �y

the city council, the project com�ined

the creation of protected pedestrian

areas, cycle paths and �icycle parking

with the introduction of fast, low-emis-

sion �uses and intelligent traffic lights.

These measures were complemented

�y a strategy to discourage the use of

motorised vehicles.

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The smallest liquid natural gas carrier in the world was built by the LNG project which reduced CO2, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide emissions

LIFE WINTECC used an automated towing kite for propelling cargo ships

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Europe’s buildings offer many possibilities for making positive contributions to the

objectives of the EU’s resource efficiency Flagship, particularly via improvements in

energy performance. A variety of LIFE projects have been active in this area and their

results are helping Europe’s buildings steer a more sustainable course.

��

LIFEhelpsboosts the energy efficiency of EU building stock

As much as 40% of EU energy

consumption and 36% of EU

CO2 emissions are associated with

�uildings. Resource efficiency prin-

ciples are therefore highly relevant

for Europe’s �uilding stock. Efforts to

improve the energy efficiency of �oth

existing and new �uilt premises pro-

vide significant opportunities for miti-

gating negative climate change effects.

Bettering �uildings’ energy efficiency

performance can also make useful con-

tri�utions to improving energy security,

and simultaneously generate employ-

ment in related sectors.

Policy approaches for strengthening

resource efficient �uilding practices

are promoted through the Directive

on Energy Performance of Buildings

�2002/91/EC) and its recast �2010/31/

EU). This sets common Mem�er State

standards and certification require-

ments for important energy consump-

tion factors such as heating, lighting,

insulation, and air conditioning sys-

tems. The directive’s o�jectives closely

complement goals in DG Environment’s

Resource-efficient Europe Flagship to

improve energy profiles of �uildings.

Bold targets have �een set across the EU

so that �y 31 Decem�er 2020, all new

�uildings shall �e nearly zero-energy

consumption �uildings. New �uildings

occupied and owned �y pu�lic authori-

ties will have to comply with the same

criteria �y 31 Decem�er 2018. Signifi-

cant structural challenges are involved

with these strategic am�itions and an

interesting array of L�FE projects have

�een helping the EU �uilding sector

pave the way to a more energy efficient

future. Furthermore, as of 2013, all Mem-

�er States will have to set their minimum

energy performance requirements �ased

on a lifecycle assessment, ensuring opti-

mal cost efficiency.

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Directive 2002/91/EC calls for strong

methodological approaches to improve

energy efficiency in �uildings. Several

different L�FE actions have addressed

this requirement. For instance, for the

transnational L�FE project SB-MED

�LIFE04 ENV/GR/000137), partners from

Greece, France and Germany joined

forces to collate, adapt and apply �est

practices in European sustaina�le �uild-

ing design methods for schools. The

result was a methodology on sustain-

a�le school �uildings that was tailored

to the particular needs of Mediterranean

countries. The new methodology holds

strong demonstration value for other

parts of the region and is especially

relevant for improving the performance

of existing �uildings. By incorporating

factors such as alternative cooling tech-

niques, appropriate materials, natural

shading and renewa�le energy the new

methodology creates cost savings from

improved energy efficiency, estimated

at 35-50% for heating, and 25-30% for

cooling.

Another example of a �eneficial

resource efficiency methodology �eing

introduced �y L�FE can �e seen in

the EQuation project �LIFE00 ENV/

NL/000808), which showed that energy

performance gains of 15% were pos-

si�le �y adopting sustaina�le design

approaches. EQuation was nominated

as a “Best” L�FE Environment project in

2004-2005 �see pp 21-25).

Award schemes are often useful for

identifying and disseminating good

practices in resource efficiency meth-

odologies, and L�FE’s SUSCON project

�LIFE05 ENV/GR/000235) ran a series

of competitions to encourage eco-

friendly construction techniques among

pu�lic and private sector stakeholders.

This work formed part of the project’s

wider actions involving the design of

computerised systems for reducing the

environmental impact of construction

works. The software developed during

the L�FE project represented an innova-

tion in Greece and Cyprus �ecause it

provided for the first time a full-scale


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Energy efficiency in heating and cooling was demonstrated thanks to an innovative methodology for sustainable school buildings

Wood and straw used for wall insulation helped the S-HOUSE project cut energy con-sumption

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application of �ntegrated Product Policy

��PP) and sustaina�le construction tech-

niques �com�ining energy efficiency with

land use, low impact materials, water con-

servation, health and safety and economic

performance criteria).

The results of these L�FE-funded works

directly support high level EU initiatives

such as the Action Plan for Energy Effi-

ciency and will of course remain valua�le

for helping the resource efficiency Flagship

navigate the challenges that lay ahead.

ECo-innovations

�n addition to promoting more simpli-

fied and systematic approaches to

resource efficiency, the Flagship also

underscores the importance of speed-

ing up and spreading eco-innovations.

The L�FE programme has �een at the

vanguard of such new thinking, through

projects such as Austria’s S-House

�LIFE00 ENV/A/000243), which �uilt an

‘eco-office’ from renewa�le and recy-

cla�le raw materials. Extensive use of

wood and straw for the outer panelling

and wall insulation helped cut energy

consumption �y 9 kWh/m2/yr compared

with a standard house. �t also helped

save raw materials, using only 10% of

the amount of natural resources that

would have �een needed for standard

concrete walls. To add to this material

efficiency, the S-House also featured a

large, south-facing glazed facade and

stone flooring to capture heat, as well

as a prototype �iomass stove capa�le

of storing and regulating energy.

matErial EFFiCiEnCy

The German �NSU-SHELL project

�LIFE06 ENV/D/000471) focused its

attention on the issue of ‘material effi-

ciency’ in order to reduce the impact of

the concrete industry - cement produc-

tion uses su�stantial amounts of energy

and accounts for some 5% of world-

wide annual CO2 emissions.

The project aimed to lower the volumes

of concrete required for conventional

facades and walls through the intro-

duction of high-tech textiles that could

reinforce cement mixes and create

stronger, thinner walls �reduced from

the standard 70 mm to a more ‘material

efficient’ 10 or 20 mm). This raw mate-

rial efficiency offers the prospect of sig-

nificant associated energy savings.


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ECO-CAMPSThe French ECO-CAMPS proj-

ect (LIFE0� ENV/FR/000��) demon-

strated a series of resource efficient

eco-design innovations tailored to the

needs of campsite managers. The proj-

ect showed how energy consumption

of chalet heating could be cut by 60%

and of camping appliances by 28%

when chalets were made more energy

efficient through improved insulation,

natural lighting, solar power and roof

planting. Europe’s camping sector has

experienced a resurgence in recent

years and this LIFE project will help

spread the word about how to build

energy efficient, eco-friendly camping

facilities.

Austria’s S-House built an ‘eco-office’ from renewable and recyclable raw materials

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RENEW BUILDINGA lot of effort has been invested in improving the energy efficiency

potential of new buildings but Europe’s existing building stock is badly in

need of solutions to boost its energy performance. LIFE’s RENEW BUILDING

(LIFE0� ENV/A/000��) tackles this challenge by strengthening the environ-

mental capacity of the renovation sector. Concluding in 2012, RENEW BUILD-

ING is facilitating knowledge transfers about energy and resource efficient

construction materials and providing training in sustainable renovation skills

among target groups in the renovation trade that are often difficult to reach,

such as micro businesses and SMEs.


This new know-how �uilds on a grow-

ing li�rary of data from L�FE projects

demonstrating effective energy efficient

�uilding techniques. Nota�le among

these is Austria’s L�FE BBMpassiv

project �LIFE02 ENV/A/000285) which

validated a series of green construc-

tion techniques during its investment in

the development of a multi-functional,

multi-storey administration �uilding.

The result has �een the creation of a

‘passive house’ that requires only 14

kWh/m²/yr of heat thanks to the use of

hemp and cellulose insulating material.

The energy efficient �uilding, which pri-

oritises airtight fa�rics, could save 75

000 kg of CO2/yr in comparison with a

conventional �uilding.

More data on material efficient techniques

will soon �e availa�le from the ongoing

EDEA project �LIFE07 ENV/E/000805),

which aims to improve knowledge a�out

resource efficiency in social housing

developments. The project seeks to show

how appropriate design of new products,

along with suita�le application of exist-

ing products, can considera�ly improve

the environmental performance of �uild-

ings. �t aims to do this without increasing

costs �eyond the scope of social hous-

ing schemes. To this end, the project has

�uilt an ‘experimental’ house, a social

housing facility that is acting as a ‘living

la�oratory’ for testing and demonstrating

resource efficient approaches for low-cost

homes. Here, the EDEA team is conduct-

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ing applied research into intelligent home

technologies, renewa�le energies and

methods for reducing gas, heat, dust and

light emissions.

knoWlEDGE builDinG

As noted earlier, L�FE has �een and will

continue to �e an invalua�le source for

helping pu�lic, private and NGO sectors

develop new know-how on energy and

other resource efficiency components.

Building knowledge a�out cost-effec-

tive ways to achieve a resource efficient

Europe is considered vital �y the EU and

will play a long-term role in helping the

Flagship sail towards its goal of a sus-

taina�le horizon.

�0

An Austrian project validated considerable energy savings with green construction techniques

The EDEA project is improving knowledge about resource efficiency in social housing developments

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Buildings’ capacity to store and regulate energy affects their efficiency ratings, and

LIFE funds have been used to help offset financial risks involved with finding eco-inno-

vation solutions for new types of resource efficient building materials that can reduce

European energy bills.

�uildings provide more sta�le internal

temperatures and they tend to have

lower heating or cooling costs.

Market trends for lightweight �uild-

ings with low thermal mass have hence

created an escalating environmental

pro�lem that conflicts with practical

and policy requirements for increased

energy efficiency and improved energy

�alances.

liGHtWEiGHt matErials WitH a HiGH tHErmal mass

A L�FE project �ased in Luxem�ourg

has helped develop an innovative solu-

tion for this pro�lem. The EFFERNERGY

project �LIFE06 ENV/L/000121) was led

�y the Buildings �nnovation department

of the private sector firm DuPont, and

L�FE support helped the company work

with SMEs to design a new type of light-

weight �uilding material that exhi�its a

high thermal mass.

“The key to our eco innovation is a

‘Phase Change Material’ �PCM) which

changes its form at different tempera-

tures,” explains Wim Maes, DuPont’s

Contract Operations Manager for

Europe. “We have produced a thin flat

wall panel that contains an internal layer

of special wax. When the temperature

in a room increases a�ove 21 degrees

Celsius the wax in the PCM panel starts

to a�sor� heat energy and slowly melts.

�f the room temperature drops to �elow

21 degrees the liquid wax material then

starts to change its phase �ack to a solid

state, and in doing so releases the stored

�latent) energy �ack into the room.The

result is a natural passive solution that

does not require air conditioning.”

Despite the energy efficiency potential

of PCMs, their wider use in the past had

�een hindered �y application pro�lems.

Dupont set out to tackle this issue �y

developing a user-friendly PCM panel

that could �e easily installed in any �uild-

ing, especially lightweight, quick-�uild,

prefa�ricated structures.

risk rEDuCtion

A lack of market demand for PCM �uild-

ing panels represented a large risk for

DuPont. L�FE support is a�le to help

companies �ridge such risk gaps and the

programme’s role in this area is acknowl-

Takingtheriskoutofresource efficiency investments

Trends in �uilding techniques over

recent years have seen a �oom

in the use of prefa�ricated, lightweight

and modular constructions. This trend

is especially strong in the housing sec-

tor where wood and metal frame �uild-

ings are faster and cheaper to �uild than

concrete or stone alternatives. These

modern techniques can reduce the cost

of construction �ut they often remain

environmentally flawed in terms of the

�uilding’s ‘thermal mass’.

Thermal mass is the a�ility of a �uilding

to a�sor� and store heat. Buildings that

contain a lot of dense material, such as

concrete or stone, are a�le to soak up

heat or light energy and store this within

the walls, floors and ceilings. Buildings

made of materials such as wood and

metal cannot soak up and store as much

energy and have a lower thermal mass.

Rooms in low thermal mass �uildings

therefore heat up quicker during hot

weather and �ecome colder faster in win-

ter. They are less energy efficient �ecause

they consume new energy each time the

room needs to �e heated to a comfort-

a�le temperature, or cooled down using

air conditioning units. Heating and air

conditioning appliances are the largest

users of energy in Europe’s �uildings.

Buildings with higher thermal mass are

a�le to �etter a�sor� heat energy from

solar or indoor sources. They store

the heat and release it when the room

temperature drops, as part of a natural

passive energy cycle. These types of

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Placement of the innovative thermal-mass panels made of a wax-polymer blend

edged as a highly useful tool �y �enefici-

aries. Mr Maes reiterates this and says,

“Research and development money at

DuPont is very competitive �ut with the

help of L�FE we were a�le to raise enough

financial support to get our project started.

Without L�FE’s help the eco-innovations

we have introduced to the �uilding market

might never have gotten further than the

drawing �oard. The L�FE project helped

us overcome the period when we didn’t

have an income.”

Ulrike Koster from DuPont explains fur-

ther, “�t’s not a�out creating a new mate-

rial that will land in an existing market. �t’s

a�out creating a new solution with new

material landing in a non-existent market.

L�FE helped us to define a market strategy

for commercialising the initial eco innova-

tion idea of the PCM panel.”

CommErCialisinG pCm

Much of the project’s €1.51 million of L�FE

co-finance was spent on the prototyping

phases for the PCM panels. Most of this

money was used �y the SME and aca-

demic partners from France and Greece

that were involved in testing the PCM

materials. Nota�le among this work was

the development of new software to deter-

mine the specifications of the panel.

Without defined specifications the new

product would not �e a�le to �e adopted

�y the market. Thanks to the work started

under L�FE and continued after-L�FE, in

2010, DuPont made software availa�le

for the trade that includes PCM specifica-

tions. Building designers and their clients

can now check the energy efficiency and

thermal comfort of a �uilding that includes

the PCM panels. DuPont says this was an

important lesson from the project – think

ahead and start work early on determining

product specifications.

ovErCominG obstaClEs

�n addition to the issue of defining speci-

fications, a num�er of other time-con-

suming o�stacles were overcome �y

the project, and these offer some useful

insights for decision-makers involved in

promoting resource efficiency at regional,

national and EU levels. For example,

EFFERNERGY has shown how �uilding

codes can hamper the uptake of PCM

panels �ecause “the official methodolo-

gies for calculating energy performance

do not know PCM yet,” explains Jacques

Gilsent, DuPont’s marketing manager.

“They know concrete and they know

stone, so if you are �uilder and you want

to get the energy efficiency of your �uild-

ing validated you can only use conven-

tional materials.”

This issue still represents a serious o�sta-

cle to the energy saving �enefits of PCMs

and only the regulators can change the

system. As each Mem�er State has its

own �uilding regulations, each Mem�er

State has the power to make the changes

needed for promoting more energy effi-

cient �uilding materials. “The main driver

for changes in the industry continues

to �e the official rules and legislation,”

stresses Mr. Gilsent. Thus, a review of

�uilding regulations and certification sys-

tems �y decision-makers could encour-

age the industry to change its �ehaviour.

Wim Maes �elieves this “is in the inter-

est of everyone who wants to change the

energy �ill of the EU”. As part of any such

review, the role of su�sidies could �e con-

sidered.

Other options for increasing uptake of

this type of eco-innovation lay with the

insurance certification systems that are

required for �uilding materials. Before

�uilders can start a construction project

they normally need to get insurance to

cover their work and insurance compa-

nies seek assurances that the products

�eing used in a �uilding are safe. All new

products need to �e certified for insur-

ance purposes and so the energy sav-

ing �enefits availa�le from PCM panels

could also �e accelerated �y help from

the product certification �odies. DuPont

have found this certification process slow

and expensive. “�t’s �een difficult for us

as a large company, so imagine how chal-

lenging it might �e for smaller companies

with similarly good eco-innovation ideas,”

says Ms. Koster.

in ConClusion

Examining the EFFERNERGY project

highlights the facts that energy storage is

a core part of energy efficiency, and that

PCM is an excellent solution for energy

storage in modern �uilding methodolo-

gies. �n 10 years time we might expect

that this approach could �e much more

common, and this may �e in part attri�-

uted to the risk finance provided �y L�FE

to help DuPont and its partners produce

the industry’s first ever user-friendly PCM

�uilding panel.


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EFFENERGY improved the thermal performance of existing buildings

Project number: L�FE06 ENV/L/000121

Title: EFFENERGY - Energy Efficient Building Systems

Beneficiary: DuPont Luxem�ourg

Contact: Wim Maes


Website: http://www.effenergy.dupont.com

Period: Dec-2005 to Nov-2008



LUXEMBOURG



Overfishing, pollution and unsustainable coastal development present a serious threat

to the EU’s marine environment and coastal areas. LIFE projects are actively contribut-

ing to the implementation of EU policy to tackle these issues, testing and demonstrat-

ing new tools and approaches for protecting and conserving our marine resources,

including fish stocks.

��

Protecting Europe’s fisheries and marine resources

Europe’s coastal and maritime

areas are central to its well�eing

and prosperity. Oceans and seas cover

more than half of EU territory and mari-

time regions are home to a�out 40%

of the EU population. These areas also

generate some 40% of EU GDP, with

economic activities focusing on areas

such as shipping and ship�uilding,

fisheries, offshore energy and coastal

and maritime tourism. The exploita-

tion of mineral resources, aquaculture,

�lue �iotechnology and emerging su�-

sea technologies are also increasingly

important sectors.

Facilitating the co-existence and devel-

opment of these different sectors, while

also protecting the marine environment

on which they depend, is an increas-

ingly important challenge for the EU.

Overexploitation of fish stocks, pollu-

tion from land and sea-�ased sources,

and unsustaina�le development now

represent a major threat. These pro�-

lems are further compounded �y the

negative impacts of climate change on

coasts and the marine environment.

�f the resilience of our marine ecosys-

tems is continually undermined, the

potential to provide important resources

and services – ranging from food pro-

vision to climate change and erosion

a�atement to �ioremediation of waste

and pollutants, as well as tourism and

aesthetic enjoyment - will also �e com-

promised.

The ecosystem approach of the Marine

Strategy Framework Directive �MSFD

- see �ox) allows for the sustaina�le

use of goods and services, such as fish

stocks and other resources ��iological

resources, minerals, ecosystem services

and renewa�le marine energy sources).

These marine resources, many of which

are still unknown, have a high potential

and can �e used in applications such as

pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, �iotech-

nology, �io-engineering/�ionics, food

The Baltic MPAs project worked with fishermen to gather data on fishery by-catch

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THE EU’S INTEGRATED MARINE POLICYThe European Union, through its Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP),

aims to promote the sustainable use of oceans, seas and coasts. The IMP

fosters interaction between all sea-related sectors and policies in the EU,

in particular transport, fisheries, customs and the protection of the marine

environment.

Adopted in June 2008, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/

EC) represents the environmental pillar of the IMP. The directive aims “to

achieve good environmental status of the EU’s marine waters by 2020 and

to protect the resource base upon which marine-related economic and social

activities depend.” The directive provides for Member States and non-EU

countries to cooperate within European Marine Regions to develop and

implement strategies to achieve this goal.


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production and processing. The careful

exploitation of some minerals and renew-

a�le energy resources may also relieve

pressure on land-�ased ecosystems

and reduce dependency on resources

outside of the EU. Furthermore, marine

and maritime technologies, resources

and services serve as catalysts for inno-

vation, competitiveness and, ultimately,

�lue growth and jo�s.

There are ways to guarantee resource

efficiency of our seas in the future, such

as �y promoting sustaina�le fishing tech-

niques, minimising discard and �y-catch

practises, developing technologies that

exploit marine resources sustaina�ly,

and �y preventing marine litter and pol-

lution. L�FE funded projects have a key

role to play in demonstrating how this is

possi�le in practice.

liFE in our sEas anD oCEans

L�FE projects are at the forefront of

developing and demonstrating innova-

tive approaches that contri�ute to the

effective implementation of EU policy on

the marine environment. These projects

address a wide range of issues, including

the conservation of fish stocks, com�at-

ing marine pollution, preserving ha�itats

and �iodiversity, and the application of

an ecosystem approach to managing

marine resources.

The L�FE ECOSMA project �LIFE07 ENV/

D/000229), for example, is looking at

ways to promote more sustaina�le aqua-

culture as a means of relieving stress on

wild fish stocks and improving water

quality in the Baltic Sea. The project

seeks to increase production of, and

develop a market for, ecological mari-

culture products �y promoting ecologi-

cal certification. �t will create a directory

of German mariculture and esta�lish a

regional committee on sustaina�le mari-

culture, leading to a draft White Paper

and a code of practice.

tEstinG an ECosystEm approaCH in tHE CEltiC sEa

An ecosystem-�ased approach to manag-

ing marine resources is a key component

of the MSFD. This approach involves the

integrated management of land, water

and living resources in a way that pro-

motes conservation and sustaina�le use

of resources in an equita�le way. �t is now

widely recognised as the �est means of

managing and governing activities affect-

ing the marine environment.

Contri�uting to knowledge in this area, the

P�SCES project �LIFE07 ENV/UK/000943)

is working closely with stakeholders from

several Mem�er States to test colla�ora-

tive methodologies for implementing an

ecosystem approach in the Celtic Sea.

Like other EU seas and oceans, the Celtic

Sea is under threat from a variety of exter-

nal pressures �climate change, fisheries,

food cultivation in the open ocean, chemi-

cal pollution, shipping, construction and

dredging, coastal development, recreation

and tourism).

The project will �ring together stakehold-

ers and government representatives and

will lead to the development of agreed

mechanisms for implementing an ecosys-

tem approach to managing and overcom-

ing these pressures.

rECyClinG soliD WastE

Contri�uting directly to the implementa-

tion of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy,

the �ntegrated Maritime Policy and the

Waste Framework Directive, the 3R-F�SH

project �LIFE07 ENV/E/000814) aims to

improve the quality of marine waters and

sea�eds, and prevent marine litter in com-

pliance with the “nothing over�oard” and

“zero waste in ports” principles. This will

�e achieved �y promoting the correct use

of equipment and �y minimising the envi-

ronmental impact of solid waste from the

fishing industry �polystyrene, fishing nets,

lighting devices, �atteries) �y promoting

collection and recycling.

The project will support the reuse and

recycling of devices and equipment used

�y the fishing industry in selected ports

Stakeholders are testing new methods for implementing an ecosystem approach in the Celtic Sea

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in Galicia �Spain). Project actions include

the collection and recycling of disused

nets and expanded polystyrene, and the

collection and treatment of some 1 400

�atteries). These innovative systems for

the management and recovery of waste,

throughout the entire lifecycle, will also aim

to recover secondary raw materials, thus

reducing use of primary raw materials.

prEsErvinG marinE Habitats anD bioDivErsity

The Baltic MPAs project �LIFE05 NAT/

LV/000100) provided a scientific �asis

for the designation of Natura 2000 sites

in the marine territories of Estonia, Latvia

and Lithuania �y proposing seven new

marine protected areas �MPAs) and con-

ceiving management plans for six of

them. The project gathered data from

fishermen on species �seals, �irds and

non-commercial fish) caught in their

gear, complemented with information

from independent project fishing activi-

ties. Hydro-dynamic modelling was used

to assess the impact on marine ha�itats

from the dumping of dredged material

and other activities. The project also

implemented measures to assess and

reduce the impact of fishery �y-catch on

target �ird and mammal species �such as

the struggling populations of ringed seal,

Pusa hispida).

Focusing on managing areas already des-

ignated for protection, the Co.Me.Bi.S.

project �LIFE06 NAT/IT/000050) aims to

safeguard and restore nine Sites of Com-

munity �mportance �SC�s) in the coastal

zones of Lazio and Cala�ria ��taly), which

are under threat from human activities.

Project actions are focusing on priority

ha�itats such as Posidonia �eds, Coastal

lagoons, Coastal dunes with Juniperus

spp, and Dunes with pine forests.

An important aspect of the project is the

involvement of local fisheries associa-

tions, tourism operators, environmental

NGOs and local and regional govern-

ment in ensuring the sustaina�le use of

coastal areas.

An earlier L�FE project also explored

effective approaches to managing Nat-

ura 2000 sites. �n the context of increas-

ing pressure from ur�anisation, tourism

development and other human activities,

the L�FE Zonas costeiras/Açores project

�LIFE98 NAT/P/005275) sought to

develop and implement integrated man-

agement plans for coastal and marine

ha�itats in the Azores �Portugal).

The project focused in particular on five

marine SC�s and seven Special Areas of

Conservation �SACs). �t also proposed

the designation of new protected areas

under national law. Nota�le successes

of the project included the adoption of

new regulations on whale watching, a

reduction in �y-catch, and the updating

of measures for the protection of �irds.

�t also defined management measures

for fishing activities to reduce �y-catch of

sea turtles. The results show the poten-

tial value of modifications to fishing gear

when it comes to reducing �y-catch.

The project’s approach to preparing and

implementing its management plan has

also provided valua�le lessons for other

marine SC�s in the EU.

Making more resource efficient use of

�y-catch and discards, a priority for EU

policymakers, was also the su�ject of

L�FE BE-FA�R �LIFE05 ENV/E/000267),

and the follow-up project, FAROS

�LIFE08 ENV/E/000119), which are the

su�ject of a feature article on the fol-

lowing pages of this section.

The sustainable use of coastal areas in two Italian regions will be ensured through the active involvement of fisheries associations, tourism operators, NGOs and local authorities

Measures for the protection of birds were updated thanks to a Portuguese project

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No discards, zero waste

Promoting a more efficient use of fisheries resources was the main aim of the LIFE BE-

FAIR project, which developed and tested new approaches for managing and reusing

fishing industry waste and by-catch.

efficiently reuse fish resources �discards

and �y-catches) which represent poten-

tial food resources and sources of �asic

compounds for the medical and pharma-

ceutical industries.”The first stage of the

project involved an assessment of the

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Approximately 85 million tonnes of

wild fish are harvested glo�ally

each year. Of this, an estimated 27 million

tonnes - almost one-third - is discarded, or

thrown �ack into the sea.

The remaining ”target” catch is then su�-

ject to on-�oard processing, which cre-

ates significant quantities of waste, such

as heads, �ones, guts and skins. This is

also usually returned to the sea. More

waste is produced on-shore as a result

of the activity of fishing ports, auctions,

fish traders and processing plants.

This com�ination of discards and waste

represents a serious threat to the sustain-

a�ility of the fisheries sector, contri�uting

not only to a depletion of fish populations

and a change in the overall structure of

marine trophic we�s and ha�itats, �ut

also to the accumulation of pollutants

and the spread of parasites in the marine

environment.

nEW usEs For FisHinG inDustry WastE anD by-CatCH

�n line with EU o�jectives of “no dis-

cards” and “zero waste”, the L�FE BE-

FA�R project �LIFE05 ENV/E/000267)

sought to develop new commercial uses

for fishing industry waste and discards

�y piloting innovative waste and discards

pre-processing and valorisation prac-

tices, �oth on-�oard fishing vessels and

also on-shore in a dedicated pilot plant.

“The idea �ehind the project was that

everything harvested from the sea should

�e treated as a valua�le product, always

�earing in mind that resources are limited

and that fishing activities must �ecome

sustaina�le,” explains Luis Ta�oada

Antelo, L�FE project team mem�er.

“We are wasting valua�le �iomass from

which we can produce secondary raw

materials. The aim was to find ways to

A prototype for the extraction of fish oil from fish livers was designed for use onboard


activities in selected fisheries in Spain,

France and Portugal in order to deter-

mine the amount and type of discards

and �y-products �eing generated.

“This was essential to understanding the

feasi�ility of processes that we would

examine later,” says Mr Ta�oada.

The results showed a wide variety of

fish species �eing caught as �y-catch

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and significant volumes of discards and

waste �eing dumped �ack into the sea.

For example, Spanish trawlers operat-

ing in the North Atlantic, which targeted

Greenland hali�ut, also caught grenadier,

white hake, witch, American plaice, red-

fish or skates, shrimps, yellowtail and

even flounder and cod. Waste material

generated included viscera, heads and

trims of the target species, all of which

were thrown over�oard.

�n France, the results showed a discard

rate of a�out 13% for Atlantic fisheries

and 31% for the Mediterranean. Sar-

dine fisheries in the Mediterranean had

a discard rate of over 50%, �ecause of

the presence of mixed �anks of sar-

dines and anchovies.

According to information gathered in

Portugal, crustacean and demersal fin-

fish trawl fisheries were found to have

high discard rates, although the values

could �e quite varia�le, according to

the season, fishery and �oat type. The

highest rates �up to 60% for fishing

trawlers and 70% for crustacean trawls)

were found in the Algarve.

An assessment of activities on land

also revealed high levels of waste pro-

duction. At the port of Vigo �Spain), for

example, the local fish auction pro-

duced 10-14 tonnes/day of fish waste,

while waste generated �y fish process-

ing amounted to some 35% of the total

fish catch.

�n France, it was estimated that in 2005,

some 215 000 tonnes of waste was

generated as a result of fish trade and

fish processing activities. This mostly

comprised of fish heads �40%), fish

�ones �27%) and viscera �25%).

nEW GuiDElinEs anD inCEntivEs For rEsourCE EFFiCiEnt FisHinG

Taking account of the types and amounts

of discards and waste generated, the

project team developed a “Good-Prac-

tice Manual for the Recovery, Handling

and Classification of Discards and By-

Products”. This manual includes pro-

posals for appropriate management

practices, on-�oard and on-shore, with

recommendations for preserving and

pre-treating discards and su�-products.

The guidelines for on-�oard activities

focus on two types of fishing vessels;

trawlers and long-liners. However, these

can easily �e adapted to other fishing

vessels, fishing gear or types of catch.

While the manual was an important start-

ing point, the project team also recog-

nised that to translate this into practice,

Samples of chondroitin sulphate produced from fish cartilage

Hyaluronic acid (HA) can be extracted from the vitreous humour of certain fish species, such as swordfish or tuna


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there had to �e incentives to make it eco-

nomically attractive.

“Keeping discards and waste on �oard

implies a cost, as it takes up space that

could �e used to store fish with an eco-

nomic value, so you have to create an

incentive and demonstrate that fisher-

men can gain some economic return

from this,” insists Mr Ta�oada.

To address this issue, the project devel-

oped four different prototypes which

were used to demonstrate the potential

to produce commercial products from

fish wastes and �y-catch:

• A mechanical device to extract vitreous

humour from fish eyes;

• A fish oil extractor to o�tain oils from

fish liver on-�oard;

• A water reduction units; and

• A multipurpose prototype for gelatine

extraction/chondroitin sulphate/en-

zyme processes.

A preliminary assessment of the market

potential of the different products was

also carried out.

Hyaluronic acid �HA) can �e extracted

from the vitreous humour of certain

fish species, such as swordfish or tuna.

Used in the treatment of �one disease

and in cosmetics, this was found to �e

the product with the highest commercial

value �up to €100 000 per kg). The mar-

ket opportunity for HA produced exclu-

sively from fish was found to �e limited

�ecause of the low concentration of this

compound in fish vitreous humour, �ut

as a complement to other sources, it was

found to have potential.

The prototype for the extraction of fish

oil from fish livers was designed for use

on-�oard and the shipowner’s union of

Vigo �ARV�) has agreed to test it on its

vessels.

The water reduction unit was also

designed for on-�oard use, where it could

help to reduce the volume of discard and

waste �y crushing to o�tain a dry cake.

Mr Ta�oada reports that “this prototype

is already �eing used in France and there

is also interest in Vigo.”

The multipurpose prototype worked �y

extracting collagen from fish skins to

o�tain a purified gelatine that could then

�e used as a food supplement. The same

process can also �e used to produce

chondroitin sulphate �CS), a su�stance

used, for instance, to treat rheumatism.

“This can �e extracted from the cartilage

of fish such as ray or monkfish,” explains

Mr Ta�oada. “Only a�out 20% of a ray is

edi�le, so at present the remaining 80%

is waste that can �e transformed into a

valua�le resource.”

EstablisHinG links to markEt

The project clearly demonstrated a

resource efficient approach, showing the

potential to add-value to discards and

waste, and the willingness of fishermen

to implement the guidelines and adopt

the prototype equipment, as long as it

was economically feasi�le. However, two

key challenges remain.

The first is the irregularity of supply,

�ecause of the varia�ility of the types

and quantity of waste and �y-catch.

And the second is the link to the market,

which has yet to �e esta�lished.

According to Mr Ta�oada, “it was not

possi�le to address these issues within

the timeframe of the project. This is why

we developed the follow-up L�FE FAROS

project �LIFE08 ENV/E/000119), which

aims to put all the pieces together; to

create a network and to esta�lish the

link to market.”

FAROS will also look at the introduction

of new on-�oard technology to retrieve

real time data on fish �eing harvested.

This will facilitate the generation of maps

of activity and resources at sea, and will

also help to predict areas where rates

of �y-catch and discards are likely to

�e higher, so that these areas can �e

avoided or closed off during spawning

periods or if num�ers of certain fish spe-

cies have dwindled.

“The first thing to keep in mind is to try

and avoid �y-catch, �ut if this is not

possi�le then let’s exploit it and make

sure we use marine resources more effi-

ciently,” concludes Mr Ta�oada.

At the port of Vigo in Spain the local fish auction produced �0-�� tonnes of fish waste per day

Project number: L�FE05 ENV/E/000267

Title: Benign and environmentally friendly fish processing practices to provide added value and innovative solutions for a responsi�le and sustaina�le management of fisheries.

Beneficiary: The Consejo Superior de �nvestigaciones Científicas �CS�C)

Contact: Antonio Álvarez Alonso


Website: http://www.�efairproject.com

Period: Nov-2005 to Nov-2008


LIFE contribution: e909 000

SPAIN


Expanding cities and changing lifestyles demand an ever-increasing supply of natural

resources and energy. LIFE Environment projects are providing support at national,

local and regional levels for European Union strategies that promote more resource

efficient land use and planning in Europe.

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Planningfor a more resource efficient European landscape

The way we use our land space

can have major impacts on envi-

ronmental conditions and resource con-

sumption. These impacts can �e direct,

such as the destruction of natural ha�i-

tats and landscapes, or indirect, such

as increasing the amount of traffic on

our roads - leading to more congestion,

air pollution and greenhouse gases. �n

Europe, land use planning and man-

agement decisions are usually made

at local or regional level. However, the

European Union has a role to play in

ensuring Mem�er States take environ-

mental concerns into account when

putting together their land use devel-

opment plans.

L�FE has �een actively supporting

Europe’s local or regional authorities to

develop their land use planning strate-

gies in a more resource efficient way.

ECo-EFFiCiEnCy

Eco-efficiency, com�ining the ecologi-

cal, economic and social dimensions of

land use and planning, has emerged as

an important concept in the development

of a more resource efficient European

landscape. Several L�FE projects have

explored this concept. For example, the

Finnish ECOREG project �LIFE02 ENV/

FIN/000331)1 demonstrated how eco-

efficiency monitoring, and the integra-

tion of environmental, economic and

socio-cultural dimensions into sustain-

a�le development can �e implemented

at a regional level.

The project developed a series of eco-

indicators for the development of the

region of Kymenlaakso on the coun-

try’s southern Baltic coast, which were

later included in a Regional Plan. The

indicators showed that the overall eco-

efficiency of Kymenlaasko improved

�etween 1995 and 2002.

The project’s findings are relevant to the

development of more resource efficient

� a ‘Best LIFE Environment Project’ winner 2005-06

land use and planning policy at all levels:

the results are also highly transfera�le to

�oth larger and smaller regions of Europe,

municipalities, and also to companies or

organisations in the context of their envi-

ronmental management systems.

A second Finnish project, Green Valley

�LIFE02 ENV/FIN/000319) developed

a resource efficient land use plan for a

su�stantial new housing development in

The eco-efficiency of land use in Kymen-laakso improved thanks to LIFE funding

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The Coastal Woodlands project �LIFE02

ENV/S/000355) demonstrated the appli-

cation of �CZM, focusing on the Baltic

Sea coastal zone woodlands of Finland,

Sweden and Estonia.

Surveys carried out �y the project on the

cultural, social and environmental value

of these woodlands, as well as studies of

different forestry management activities,

resulted in the development of integrated

inventories and maps for the project area.

This new information was used in the

stakeholder consultations in the recom-

mendations for �CZM in the Baltic Sea.

The findings highlighted the cross-cutting

aspects of coastal management encom-

passing sustaina�le forestry, agriculture,

tourism and development planning.

Moreover, the project demonstrated �et-

ter use of legislation for nature protection

and rural planning as well as helping to

stimulate more environmentally-con-

scious attitudes toward land use.

spatial planninG tools

Spatial planning information is essential for

good environmental management deci-

sion-making and avoidance of conflicts.

There are many different producers of

such planning tools, �ut data are often

restricted �y reasons of cost or acces-

si�ility. The high-profile ENV�FAC�L�TATE

project2 �LIFE04 ENV/FI/000304) tackled

this pro�lem – designing accessi�le, tech-

nologically sustaina�le and user-friendly

mapping tools for shared environmental

spatial planning information.

The tools provide users with access online

to the most recent data. They allow maps

and data�ases to �e overlaid to give a clear

representation of spatial data with the doz-

ens of alternative data layers availa�le.

The project contri�uted towards several

national and international environmental

information systems. �t also supported the

networking of planning information actors

at regional level; and developed an inter-

active tool to allow the pu�lic to partici-

pate in the regional planning process.

2 a ‘Best of the Best’ LIFE Environment project winner 2007-08

urban DimEnsion

Europe is highly ur�anised, with four out

of every five of its citizens living in towns

or cities. The challenge for policy-mak-

ers is to come up with a sustaina�le and

integrated approach to ur�an develop-

ment and management that works in har-

mony with natural systems rather than

against them. A num�er of L�FE projects

are furthering the EU’s Thematic Strategy

on Ur�an Development, which targets a

more integrated approach and supports

action at local level.

For example, the Spanish-led D�VERS

project �LIFE02 ENV/E/000176) devel-

oped tools and a shared data�ase to

aid strategic ur�an planning towards a

model for a more sustaina�le city. Piloted

in five cities – in Spain, Greece and �taly

– the project has a high demonstration

value, as the strategy and methodology

is applica�le to any city.

Another Spanish project – GALLECS

- �LIFE02 ENV/E/000200) developed a

Strategic Plan for a rural area on the out-

skirts of Barcelona to address the phe-

nomenon of ur�an sprawl. The project

promoted more sustaina�le land use,

renewa�le energy and more efficient

water irrigation systems to demonstrate

that it is possi�le to achieve environmen-

tally, socially and economically sustain-

a�le development in transition zones on

the edge of cities. As a result, the project

was a�le to strengthen the rural area’s

function as an ecological �uffer zone

�etween the ur�an fringe and the coun-

tryside �eyond.

Salo. The plan included specific actions

e.g. favouring the procurement of ‘green

electricity’ and the enhancement of envi-

ronmental aspects in the pu�lic procure-

ment of the participating municipalities.

Stakeholder consultation led to greater

pu�lic involvement in the planning stage

and thus significant uptake of the com-

pleted dwellings.

Landscape management aspects also

delivered some 60 small-scale plans for

�iodiversity, semi-natural ha�itats, land-

scape improvements and water protec-

tion. Furthermore, �y involving the area’s

cattle farmers, who play an important role

in maintaining meadows and thus contri�-

uting to �iodiversity, the project was a�le

to recommend changes to the application

of EU agri-environmental support that

were su�sequently adopted �y regional

and national environmental authorities.

Another success was the promotion of

environmental training, which resulted in

the esta�lishment of two new enterprises

targeting innovative waste management

technologies.

iCZm a priority in Eu planninG

�ntegrated Coastal Zone Manage-

ment ��CZM) is a�out managing coastal

resources and coastal space �y joining

up all the different policies which have an

effect on coastal regions.

Tools to aid strategic urban planning were developed by the DIVERS project

ICZM focusing on the Baltic Sea coastal zone woodlands was applied in Finland

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LIFEturnsfood for thought into action

In the glo�alised economy and

interlinked environment, the EU is

increasingly affected �y glo�al changes

in resources, climate, material availa�ility

and food prices. These issues are likely

to �ecome more pressing, with a pro-

jected increase in glo�al demand for food

of some 70% �y 2050. Steps taken �y

the Commission at EU level to address

climate change can also contri�ute to

improving glo�al food security.

Key areas of policy intervention in the

food and �everage sector have included

improving resource use in production

and avoiding food waste.

The L�FE programme has played an

important role to date in helping to

implement these policy o�jectives

across the EU-27 and in neigh�ouring

countries.

improvinG rEsourCE usE in FooD proDuCtion

A plethora of L�FE Environment projects

have �een dedicated to helping food

and �everage producers make �etter

use of their resources and raw materials.

The wine industry has �een a particular

focus, given its growing importance and

geographic spread.

Resource use in the food and beverage sector has improved with LIFE funding

One of the earliest L�FE projects to target

wine production �LIFE99 ENV/E/000349)

took place in the Rioja region of Spain.

This high-profile demonstration project

was developed �y the Rioja Economic

Development Agency �ADER), the Rioja

Water Board and the regional govern-

ment in order to develop an environ-

mentally sustaina�le and economically

via�le model applica�le to the entire

wine production process. Key areas for

resource efficient production that the

project focused on included: measures to

reduce the use of environmentally-harm-

ful pesticides in vine cultivation; improved

water treatment and use �including a pilot

wastewater treatment plant); investigat-

ing the potential for re-using grape �y-

products �e.g. pomace); and integrating

wine production into sustaina�le ur�an

and rural management. The most nota�le

outcome of the project was the agree-

There is significant scope to produce and consume our food and drink in a more

resource efficient manner. EU policy initiatives in this regard have been supported on

the ground by a number of innovative LIFE Environment projects.

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SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION OF EUROPE’S FOOD AND DRINK

As the European Food Sustainable Production and Consumption Round

Table in January 2011 highlighted, food and drink industries have an impor-

tant part to play in a science-based, coherent approach to sustainable

consumption and production in the food sector, one that takes into account

interactions across the whole food chain.

The round table, co-chaired by the European Commission, set out the fol-

lowing three key objectives:

• To establish scientifically reliable and uniform environmental assessment

methodologies for food and drinks;

• To identify suitable tools and guidance for voluntary environmental com-

munication to consumers and other stakeholders; and

• To promote continuous environmental improvement measures along the

whole supply chain.


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HAproWINE seeks to integrate waste management and Lifecycle Assessment tools into the wine industry

High nutritional value animal feed was produced from winery wastewater

ment of the wine companies to fund the

largest multi-winery effluent treatment

plant in Europe, the Station District of

Haro.

The Rioja project found that �etter han-

dling and storage would �e required to

make commercial re-use of wine �y-

products, knowledge that was widely

disseminated, including at Green Week

2000. The Greek D�ONYSOS project

�LIFE03 ENV/GR/000223) has drawn

on this learning to successfully �uild a

pilot plant for processing winery solid

waste. The project was a�le to recover

high added-value polyphenols �used in

food supplements and cosmetics), use

the slurry wastes and sludgy waste-

water to produce high nutritional value

animal feed, and transform the remain-

ing waste into natural organic fertiliser

�y composting. This L�FE Environment

“Best of the Best” project for 2007-

2008 has attracted much interest from

wineries keen to improve the resource

efficiency of their production processes

and develop financial via�le uses for their

�y-products. Two Greek wineries that did

not participate in the project have already

implemented its methods.

Two ongoing L�FE projects are looking to

�uild on these earlier success stories.

The W�NEC project in Cyprus �LIFE08

ENV/CY/000455) is developing an envi-

ronmental management system �EMS)

and wastewater treatment plant for

the Tsiakkas Winery in the west of the

country. �t is hoped that this will have an

important demonstration effect, since

many Cypriot wineries still spread their

untreated effluent in fields, there�y pol-

luting groundwater resources. Halting

the decline of soil fertility and improv-

ing water quality are EU-level goals for

reducing risks to future agricultural pro-

duction and food security.

Meanwhile, the HAproW�NE project in

Spain �LIFE08 ENV/E/000143) seeks to

integrate waste management and Lifecy-

cle Assessment �LCA) tools into the wine

industry, including promoting the reuse

of winery wastes and creating a certifi-

cation scheme to help consumers make

more environmentally-friendly choices.

This lifecycle approach chimes with the

goals of the European Food Sustaina�le

Production and Consumption Round

Ta�le �see �ox).

�mproving resource efficiency through an

LCA approach was also the goal of the

ECO�L project �LIFE04 ENV/GR/000110)

�see pages 21-25).

sHoWinG tHE Way to EFFiCiEnt proDuCtion

The EU produces around half of the

world’s potato starch, a process that

uses large amounts of water and energy.

The L�FE New potatopro project �LIFE04

ENV/DK/000067) aimed to develop a

novel energy efficient process for potato

protein extraction on an industrial scale.

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Reductions in energy and water use were achieved through a Closed-Loop Blanching method

An innovative treatment process produced water efficiencies in a Dutch cheese factory

This new process, designed �y Danish

�eneficiary, Karup Kartoffelmelfa�rik,

would also made more efficient use of

raw materials.

Results were impressive: �y transform-

ing fruit water to high-value protein, the

starch factory was a�le to take steps

towards producing fertiliser concentrate

and �iomass for energy production, as

well as towards treating process water

for reuse in the production process.

The �eneficiary’s new factory, co-funded

�y L�FE, features a more efficient heating

and heat exchange system for the proc-

ess, as well as �etter decanting and dry-

ing of the end product. These improve-

ments have resulted in energy savings of

some 60% and a 40% reduction in water

consumption.

The new facility also removes 55-60% of

the nitrogen load from the wastewater.

The waste product, containing phospho-

rous and potassium, can then �ecome

a useful secondary raw material, as it is

dried and sold as fertiliser sludge. The

factory also now has a system for sepa-

rating the potato proteins into fractions

and is attempting to produce a new

product with a low solanine content �the

su�stance that turns potatoes green).

A second good demonstration of

resource efficiency in the potato

processing industry is provided �y CLB

�LIFE05 ENV/NL/000035), a Dutch L�FE

project that developed an innovative new

method of �lanching chips �French fries).

CLB stands for Closed-Loop Blanching,

a method that is designed to avoid the

negative environmental impacts – waste

energy and water – and loss of potato

solids �some 10-30%) of industry stand-

ard hot water �lanching processes. The

CLB project achieved significant savings

in raw materials, as well as reductions

in energy and water use, transport and

overall emissions.

A closed-loop water treatment process

was also the goal of another Dutch project

targeting the dairy industry. L�FE ‘Dairy,

No Water!” �LIFE03 ENV/NL/000488)

achieved significant improvements in

resource use in a cheese factory in

Hogeveen �y extracting whey water and

reusing it as process water. Although the

plant did not �ecome totally self-sufficient

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Families who took part in the IDEAL 79 project reduced the amount of waste they produced by purchasing ecogoods and services

Best practice models and materials on waste prevention were tested in households in Helsinki

in water, as planned, it did reduce water

intake from 825 million to 275 million

litres/yr, reduced wastewater �y 255 mil-

lion litres/yr and eliminated the use of

groundwater. �n addition, energy savings

amounted to some 7.8 Kton of CO2.

Reducing water consumption and asso-

ciated impacts of wastewater treatment

�such as sludge and odour emissions)

was also the goal of the Spanish JELLY

project �LIFE04 ENV/ES/000224), which

applied the EU’s �ntegrated Pollution Pre-

vention and Control ��PPC) guidelines to

the manufacture of gelatine from pig skin.

The improvements instigated �y the JELLY

project have cut the time needed for the

whole process from 60 hours to 10 hours.

Water savings are equivalent to the aver-

age consumption of a town with 6 000

inha�itants, with significant reductions in

energy consumption, solid waste �y-prod-

ucts and odour emissions. Final product

quality is also higher �ecause the gelatine

is exposed to higher temperatures for

less time. Other important achievements

include an investment pay�ack time of

3 years 3 months and the discovery that

�lood, proteins and fats contained in wash

waters could �e recovered and converted

into valua�le products made from these

secondary raw materials. A new company

– Proca �ngredients S.L. has �een set up

�y the �eneficiary and a project partner to

exploit this opportunity.

taCklinG FooD WastE

�t is not only food and �everage pro-

ducers that L�FE has targeted, the pro-

gramme has also played a leading role

in the drive to avoid food waste among

consumers. Wastage leads to more

imports and exports of food, driving up

commodity prices, increasing instances

of ‘land gra��ing’ of agricultural land in

developing countries and putting more

pressure on the environment. An esti-

mated 179 kg/capita/yr of food is wasted

�y the food processing industry, whole-

salers, caterers and households. A large

part of this wastage could �e avoided,

especially at household level. The

French �DEAL 79 project �LIFE05 ENV/

F/000063) and WASTEPrevKit in Finland

�LIFE05 ENV/FIN/000539) are just two

examples of pilot schemes that are help-

ing to mainstream resource efficient food

consumption practices.

�DEAL 79 took practical steps to reduce

waste in Deux Sèvres, distri�uting an

eco-consumer’s guide to 160 000 homes

in the department and providing incen-

tives �e.g. price reduction vouchers)

to switch to purchasing eco-products

and services. Sales of eco-products in

large supermarkets increased 19% as

a result. Nine families who took part in

a pilot scheme to reduce the amount

of waste they produced �y purchasing

eco-goods and services achieved an

average reduction of 120 kg �34%) in 12

months. The L�FE project also helped

reduce the average residual waste per

inha�itant of Deux Sèvres �y 9.9% in

three years �from 314 kg per inha�it-

ant in 2005 to 283 kg per inha�itant in

2008) as well as raising awareness of

the need to conserve resources and

reduce waste.

The purpose of the WASTEPrevKit project

was to work, test, disseminate and adopt

�est practice models and materials on

waste prevention. �t was expected that

this would lead to a reduction in the

amount of waste in the test area. The

target groups were households, schools,

day care centres, vocational institutions,

pu�lic administrations and enterprises

in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. �nfor-

mation campaigns were supported �y a

diverse range of project actions, includ-

ing the development of teaching materi-

als, the extension of an existing waste

�enchmarking service, and a two-year

pilot waste reduction project involving

households in the Viikki-Latokartano

area of Helsinki. Results were positive

�for instance, families taking part in the

pilot scheme reduced mixed waste �y

9% and �iowaste �y 22% on average)

and are readily transfera�le.

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Europe faces many challenges on the path to resource efficient agriculture and eco-

system services. The LIFE programme is helping to demonstrate ways of improving

water efficiency, reducing soil erosion and mitigating and adapting to the effects of

climate change, in line with EU policy goals.

��

LIFEaidsagriculture to preserve resources

One of the main challenges that

the EU faces is how to reform

the Common Agricultural Policy �CAP)

so that Europe continues to contri�ute

to food production and to increasingly

deliver environmental improvements,

preserving soil fertility and other eco-

system services, avoiding deforestation

and promoting rural areas and liveli-

hoods.

At present agriculture and food produc-

tion are continuing to challenge envi-

ronmental resources, sometimes creat-

ing disservices1, even with the ongoing

reform’s requirements for ‘cross-com-

pliance’ �i.e. the requirement that farm-

ers respect environmental, food safety,

phytosanitary and animal welfare stand-

ards, in order to receive their direct pay-

ments). Hence more steps need to �e

taken towards sustaina�le agricultural

practices that preserve and make an

� Management practices in agriculture can create disservices such as nutrient run-off, sedimentation of water bodies, pesticides poisoning, soil erosion, water depletion, desertification and loss of habitats and biodiversity

efficient use of our resources, as fore-

seen with the CAP reform that is under

preparation2.

The L�FE programme has led the way in

demonstrating agri-techniques that have

efficiently helped to preserve resources

2 See COM (20�0) 672 final The CAP towards 2020: Meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:20�0:0672:FIN:en:PDF

while guaranteeing the same or higher

production levels, as the following exam-

ples illustrate.

WatEr EFFiCiEnt aGriCulturE

Agriculture accounts for 70% of glo�al

freshwater consumption and water scar-

city issues have affected 17% of EU ter-

ritory. The changing climate will further

reduce the availa�ility of water in the

The AGRICARBON project will demonstrate that conservation agriculture can reduce GHG emissions and adapt farming techniques to new climatic conditions

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driest areas of Europe. The OPT�M�ZA-

GUA project �LIFE03 ENV/E/000164)

demonstrated efficient ways to reduce

water consumption in irrigation cultures

�cereals – wheat and maize – and grass)

�y developing a prototype that com-

�ined traditional rainwater collection and

storage systems with “smart irrigation”

systems. Rainwater is used for irriga-

tion, thus reducing the consumption of

water from pu�lic supply networks, with

the irrigation system adjusting the water

intake according to the crop, soil type,

weather conditions and availa�ility of

water. The prototypes are wind and solar

powered, giving the project an energy

efficient dimension as well.

The project demonstrated great results in

terms of efficiency - 40% water savings

compared with traditional irrigation sys-

tems �20 000 m3 in only 4 hectares).

Mediterranean countries use some 70%

of their water for irrigation purposes

and the average loss is high in an area

already faced with issues of water scar-

city. The Spanish gEa project focused on

improving water efficiency for irrigation

in El Vicario �LIFE05 ENV/E/000313). �t

developed an automated online system

for real-time reading of meters, control

of water quality, regulation of water con-

sumption and detection of leaks. This

decision-support tool helped improve

the technical, hydraulic and administra-

tive management of El Vicario’s ‘irriga-

tion community’ and helped optimise

the management of the entire river �asin.

Stakeholders �including farmers) were

trained to use the gEa system, which, in

trials, saved some 1 087 000 litres when

used on only two fields. This gives a

good idea of the extent of water savings

that could �e achieved if the technology

were to �e used extensively.

Lack of information, insufficient exper-

tise and scarcity of financial and human

resources sometimes make it difficult for

farmers to undertake actions or to find

innovative technologies to reduce water

LIFE AND THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS (IYF)As the world’s forest resources are under threat from deforestation, fires and pests, the United Nations has declared

2011 the International Year of Forests (IYF). Through its LIFE programme the EU has supported and continues to support

initiatives to preserve the resilience of forest resources.

The Climforisk project (LIFE0� ENV/FI/000��) will map changes in future forest growth and carbon mitigation potential

and changes in the susceptibility of forests to drought and selected biotic disturbance (pests/pathogens). The system will

be used to develop maps and indicators that will support decision-making by public officials and forest managers.

Forest biomass provides a carbon store and is important for mitigating climate change. The LIFE Bioenergy & Fire Prev.

project (LIFE0� ENV/ES/000��0) aims to develop new forest management tools and approaches to minimise the risk

of forest fires by reducing the amount of ground-level waste biomass in forest areas. It will also evaluate the potential

of biomass as a source of renewable energy and rural employment.

The OPTIMIZAGUA prototype achieved notable water efficiencies by combining combined rainwater collection and storage systems with “smart irrigation”

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use. The AQUA �LIFE09 ENV/IT/000075)

project aims to work with stakeholders

from agriculture and agri-industry to

produce and disseminate a “Water Sav-

ing Kit” that will demonstrate how to

anticipate environmental threats such as

water scarcity, as well as to respond to

eventual emergencies, such as su�sid-

ence and droughts, �ased on a ‘cradle

to cradle’ approach.

Mountain viticulture can lead to water

exploitation and soil erosion. To address

these pro�lems, the PR�ORAT project

�LIFE05 ENV/E/000330) developed a

“Mountain Viticulture Sustaina�le Man-

agement System” which introduces

a terracing system that - aside from

improving landscape conservation and

the organic content of soils - allows veg-

etation cover to �e increased �y 80%.

The increased vegetation produces a

�etter drainage system for rainwater,

which in turn significantly reduces soil

erosion. Furthermore, su�surface drip

irrigation systems were installed that cut

water consumption �y 85%. The project

methodology allowed for a higher level of

productivity and economic �enefits also

derived from reduced water, energy and

chemical consumption.

soil Erosion

Conventional agricultural techniques

can lead to soil erosion, water pollution,

loss of �iodiversity and reduced car�on

sequestration. Some 18% of EU terri-

tory is affected �y soil erosion, which is

particularly severe in the Mediterranean

�ecause of the prevalence of steep

slopes, dry periods followed �y high

precipitation and conservative farming

practices.

The ALMOND PRO-SO�L project

�LIFE05 ENV/E/000288) demonstrated

the �enefits of cultivating almond trees

to prevent desertification, soil erosion

and the a�andonment of land in rural

areas. The project increased soil fertility

and �iodiversity �via enhanced organic

matter content and micro�ial activity),

reducing erosion and improving the

soil’s physical structure, sta�ility and

water holding capacity.

Another Spanish project, DOÑANA

SOSTEN�BLE �LIFE00 ENV/E/000547),

tackled the pro�lem of soil erosion on 33

pilot farms covering 318.9 ha �y apply-

ing conservation agriculture techniques

such as vegetation cover to improve soil

The terracing system developed by LIFE PRIORAT increases vegetation cover and thus a better drainage system for rainwater

Conservation agriculture techniques such as vegetation cover improved soil quality in the Doñana National Park

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protection and diminish soil erosion and

the run-off of water and fertilisers. The

result was an improved conservation

status of the Guadiamar River.

�n the UK, the Sowap project �LIFE03

ENV/UK/000617) replaced ploughing

with zero-till or non-inversion tillage to

reduce soil erosion and ena�le cover

crops during winter that improved soil

structure and enhanced soil �iodiver-

sity. The results reduced run-off �y as

much as 90%, particularly during heavy

rainfall, and cut soil erosion �y 95% on

light sandy soils. Soil function was also

improved, as shown �y higher soil car-

�on, nitrogen and moisture together with

increased inverte�rate �iodiversity.

ClimatE CHanGE

The agricultural sector’s potential to

mitigate, adapt to and reduce green-

house gas �GHG) emissions needs to �e

developed to meet the EU energy and

AGRICULTURE AND THE NATURA 2000 NETWORK

climate agenda. L�FE projects are show-

ing what can �e achieved �y improving

energy efficiency, �iomass and renew-

a�le energy production, and the protec-

tion of car�on in soils.

The Changing the Climate project

�LIFE07 INF/E/000852) aims to encour-

age the agro-forestry sector in Galicia

�Spain) to �ecome involved in activities

that support adaptation and mitigation

measures. The project aims to promote

the use of renewa�le energies and �io-

fuels, recycling, the esta�lishment of

energy efficiency measures, a shift to

organic farming and the use of climate-

adapted crops, as well as encouraging

farmers to adopt sustaina�le manage-

ment alternatives.

The Acciòn Agroclimatica project

�LIFE09 ENV/ES/000441) will develop

tools for carrying out energy and GHG

audits on farms, and for identifying the

most suita�le crops and �est practices

for mitigation and adaptation to climate

change. Ultimately it aims to develop a

diagnostic software for energy �alances

and GHG emissions and demonstrate

general practices for each farming sec-

tor to reduce energy use and GHG emis-

sions �y 10% to 40%.

CO2 emissions in farming come mainly

from ploughing, which causes soil

car�on loss. The L�FE+AGR�CARBON

project �LIFE08 ENV/E/000129) encour-

ages the uptake of conservation agri-

culture �CA) techniques that can reduce

GHG emissions and the adaptation of

farming techniques to new climatic

conditions resulting from glo�al warm-

ing. Through the sink effect of CA, the

project aims to fix an additional 0.60-

1.50 tonnes of CO2/ha/yr on farms, a

20% reduction in CO2emissions. �n

addition to reducing energy consump-

tion, the project also aims to quantifi-

a�ly improve soil quality.

Agriculture has a major influence on the Natura 2000 network and its sur-

roundings. Intensive farming techniques and bad agricultural management

can produce pressures on the conservation status of habitats and species,

whereas other forms of agriculture can be essential to managing extensive

areas of valuable habitat.

Reforms of the CAP and the Rural Development Regulation (2007–2013) have

introduced policy tools and measures that have improved the integration of

biodiversity considerations into farming and forestry practices across the EU.

New rural development measures under Pillar II have also supported farming

and forestry activities that are beneficial for wildlife.

The CAP reform, foresees that, in the future, environmental measures should

be tailor made to fulfil the needs of regions and local areas such as Natura

2000 and high-nature-value (HNV) farms and the functions of intensive and

extensive farming practices will have to be revised.

A Spanish project demonstrated how cultivating almond trees could prevent desertifica-tion and soil erosion

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Conservation agriculture reduces soil erosioninAndalusianwetlands

The Spanish Humedales Sostenibles (‘Sustainable Wetlands’) project showed how LIFE

can contribute to the conservation and efficient use of natural resources, taking into

account the needs for landscape preservation, flood protection, carbon storage, good

water quality and control and protection of biodiversity.

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Andalusia has a rich and diverse

natural heritage, especially in

terms of wetland ha�itats: some 17%

of Spanish of Spanish wetlands are

located in the region. These dynamic

ecosystems are also fragile and can

�e negatively impacted �y soil erosion

caused �y the intensive agricultural

practices typically used in the Mediter-

ranean. Such practices can increase soil

loss and reduce the fertility and a�ility

of soil to a�sor� CO2, leading to the

loss of water content in the soil, nutrient

run-off and loss of �iodiversity.

The aim of the L�FE ‘Sustaina�le Wet-

lands’ project �LIFE04 ENV/ES/000269)

was to demonstrate the application of

agricultural practices that used resources

such as soil and water efficiently in order

to improve the conservation status of

Andalusian wetlands, whilst increasing

awareness amongst farmers of the impor-

tance of Natura 2000 sites. “We wanted

to demonstrate the decisive role that agri-

culture can play in protecting our natural

resources and in providing us with impor-

tant ecosystem services,” explains project

manager José Fernando Ro�les.

The L�FE project involved 33 farmers

in a pilot scheme showing how con-

servation agriculture �CA) techniques

can drastically reduce soil erosion in

the catchment areas of the wetlands. A

Geographical �nformation System �G�S)

was used to select the areas for the trial

and to help farmers choose the �est soil

management systems and crop rota-

tions in accordance with the physical

characteristics of their farms. Demon-

stration plots covering 60 ha were esta�-

lished in the surroundings of wetlands in

Utrera, Osuna-Lantejuela, Gosque and

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Le�rija-Las Ca�ezas. There, with train-

ing and guidance from the Technical

Office for the Promotion of Conserva-

tion Agriculture, the farmers tested tech-

niques including minimum or no tillage,

the maintenance of harvest residues on

soil surface, direct sowing and vegeta-

tion cover for ar�oreal crops. �n addition,

the project produced a guide to CA tech-

niques that was disseminated to Andalu-

sia’s agricultural community.

ConsErvation aGriCulturE in aCtion

Farms located in Le�rija have clay soils

that are significantly exposed to soil

erosion. The run-off of soils has heav-

ily impacted the area’s wetlands caus-

ing siltation. “Our land suffers from

soil erosion and � was very interested

in learning techniques for optimum soil

management,” says Juan Cortines,

a local farmer who participated in the

L�FE project. “Soil is one of the primary

resources that allows us to produce in

the long run. Without it we would have

no agriculture in this area.”

One of the most important tasks, �elieves

project technician Emilio Cu�eros, was

to train farmers how to produce in com-

pliance with the Natura 2000 network

and make them understand the impor-

tance and value that wetlands represent

in terms of �iodiversity.

From the farmer’s point of view, produc-

tion levels are what matters most. Mr.

Cortines, who eliminated soil tillage and

applied direct sowing on his demonstra-

tion plot of 6 ha of sunflowers, is pleased

to note that “over the three years during

which � applied the techniques, the pro-

duction levels remained the same and in

some cases they increased.”

The farmland of Osuna also suffers from

soil erosion. Here, another local farmer,

Pedro Baena, applied CA techniques on

25 ha of olive groves and wheat fields.

“Before introducing the techniques sug-

gested �y the project, the land would

lose up to 4 cm/ha when it rained,” says

Mr Baena. “That is equivalent to 400

tonnes/ha/yr that will never �e recov-

ered.” This soil erosion also caused silta-

tion and sedimentation of the neigh�our-

ing wetlands.

To reduce the soil erosion in his olive

groves, Mr Baena added vegetation

cover. According to Emilio González,

General Secretary of the European Con-

servation Agriculture Federation �ECAF

– a project partner), “This produces the

effect of filtering water more rapidly so

that it does not remain on the surface,

thus reducing run-off and siltation. Fur-

thermore, the vegetation impedes the

loss of water.”

prEsErvinG rEsourCEs anD EnHanCinG bioDivErsity

The project’s technical team monitored

each of the demonstration plots and

compared them with plots where conven-

tional soil management techniques were

continuing to �e applied. The results in

terms of soil erosion were impressive. For

example in the wetland area of Laguna

del Gosque, soil erosion decreased �y 1

022 tonnes/yr for olive groves, �y 1 489

tonnes/yr for corn/cotton crops and �y 1

811 tonnes/yr for wheat/sunflower crops

in comparison with soil losses uses con-

ventional farming techniques.

Other �enefits noted during monitor-

ing included a reduction in run-off and

an increase in the hydric content of the

soil where direct sowing was employed.

By avoiding tillage and, �y maintaining

harvest residues on the surface, the

Osuna’s farmland would lose up to �00 tonnes/ha/yr of soil through precipitation

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organic content and fertility of the soil

was increased, while the car�on content

in the soil was found to have increased

�y 1 tonne/yr.

The decrease in soil erosion was reflected

in less siltation of the wetlands, where a

significant increase in �iodiversity was

also o�served. Organic matter in the

soil is the main food source for micro-

organisms, which thus �enefits all other

organisms in the trophic chain �insects,

mammals, �irds, e.g. flamingos, etc). The

increase in vegetation cover on some of

the demonstration plots also meant more

hiding and nesting places for fauna, as

well as more food, thus enhancing the

�iodiversity of the area.

GrEEn skills anD EConomiC bEnEFits

The techniques applied �y the project

were shown to reduce production costs

significantly �since no machinery was

required to till the soil). “We have calcu-

lated that the savings are �etween 40 and

60 euros per hectare per year for annual

crops in southern Europe,” says Mr. Ro�-

les. This compensates for the investment

in machinery for direct sowing.

The L�FE funded project was also a clear

demonstration of how green skills in the

agricultural sector can �e created, as

it requires greater professional skills to

apply the soil conservation techniques

correctly. “More than half of the 33 farm-

ers are still applying the techniques

today. Some have not �een a�le to invest

in the direct sowing machinery, how-

ever, more simple techniques are �eing

applied in the area and this is creating

interest amongst the farming commu-

nity of Andalusia even four years after

the project has ended,” notes Mr Ro�les

proudly.

aCHiEvinG FurtHEr rEsourCE EFFiCiEnCiEs

Ultimately the project has demonstrated

how CA techniques can �e applied to

make more efficient use of resources

�mostly soil and water), avoiding the

deterioration and sedimentation of pro-

tected wetlands whilst preserving �iodi-

versity and enhancing production.

“The project will facilitate the adaptation

of farms to the new context esta�lished

�y the Natura 2000 Network and the

future CAP reform,” says Mr. Ro�les. “�t

has demonstrated how CA techniques

can �e easily adopted to preserve our

natural resources, which are the �asis of

thriving agro-ecosystems.”

Such techniques are in the midst of a

phase of expansion, not only in all the

countries of the Mediterranean, �ut

throughout the EU. The uptake of sus-

taina�le practices that make efficient use

of our natural resources �y farming com-

munities will provide European citizens

with quality, value and diversity of food

and ensure the long-term future of EU

agriculture and rural areas.

Project manager José Fernando Robles explains how soil erosion has caused the siltation and sedimentation of neighbouring wetlands

Project number: L�FE04 ENV/ES/000269

Title: Humedales Sosteni�les - �ntegrated management of agriculture in the surround-ings of community importance wetlands �sustaina�le wetlands)

Beneficiary: Asociación Agraria Jóvenes Agricultores de Sevilla �ASAJA-Sevilla)

Contact: José Fernando Ro�les del Salto

Email: jfro�[email protected]

Website: http://www.humedales.org

Period: Oct-2004 to Oct-2007


LIFE contribution: e541 000

SPAIN

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LIFEshows the environmental benefits of GPP

Pu�lic authorities have great

purchasing power – spending

around 17% of the EU’s gross domestic

product – and their choices a�out the

goods and services they purchase not

only have a significant impact on the

environment directly, �ut also greatly

influence the market for those goods

and services �y �oosting green �usi-

nesses.

As a result, greening the performance

of pu�lic authorities – or Green Pu�lic

Procurement �GPP) as it has come to

�e known – is an area that has received

much attention from legislators and

policymakers in the EU.

For GPP to �ecome more widespread,

clear and verifia�le environmental cri-

teria for products and services must

�e esta�lished that are compati�le

�etween Mem�er States. A level play-

ing field will �oost the single market,

reduce the impact of goods and serv-

ices on the environment and lead to a

more efficient use of resources. To date,

the Commission has developed EU

GPP criteria for 18 product and serv-

ice groups, and also adopted a new

procedure for the development of GPP

criteria in 2010. The aim is to make the

process more transparent and partici-

patory and enhance synergies among

the various eco-innovation la�els that

are already in place.

Criteria help pu�lic authorities choose

the �est environmental products on

the market whilst minimising verifica-

tion requirements and costs. �n the

future, the way forward may �e to put

in place mandatory Green Pu�lic Pro-

curement to support targeted areas of

innovative, resource efficient goods.

This approach could remove �arriers

to innovation, such as when pu�lic

procurement of water delivery services

gives preference to well-tested solu-

tions, rather than resource efficient

ones.

A forthcoming Communication from the

European Commission’s Directorate-

General for the Environment �DG ENV)

will point to the scope for procurement

to drive innovations that can improve

resource efficiency.

tHE rolE oF liFE

L�FE projects have aimed to raise

awareness of GPP and promote the use

of GPP criteria �y esta�lishing regional

networks and developing and imple-

menting tools for joint procurement

practice. For example, the �talian GPP-

net project �LIFE02 ENV/IT/000023)

The GGPnet project produced a �00-page handbook for public administrations

One way of favourably influencing Europe’s unsustainable use of its natural resources is

to encourage one of its largest consumers, public authorities, to adopt common green

criteria for purchasing such goods as computers, stationery (paper), vehicles and fur-

niture as well as fuel, food and electricity.

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GREEN SKILLS


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created a network of politicians and

executives in the Province of Cremona

to spread awareness of the potential of

GPP at all administrative levels.

The GPPnet project trained staff in

charge of pu�lic purchasing to identify

products and services with lower envi-

ronmental impacts, and to introduce

environmental criteria into purchasing

procedures, widely disseminating the

concept of resource efficiency through

GPP in so doing. To facilitate the train-

ing process, the project produced a

300-page hand�ook that contained a

step-�y-step outline of how environ-

mental criteria can �e introduced into

a pu�lic administration’s purchasing

procedures, including ways of elimi-

nating administrative �urdens that may

impede the adoption of GPP. The guide-

lines contained in this hand�ook, which

were used for calls for tender during

the project, demonstrate EU policy in

action and could �e used as examples

for future common GPP guidelines.

The Province of Cremona is continuing

its GPP activities after the end of the

L�FE project. The legacy of the GPPnet

project is evident in other regions too. A

National Working Group on GPP, �ased

on the experiences of the project, was

esta�lished in Bologna in 2005. The

�ody is spreading the good procedures

determined during the project to local

and regional authorities throughout

�taly.

�n line with the Commission’s emphasis

on common criteria for GPP, the group

of tools for assisting GPP implemen-

tation developed �y the L�FE LEAP

project �LIFE03 ENV/UK/000613) are

transfera�le across Europe. �n fact, 11

local authorities in five Mem�er States

were partners in the project. Launched

at the EcoProcura conference in Barce-

lona in 2006, the LEAP Toolkit consists

of eight tools for implementing GPP.

The tools outline a five-step implemen-

tation process, give examples of good

practice, set out standard specifications

for key products, and detail evaluation

priorities and the promotion of a green

market. Most importantly in terms of

resource efficiency, the criteria devel-

oped �y the project could �e used as a

�asis for a future mandatory implemen-

tation of GPP.

Moreover, the project produced a

tool for testing joint procurement

approaches to overcoming market �ar-

riers for green purchasing in Europe.

Such a tool will help meet the policy

o�jectives highlighted in the EU’s 6th

Environment Action Programme.

Lack of information remains an o�sta-

cle to further take-up of GPP. The

ongoing GPPinfoNET project �LIFE07

INF/IT/000410), is demonstrating ways

of tackling this pro�lem in �taly, and

with the potential to �e transfera�le to

the EU as a whole. By the end of the

project, it aims to have ensured that at

least 30% of local authorities that have

joined regional networks will have pu�-

lished green tenders and implemented

actions that favour the adoption of GPP

within their administrations: just one

example of how L�FE is furthering the

goal of resource efficiency �y encour-

aging the widespread adoption of GPP.

To monitor the success of this project

and other initiatives, the Commission

has proposed two types of indicator:

quantitative indicators to assess the

progress of the policy and its impact

on the supply side; and impact-ori-

ented indicators allowing assessment

of the environmental and financial gains

made. A 2009 study tested this meth-

odology. Further evaluation will take

place in 2011, and statistical data will

serve as the �asis for setting future tar-

gets for GPP implementation.

The figures are impressive. A saving of

the equivalent of 60 million tonnes of

CO2 is achieva�le if all pu�lic authori-

ties across the EU demanded green

electricity �equivalent to the emissions

of 6.5 million Europeans). The Commis-

sion estimates that environmental �uild-

ing construction could lead to a similar

result. Large CO2 reductions can also

�e achieved through the use of energy-

efficient computers, and greater water

use efficiency could result in consider-

a�le savings.

The European Commission identifies the lack of ‘green skills’ – i.e.

expertise and competence in the use of green technologies – as a specific bar-

rier to innovation. Green skills are needed to develop new technologies, more

resource efficient processes and new working methods. EU 2020 initiatives,

such as “Youth on the Move”, and “Green Skills” will be addressing these

issues, but further action specific to resources may also need to be taken. LIFE

projects have shown that providing green skills benefits job creation.

For example, the Spanish ELVES project (LIFE0� ENV/E/000��) created 11

permanent positions for trained staff involved in the separation of metal

alloys from end-of-life vehicle engines. The green skills employed in this

process are having a significant environmental impact in terms of waste

reduction and recycling of materials, since the alloys are reused in new

engines for the automotive sector.

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ProjectlistThe table below provides the complete list of LIFE projects on resource efficiency mentioned in this

publication. For more information on individual projects, visit the online database at:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/projects/index.cfm

Project Reference Acronym Title Page

PRoducTion PRocesses

L�FE04 ENV/�T/000583 PROWATER Sustaina�le water management in the textile wet industry through an innovative treatment process for wastewater re-use

6

L�FE05 ENV/�T/000846 BATTLE Best Availa�le Technique for water reuse in TextiLE SMEs 6

L�FE05 ENV/E/000285 RES�TEX Alternatives for waste volume reduction in the textile sector through the application of minimisation measures in the process and in the consumption

6

L�FE02 ENV/E/000216 AF�NO CONDUCT�V�DAD

Development of a new salt water purification system in the tanning sector for reuse

7

L�FE04 ENV/�T/000414 N.E.S.S. New Eco Spray System 7

L�FE00 ENV/�T/000184 G�ADA �ntegrated Environmental Management in the tannery district of Chiampo Valley ��taly)

7

L�FE08 ENV/E/000140 OXATAN Environmentally friendly oxazolidine-tanned leather 7

L�FE05 TCY/GA/000115 HAGAR Environmental action for the sustaina�ility of natural resources through recycling of water and sludge frm mar�le production

7

L�FE02 ENV/UK/000140 �nwatco �ntegrated Water Management in former coal mining regions 8

L�FE05 ENV/E/000317 ELVES Development of a system for high-quality separation of metal alloys from end-of-life-vehicle engines and its reuse in new engines and components for automotive sector

8

L�FE05 ENV/D/000185 �NCOCAST Demonstration of environmentally friendly aluminium engine �lock Core Package casting �CPS) using an inorganic �inder

9

L�FE04 ENV/�T/000598 ESD New ESD �eco-sustaina�le drawing) system, environment-friendly to process steel wire rods / �y-products, eliminating the current pickling practice and the related chemical fumes possessing a high environmental impact su�stituting the ...

9

L�FE06 ENV/NL/000176 Green Bearings Demonstrating innovative technologies that significantly improve the environmental performance of �earings

9

L�FE06 ENV/�T/000332 ME�GLASS Minimising the Environmental impact of GLASS recycling and glass container production

10-12

L�FE07 ENV/�T/000361 NOVED� No Vetro in Discarica �No glass in landfill): demonstrating innovative technologies for integral recovery of glass rejects actually landfilled

12

L�FE08 ENV/�T/000421 VAL�RE Valorisation of incentration residues 12

eco-PRoducTs And eco-design

L�FE04 ENV/�T/000589 EWG New clean technology for the decoration of all kinds of ceramic surfaces, whether flat or textured, with a minimal use of raw no�le materials

14

L�FE02 ENV/�T/000052 Microfinishing A new dry process of microfinishing of gres porcelain and natural stone surfaces, which will su�stitute the stage of smoothing/polishing, drastically decreasing the environmental impact of this stage, to aim for a sustaina�le development

14

L�FE05 ENV/E/000301 Eco-Ceramics Ecological ceramics optimization. Alternative to sludge disposal 14

L�FE07 ENV/SLO/000710 UN�SASH Resource efficient, Universal Window Sash 14

L�FE08 ENV/F/000481 C�SDP Cleaning �ndustry Sustaina�le Development Programme 14

L�FE03 ENV/A/000002 PROCOOL Development and successful market penetration of HFC-free and eco-efficient cold appliances for the commercial use

15

“Best of the Best” projectsBest projects

��

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/IT/000583&area=2&yr=2004&n_proj_id=2781&cfid=247831&cftoken=7ce9becd74e68f13-DA4AAFD2-E200-2166-C8DB285A62807DCE&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=2872






http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 TCY/GA/000115&area=3&yr=2005&n_proj_id=2964&cfid=29961&cftoken=85a2d807f56210a4-00DBC7AC-BB24-6BD8-882160155D9C1C19&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140&area=2&yr=2002&n_proj_id=2077&cfid=29961&cftoken=85a2d807f56210a4-00DBC7AC-BB24-6BD8-882160155D9C1C19&mode=print&menu=false


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 ENV/D/000185&area=2&yr=2005&n_proj_id=2902&cfid=615886&cftoken=9524bd1657ba64b1-4296ACA0-D094-91A4-87343BEAAEFE045A&mode=print&menu=false')



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 ENV/D/000185&area=2&yr=2005&n_proj_id=2902&cfid=615886&cftoken=9524bd1657ba64b1-4296ACA0-D094-91A4-87343BEAAEFE045A&mode=print&menu=false')










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L�FE05 ENV/DK/000156 CO2REF Development and demonstration of a prototype transcritical CO2

refrigeration system15

L�FE00 ENV/�T/000213 Clean-Deco Development of a clean coating technology pvd for decorative applications on metal components in place of the traditional �galvanic) coating technologies

15

L�FE05 ENV/F/000062 GAP Clean alternative technology to chemical milling: demonstration of technical, environmental and economic performance of mechanical milling for the machining of complex shaped panels used in the aeronautical and space industries - GAP �Green Advanced Panels) project

16

L�FE03 ENV/E/000106 REC�PLAS �ntegrated reusa�le plastic crates and pallets, eliminating package waste, for sustaina�le distri�ution of everyday commodities in Europe.

16

L�FE99 ENV/�T/000034 Use and … re-use Use and ... reuse. The “processing centre” in the logistics of packaging of fresh fruit and vegeta�le products

16

L�FE09 ENV/ES/000454 WOODRUB Utilisation of recovered wood and ru��er for alternative composite products

17

L�FE95 ENV/�T/000393 New raw materials from agri-food and industrial wastes: sugar paper, orange paper, smog paper

17

L�FE03 ENV/GR/000204 ECO-TEXT�LE �ntroduction and Promotion of the ECO-LABEL to the greek textile industry

17

L�FE08 ENV/E/000147 SHOELAW Promotion of Environmental Legislation among European Footwear �ndustries

17

L�FE09 ENV/LU/000390 ECO2 Tyre Tech Development and validation of ecologically sustaina�le tyres through lifecycle enhancing technologies

17

L�FE00 ENV/F/000593 E.D.�.T Eco Design �nteractive Tools 17

L�FE06 ENV/L/000118 BioTyre Development and validation of ultra low rolling resistance tyre with environmentally friendly resources

18-20

LifecycLe Thinking

L�FE02 ENV/S/000351 DANTES Eco-Efficiency evaluation of new and existing products �DANTES) 23

L�FE00 ENV/NL/000808 EQuation Demonstration and dissmeination project for stimulating architects and local governments to �uild sustaina�le with help of innovative design tools

23

L�FE08 ENV/E/000135 FEN�X Fenix-Finding regional environmental lifecycle information on packaging waste management through flexi�le software tools and data�ases

23

L�FE03 ENV/�T/000333Aquala�el Environmental certification of water resource distri�uted �y

waterworks systems. 23

L�FE04 ENV/�T/000588 LA�PP Dissemination of �PP tools in the furniture industry 24

L�FE04 ENV/GR/000110ECO�L Life Cycle Assessment �LCA) as a decision support tool �DST) for

the eco-production of olive oil.24

L�FE03 ENV/EE/000194 OSELCA �ntroduction and �mplementation of Life Cycle Assessment

Methodology in Estonia: Effects of Oil Shale Electricity on the Environmental Performance of Products

24

L�FE00 ENV/F�N/000656 Rural L�FE Design Eco-design and marketing model for rural products and services 25

L�FE04 ENV/GR/000138 �PP TEL �ntegrated Product Policy in the Telecommunication Sector 25

L�FE04 ENV/DE/000047Resolved Recovery of Solar Valua�le Materials, Enrichment and

Decontamination25

L�FE07 ENV/P/000639ELECTROVALUE Electric and electronic eco-assem�ly alternatives for the

valorisation of the end-of-life products in the recycling market

25

L�FE04 ENV/FR/000353ACADEMY Air�us Corporate Answer to Disseminate integrated Environmental

Management System26-28

L�FE05 ENV/F/000059 PAMELA Process for Advanced Management of End of Life of Aircraft 28


��



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 ENV/F/000062&area=2&yr=2005&n_proj_id=2858&cfid=90017&cftoken=1c53aaa9b2b08485-40F2FCF0-FB63-B40D-86DE24C9DC76CF9E&mode=print&menu=false





http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE03 ENV/GR/000204&area=2&yr=2003&n_proj_id=2310&cfid=247831&cftoken=7ce9becd74e68f13-DA4AAFD2-E200-2166-C8DB285A62807DCE&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE08 ENV/E/000147&area=2&yr=2008&n_proj_id=3438&cfid=90017&cftoken=1c53aaa9b2b08485-40F2FCF0-FB63-B40D-86DE24C9DC76CF9E&mode=print&menu=false




http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE02 ENV/S/000351&area=2&yr=2002&n_proj_id=2134&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE00 ENV/NL/000808&area=2&yr=2000&n_proj_id=1914&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE08 ENV/E/000135&area=2&yr=2008&n_proj_id=3487&cfid=118813&cftoken=a1120b10f25be155-A4FACFE7-CDE7-EA4F-E069E1D39CBCEE12&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE03 ENV/IT/000333&area=2&yr=2003&n_proj_id=2293&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/IT/000588&area=2&yr=2004&n_proj_id=2785&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/GR/000110&area=2&yr=2004&n_proj_id=2743&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE03 ENV/EE/000194&area=2&yr=2003&n_proj_id=2286&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE00 ENV/FIN/000656&area=2&yr=2000&n_proj_id=1844&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/GR/000138&area=2&yr=2004&n_proj_id=2780&cfid=58222&cftoken=f5f1537a1f8bbc2a-622A9F19-D6B7-F5E2-46378E01C08FF6FA&mode=print&menu=false






PR

OJE

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WATeR efficiency

L�FE00 ENV/EE/000922 RAKWANET Demonstration Activities for the Reduction of Water Losses and Preservation of Water Quality in Over-dimensioned Water Distri�ution Network in Rakvere Town, Estonia

30

L�FE09 ENV/�T/000136 PALM Pump And Leakage Management 30

L�FE07 ENV/�T/000475 TRUST Tool for regional - scale assessment of groundwater storage improvement in adaptation to climate change �TRUST)

31

L�FE03 ENV/NL/000467 VERBAL The Vertical Flow Reed Bed at Leidsche Rijn. A natural way to filter ur�an water

31

L�FE98 ENV/D/000509 Reuse filter �ackwash-water

Reuse of filter �ackwashwater from groundwater treatment for drinking water purposes with a su�merged mem�rane system

31

L�FE07 �NF/UK/000950 Eco-Animation Eco-Animation: a cutting edge cartoon to raise awareness on climate change and sustaina�le use of natural resources among European children

31

L�FE96 ENV/E/000509 Zaragoza Zaragoza: water saving city. Small steps, �ig solutions 32

L�FE03 ENV/E/000164 OPT�M�ZAGUA Demonstration of water saving for watering uses through the experimentation of artificial

32

L�FE00 ENV/NL/000790 Maastricht Water Demonstration of integrated total water management for a cluster of 8 industries, implementing a centralised water supply and a semi collective WWTS and resulting in su�stantial ground water and energy savings

32

L�FE02 ENV/E/000183 Dropawater Dura�le Regions On Peripheal Areas for Water Reduction 32

L�FE02 ENV/E/000210 HAGAR Tools of self-management for water irriga�le in the overused hydric systems

32

susTAinAbLe TRAnsPoRT

L�FE02 ENV/GR/000359 �MMACULATE �Mprovement of Ur�an Environment Quality of Air and Noise Levels �y an �ntegrated, Cost Effective and MUlti-Level Application of Clean Vehicle Technologies

34

L�FE06 ENV/D/000477 PARFUM Particulates, Freight and heavy duty vehicles in Ur�an Environments

34

L�FE07 ENV/�T/000434 MHyBus Methane and Hydrogen �lend for pu�lic city transport �us: technical demonstrative application and strategic policy measures

35

L�FE02 ENV/E/000253 ECOBUS Collecting used cooking oils to their recycling as �iofuel for diesel engines

35

L�FE05 ENV/P/000369 O�L PROD�ESEL �ntegrated Waste Management System for the Reuse of Used Frying Oils to Produce Biodiesel for Municipality Fleet of Oeiras

35

L�FE08 ENV/�T/000425 ETRUSCAN Under the Etruscan sun - Environmental friendly Transport to RedUce Severe Climate change ANthropic factors

35

L�FE03 ENV/�T/000319 S�DDHARTA Smart and �nnovative Demonstration of Demand Handy Responsive Transport Application to improve the quality of the ur�an environment

35

L�FE05 ENV/E/000262 GESMOPOL� �ntegral mo�ility management in industrial estates and areas 35

L�FE03 ENV/NL/000474 LNG Tanker Demonstrating the effective and safe use of liquid natural gas as fuel for ship engines for short-sea shipping and inland waterway transport

36

L�FE06 ENV/D/000479 W�NTECC Demonstration of an innovative wind propulsion technology for cargo vessels

36

L�FE06 ENV/D/000465 ZEM/SH�PS Zero.Emission.Ships 36

L�FE02 ENV/UK/000136 CATCH Clean Accessi�le Transport for Community Health 36

L�FE02 ENV/�T/000106 RAVE The Green Ray of Novara 36

eneRgy efficienT buiLdings

L�FE04 ENV/GR/000137 SB-MED Enhancing transfera�ility of innovative techniques, tools, methods and mechanisms to implement “sustaina�le �uilding” in the Mediterranean region

38


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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE00 ENV/EE/000922&area=2&yr=2000&n_proj_id=1827&cfid=4742852&cftoken=7f0355106064483a-6ADDE37D-EF4D-7F77-617BDC1F9DF4D30D&mode=print&menu=false


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE07 ENV/IT/000475&area=2&yr=2007&n_proj_id=3252&cfid=90017&cftoken=1c53aaa9b2b08485-40F2FCF0-FB63-B40D-86DE24C9DC76CF9E&mode=print&menu=false


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE98 ENV/D/000509&area=2&yr=1998&n_proj_id=1550&cfid=4742852&cftoken=7f0355106064483a-6ADDE37D-EF4D-7F77-617BDC1F9DF4D30D&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE07 INF/UK/000950&area=7&yr=2007&n_proj_id=3313&cfid=90017&cftoken=1c53aaa9b2b08485-40F2FCF0-FB63-B40D-86DE24C9DC76CF9E&mode=print&menu=false

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE96 ENV/E/000509&area=2&yr=1996&n_proj_id=1123&cfid=4742852&cftoken=7f0355106064483a-6ADDE37D-EF4D-7F77-617BDC1F9DF4D30D&mode=print&menu=false


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE00 ENV/NL/000790&area=2&yr=2000&n_proj_id=1897&cfid=90017&cftoken=1c53aaa9b2b08485-40F2FCF0-FB63-B40D-86DE24C9DC76CF9E&mode=print&menu=false








http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE08 ENV/IT/000425


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 ENV/E/000262

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE03 ENV/NL/000474

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE06 ENV/D/000479


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE02 ENV/UK/000136


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/GR/000137


PR

OJE

CT

LIS

TProject Reference Acronym Title Page

L�FE00 ENV/NL/000808 EQuation Demonstration and dissemination project for stimulating architects and local governments to �uild sustaina�le with help of innovative design tools

38

L�FE05 ENV/GR/000235 SUSCON Sustaina�le Construction in Pu�lic and Private Works through �PP approach

38

L�FE00 ENV/A/000243 S-House S-House: innovative use of renewa�le resources demonstrated �y means of an office and exhi�ition �uilding

39

L�FE06 ENV/D/000471 �NSU-SHELL Environmentally Friendly Facade Elements made of thermal insulated Textile Reinforced Concrete

39

L�FE04 ENV/FR/000321 ECO-CAMPS Eco-design and eco-engineering of �uildings, amenities and accommodations in campsites

39

L�FE02 ENV/A/000285 BBMpassiv Multifunctional company and administration �uilding with logistics and cultural centre in passive house standard in sustaina�le tim�er construction

40

L�FE07 ENV/E/000805 EDEA Efficient Development of Eco-Architecture: Methods and Technologies for Pu�lic Social Housing Building in Extremadura

40

L�FE08 ENV/A/000216 RENEW BU�LD�NG Demonstration and Dissemination of Climate and Environmental Friendly Renovation and Building with Renewa�le Resources and Ecological Materials

40

L�FE06 ENV/L/000121 EFFERNERGY Energy Efficient Building Systems 41-42

fish And mARine ResouRces

L�FE07 ENV/D/000229 ECOSMA Ecological Certification of Products from Sustaina�le Marine Aquaculture

44

L�FE07 ENV/UK/000943 P�SCES Partnerships �nvolving Stakeholders in the Celtic sea Eco-System 44

L�FE07 ENV/E/000814 3R-F�SH �ntegral management model of recovery and recycling of the proper solid waste from the fishing and port activities

44

L�FE05 NAT/LV/000100 Baltic MPAs Marine protected areas in the Eastern Baltic Sea 45

L�FE06 NAT/�T/000050 Co.Me.Bi.S. Urgent conservation measures for �iodiversity of Central Mediterranean Sea

45

L�FE98 NAT/P/005275 Zonas costeiras/Açores �ntegrated management of coastal and marine zones in the Azores 45

L�FE05 ENV/E/000267 BE-FA�R Benign and environmentally friendly fish processing practices to provide added value and innovative solutions for a responsi�le and sustaina�le management of fisheries

46-48

L�FE08 ENV/E/000119 FAROS �ntegral networking of fishing actors to organize a responsi�le optimal and sustaina�le exploitation of marine resources

48

LAnd use And PLAnning

L�FE02 ENV/F�N/000331 ECOREG The Eco-Efficiency of Regions - Case Kymenlaakso 49

L�FE02 ENV/F�N/000319 Green Valley Operation model of environmental management in Salo region 49

L�FE02 ENV/S/000355 Coastal Woodlands �ntegrated Coastal Zone Management in Woodlands �y the Baltic Sea

50

L�FE04 ENV/F�/000304 ENV�FAC�L�TATE �ntegration of spatial environmental information across different themes, scales, resolutions and uses : added value of facilitating mechanisms

50

L�FE02 ENV/E/000176 D�VERS �nformation, Competitiveness and Sustaina�ility in Ur�an System 50

L�FE02 ENV/E/000200 GALLECS Demonstration project on land use and environmental management of the physical planning in Gallecs as a �iological and sta�le connector in the fringe space of Barcelona metropolitan area

50

food And beveRAge

L�FE99 ENV/E/000349 Business, environment and wine: from the winegrape to the �ottle. Vertical integration of the environment in the wine production process and horizontal optimization of resources

51


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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE00 ENV/A/000243


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/FR/000321




http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE06 ENV/L/000121




http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 NAT/LV/000100

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE06 NAT/IT/000050

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE98 NAT/P/005275



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE02 ENV/FIN/000331


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE02 ENV/S/000355

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/FI/000304





PR

OJE

CT

LIS

T


L�FE03 ENV/GR/000223 D�ONYSOS Development of an economically via�le process for the integrated management via utilization of winemaking industry waste; production of high added value natural products and organic fertilizer

52

L�FE08 ENV/CY/000455 W�NEC Advanced systems for the enhancement of the environmental performance of W�NEries in Cyprus

52

L�FE08 ENV/E/000143 HAproW�NE �ntegrated waste management and life cycle assessment in the wine industry: From waste to high-value products

52

L�FE04 ENV/GR/000110 ECO�L Life Cycle Assessment �LCA) as a decision support tool �DST) for the eco-production of olive oil

52

L�FE04 ENV/DK/000067 New potatopro Novel energy efficient process for potato protein extraction 52

L�FE05 ENV/NL/000035 CLB Demonstration of a closed loop �lanching system for the potato processing industry

53

L�FE03 ENV/NL/000488 Dairy, No Water! A dairy industry which is self-supporting in water 53

L�FE04 ENV/ES/000224 JELLY Demonstration project for gelatine production with use of innovative technology achieving an important washing wastewater reduction

54

L�FE05 ENV/F/000063 �DEAL 79 Sustaina�le �nitiatives and Local Alternatives towards waste prevention

54

L�FE05 ENV/F�N/000539 WASTEPrevKit Waste Prevention Kit for enterprises, education and households 54

AgRicuLTuRe And ecosysTem seRvices

L�FE09 ENV/F�/000571 Climforisk Climate change induced drought effects on forest growth and vulnera�ility

56

L�FE09 ENV/ES/000450 Bioenergy & Fire Prev. Contri�ution of forest �iomass generated in the prevention of forest fires in the EU energy strategy

56

L�FE03 ENV/E/000164 OPT�M�ZAGUA Demonstration of water saving for watering uses through the experimentation of artificial

56

L�FE05 ENV/E/000313 gEa Excellence in irrigation water management 56

L�FE09 ENV/�T/000075 AQUA Adoption of Quality water Use in Agro-industry sector 57

L�FE05 ENV/E/000330 PR�ORAT Making compati�le mountain viticulture development with European Landscape Convention o�jectives

57

L�FE05 ENV/E/000288 ALMOND PRO-SO�L Soil protection in Mediterraanean areas with increased soil erosion rate through cultivation of new

57

L�FE00 ENV/E/000547 DOÑANA SOSTEN�BLE Design and Application of a Sustaina�le Soil Management Model for Orchard Crops in the Doñana National Park Area

57

L�FE03 ENV/UK/000617 Sowap Soil and Surface water protection using conservation tillage in northern and central europe

58

L�FE07 �NF/E/000852 Changing the Climate L�FE+campaign ‘Changing the change’. The Galician agriculture and forest sector facing climate change.

58

L�FE09 ENV/ES/000441 Acción Agroclimática Com�ating climate change through farming: application of a common evaluation system in the 4 largest agricultural economies of the EU

58

L�FE08 ENV/E/000129 L�FE+AGR�CARBON Sustaina�le agriculture in Car�on arithmetics 58

L�FE04 ENV/ES/000269 Humedales Sosteni�les �ntegrated management of agriculture in the surroundings of community importance wetlands

59-61

gReen PubLic PRocuRemenT And gReen skiLLs

L�FE02 ENV/�T/000023 GPPnet Green Pu�lic Procurement Network 62

L�FE03 ENV/UK/000613 LEAP Local Authority EMAS and Procurement 63

L�FE07 �NF/�T/000410 GPPinfoNET GPPinfoNET The Green Pu�lic Procurement �nformation Network 63

L�FE05 ENV/E/000317 ELVES Development of a system for high-quality separation of metal alloys from end-of-life-vehicle engines and its reuse in new engines and components for automotive sector

63


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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE08 ENV/CY/000455



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/DK/000067



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE04 ENV/ES/000224

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE05 ENV/F/000063


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE09 ENV/FI/000571









http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE07 INF/E/000852






http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.createPage&s_ref=LIFE07 INF/IT/000410



AvailableLIFEEnvironmentpublications

LIFE and local authorities: Helping regions and municipalities tackle envi-ronmental challenges �2010 - 60 pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-18643-1 - �SSN 1725-5619)

Water for life - LIFE for water: Protecting Europe’s water resources �2010 - 68 pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-15238-2 - �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE among the olives: Good practice in improving environmental performance in the olive oil sector �2010 - 56 pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-14154-6 - �SSN 1725-5619)

Getting more from less: LIFE and sus-tainable production in the EU �2009 - 40pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-12231-6 - �SSN 1725-5619)

Breathing LIFE into greener businesses: Demonstrating innovative approaches to improving the environmental perfor-mance of European businesses �2008 - 60pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-10656-9 - �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE on the farm: Supporting environ-mentally sustainable agriculture in Europe �2008 - 60 pp. - 978-92-79-08976-3 - �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE and waste recycling: Innovative waste management options in Europe �2007 - 60 pp. - �SBN 978-92-79-07397-7 - �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE and Energy: Innovative solutions for sustainable and efficient energy in Europe �2007 – 64pp. �SBN 978 92-79-04969-9 - �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE-Third Countries 1992-2006 �2007, 64 pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-05694-9 – �SSN 1725-5619)

LIFE in the City: Innovative solutions for Europe’s urban environment�2006, 64pp. - �SBN 92-79-02254-7 – �SSN 1725-5619)

The air we breathe: LIFE and the Euro-pean Union clean air policy �2004 - 32 pp. – �SBN 92-894-7899-3 – �SSN 1725-5619)

A cleaner, greener Europe - LIFE and the European Union waste policy�2004 - 28 pp. – �SBN 92-894-6018-0 – �SSN 1725-5619)

Best LIFE Environment projects 2009 �2010, 32pp.-�SBN 978-92-79-16432-3 �SSN 1725-5619)

Environment Policy & Governance Proj-ects 2009 compilation �2010, 125pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-13884-3)

Information & Communications Projects 2009 compilation �2010, 14pp. –

�SBN 978-92-79-16138-4)

Nature & Biodiversity Projects 2009 compilation �2010, 91pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-16139-1)

Environment Policy & Governance Projects 2008 compilation �2009, 107pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-13424-1)

Information & Communications Projects 2008 compilation �2009, 21pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-13425-8)

Nature & Biodiversity Projects 2008 compilation �2009, 87pp. – �SBN 978-92-79-13426-5)

Best LIFE Environment projects 2008-2009 �2009, 32pp.-�SBN 978-92-79-13109-7 �SSN 1725-5619)

Environment Policy & Governance and Information & Communications Projects 2007 compilation �2009, 92 pp.-�SBN 978-92-79-12256-9)

Other publicationsLIFE-Focus brochures

A number of LIFE publications are

available on the LIFE website:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/

life/publications/lifepublications/

index.htm

A number of printed copies of

certain LIFE publications are

available and can be ordered free-

of-charge at:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/

life/publications/order.htm

��

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/local_authorities.pdf



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/waterlife.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/waterlife.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/oliveoil.pdf



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/sustainable_pr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/sustainable_pr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/greening.pdf




http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/agriculture.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/agriculture.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/recycling.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/recycling.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/energy_lr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/energy_lr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/TCY_lr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/urban_lr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/urban_lr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/lifeair_hr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/lifeair_hr.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/infoproducts/lifewaste_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/infoproducts/lifewaste_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/bestprojects/documents/bestnat09.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/compilations/documents/envcompilation09.pdf


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/compilations/documents/infcompilation09.pdf


http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/compilations/documents/natcompilation09.pdf








http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/bestprojects/documents/bestenv08.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/bestprojects/documents/bestenv08.pdf




http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/index.htm



http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/order.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/order.htm

liFE+ “L’Instrument Financier pour l’Environnement” / The financial instrument for the environment

period covered (liFE+) 2007-2013.

Eu funding available approximately EUR 2 143 million

type of intervention at least 78% of the �udget is for co-financing actions in favour of the environment �L�FE+ projects) in the Mem�er States of the European Union and in certain non-EU countries.

liFE+ projects> LIFE+ Nature projects improve the conservation status of endangered species and natural ha�itats. They support the

implementation of the Birds and Ha�itats Directives and the Natura 2000 network.> LIFE+ Biodiversity projects improve �iodiversity in the EU. They contri�ute to the implementation of the o�jectives of

the Commission Communication, “Halting the loss of Biodiversity by 20�0 – and beyond” �COM �2006) 216 final). > LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance projects contri�ute to the development and demonstration of innovative

policy approaches, technologies, methods and instruments in support of European environmental policy and legislation.> LIFE+ Information and Communication projects are communication and awareness raising campaigns related to the

implementation, updating and development of European environmental policy and legislation, including the prevention of forest fires and training for forest fire agents.

Further information further information on L�FE and L�FE+ is availa�le at http://ec.europa.eu/life.

How to apply for liFE+ funding The European Commission organises annual calls for proposals. Full details are availa�le at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/funding/lifeplus.htm

Contact European Commission – Directorate-General for the Environment

L�FE Unit – BU-9 02/1 – B-1049 Brussels – �nternet: http://ec.europa.eu/life

LIFE and Resource Efficiency: Decoupling Growth from Resource Use

Luxem�ourg: Pu�lications Office of the European Union

2011 - 72p - 21 x 29.7 cm�SBN 978-92-79-19764-2�SSN 1725-5619doi:10.2779/74370

�SSN 1725-56191725-5619

KH

-AJ-11-002-E

N-C

life and resource efficiency

Documents

european union http

lfe environment

pulication lfe

nternet http

jonathan murphy environment

roin miege environment

sylvie ludain environment

eu bookshop http