There are more than 65,000 wastewater treatment plants in Europe, each providing an essential service to local populations. By simply installing innovative new equipment, plants could cut energy use by up to 25% while increasing nutrient removal by up to 20%. Operationally, a plant is designed to address the average waste water flow and composition...

The ISO International Standard for applying eco-efficiency assessment to product systems, was published in 2012 and has a huge potential given ongoing economic and environmental challenges for businesses. ISO 14045:2012, Environmental management – Eco-efficiency assessment of product systems – Principles, requirements and guidelines describes the principles, requirements and guidelines for eco-efficiency assessment for product systems. Eco-efficiency...

The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate initiative announced the release of its Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines providing a common approach to corporate water disclosure. Corporate water disclosure involves Collecting data on the current state of a company’s water management Assessing the implications of this information for the business, developing a strategic response Reporting this information...

PAS 55 is the British Standards Institution’s “Publicly Available Specification” for the optimised management of physical assets and infrastructure – it provides clear definitions and a 28-point requirements specification for optimised and whole-life asset management systems. It is the international reference standard It provides a clear and concise definition of what needs to be done...

A practical guide to eco-innovation has been published which is addressed to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The booklet overviews emerging business opportunities eco-innovation has to offer to companies that reconsider business models, develop new products, technologies or services, or improve production processes. This guide which is divided into six sections, summarises key business issues, questions and...

On 17 December 2012, the EU’s Environment Ministers adopted conclusions setting out key actions to improve governance by those involved in managing water resources Improving land use Addressing water pollution Increasing water efficiency and resilience. The conclusions are the Council’s first response to the recent Commission communication“A blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources” and underline...

Strategic Environmental Assessment in Ireland (SEA) is the process by which environmental considerations are integrated into Plans and Programmes across a broad range of sectors including energy, fisheries, industry, telecommunications, water and land use. A review of SEA, commissioned by the EPA, has found that: SEA is providing a vital tool for environmental protection in...

Sustainability is a collaborative process and an accountable supply chain process can assist greatly in its success. Ceres  has created a free 20-page template to help companies assess which business partners may be putting their own sustainability agenda at risk.  The Ceres Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ): Building the Foundation for Sustainable Supply Chains offers a series...

According to a new report from independent analyst firm Verdantix., the world’s largest food producers need to Invest in more robust codes of conduct for the management of environmental issues in the supply chain Set a broader range of targets for improved future performance, The study finds significant variation in the ambition and robustness of the...

The Green Hospitality Programme launched a new booklet for the hospitality sector – “Resource Efficiency in the Hospitality Sector”. This booklet contains numerous case studies, on how to reduce utility costs through resource efficiency. Being resource efficient reduces the impact of business emissions on the environment. Highlighting how protecting the environment, can go hand in...