Natural Resources & Waste
Our Work
Latest in Resource Use
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Tackling marine litter with the circular economy and the EU Plastics Strategy
IEEP identifies how the EU Plastics Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan provide a unique opportunity to address marine litter and its impacts.
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Plastics, Marine Litter and the Circular Economy
Briefing and three product fiches explore circular economy solutions for reducing the flow of plastic waste into the oceans.
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Biofrontiers – sustainability critical to the development of advanced biofuels
Adherence to effective and workable sustainability criteria is an essential requirement when using public support to incentivise advanced alternative fuels.
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How can Planetary Boundaries guide environmental policy in Europe and globally?
Planetary Boundaries are a scientific approach to exploring critical thresholds to resource use. How can this concept become relevant for policymakers?
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The cascading use of woody biomass in the EU – challenges, opportunities and policy solutions
Improving the resource efficient use of wood through cascading the resource from one use to another, requires action throughout the wood flow. Current efforts focus on recovering and re-using waste wood but more could be done with the production and utilisation of wood processing residues and improving the balancing between the material and energy use of wood.
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Mapping study on the cascading use of wood products
Promoting the cascading use of wood through policy is one approach to improve resource efficiency and increase the overall availability of wood for use in a variety of sectors.
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How to stimulate a bio-economy based on waste? – A study for the UK Government
Waste resources have the potential to provide a core component of developing bio-economies across the globe. A new IEEP report reviews how waste has been incorporated into existing bio-economy strategies, and the conditions that have enabled this.
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The Manual: Chapter 7 - Resource use
This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This chapter illustrates the variety of EU laws, policies and guidance documents that have been adopted to improve the efficiency of our use of natural resources and to reduce environmental impacts throughout a product's life cycle.
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Priorities and policy options to support the circular economy
New report by PSI, IEEP, BIO and Ecologic provides an initial scoping assessment of priorities and policy options to support the transition to a circular economy in the EU.
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Environmental policy and the UK’s review of the EU Balance of Competences
The UK Government’s Balance of Competences review has now taken evidence on 25 subject areas, including the 6 with the most relevance for the Environment. We take stock of the IEEP’s contributions, and consider what a possible UK renegotiation might mean for the environment.
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Systemic approach to adaptation to climate change and renewable energy harnessing (Biomass and Mini-hydro)
Biochar has the potential to both mitigate greenhouse gases, and to act as an adaptation measure in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. Based on its compatibility with the appropriate soil properties, it could increase the resilience of soil to erosion.
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EU waste law: the challenge of better compliance
Waste management in the EU is improving, but implementation by the Member States of EU waste legislation remains patchy. This paper makes suggestions on how better compliance could be achieved.
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An all-consuming responsibility
This short paper highlights the challenges that the EU faces in delivering a resource efficient society and argues that achieving this would require action across a range of policy areas.
Highlights
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Plastics, Marine Litter and the Circular Economy
Briefing and three product fiches explore circular economy solutions for reducing the flow of plastic waste into the oceans.
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The cascading use of woody biomass in the EU – challenges, opportunities and policy solutions
Improving the resource efficient use of wood through cascading the resource from one use to another, requires action throughout the wood flow. Current efforts focus on recovering and re-using waste wood but more could be done with the production and utilisation of wood processing residues and improving the balancing between the material and energy use of wood.
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How to stimulate a bio-economy based on waste? – A study for the UK Government