IEEP, Wageningen University & Research and Navigant held a workshop on 18 November to explore where crops for non-food purposes could be grown in Europe in the future. Current policy seeks to steer these crops to abandoned or degraded land, but the workshop looked at how much is available, where it is and how suitable this land might be in practice.
IEEP has submitted feedback to the European Commission’s public consultation, calling for a circular economy-compatible carbon border adjustment mechanism with the aim of delivering the EU’s climate objectives in a synergetic manner.
This policy brief reflects on the challenges of a carbon border adjustment mechanism in the post-COVID-19 economy and explores the role environmental product standards can play to complement the mechanism.
The following analysis assesses to what extent actions included in the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan that relate to demand may help reduce environmental pressures and contribute to a more circular European economy within the boundaries of the planet.
In its efforts to deliver on the EU Green Deal and to step up EU action, the European Commission launched a public consultation on deforestation and forest degradation. We've submitted several recommendations based on our work on these and related topics.
Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission have taken important steps to green the European economy and simultaneously promote competitiveness as part of the European Green Deal. The communication on a new industrial strategy is one more significant policy initiative.
While the circular economy has gained a lot of attention domestically, the impacts of the EU’s shift on the rest of the world through international trade have remained largely unexplored.
The EU has some of the highest levels of human development in the world. No member state, however, is currently guaranteeing the well-being of its citizens while also staying within planetary boundaries.
On the eve of Black Friday, Think2030, a platform of sustainability experts from think tanks, NGOs, local authorities and corporations, is calling for a comprehensive European policy on sustainable consumption.
Despite new and promising announcements by the Trade Commissioner-designate Phil Hogan, the EU is struggling to turn words and good intentions into effective actions when it comes to using trade as a vehicle for sustainability.
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) have published the first independent quantitative report on the progress of the European Union and its member states towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by all UN member states in 2015.
This report by IEEP and SDSN compares the performance of the EU and its 28 member states on all 17 SDGs and provides detailed country profiles using a mix of data sources.
The contribution and value of nature to human welfare and well-being – our natural capital – tends to be overlooked in many policy decisions and business choices. As a result, ecosystems are being degraded and natural resources are being used in an unsustainable way.
Europe’s ability to maintain and enhance its prosperity for generations to come requires a hard look at the nature of growth and the changes that would be required to achieve sustainability in line with the SDGs.
As we enter a new political cycle for the EU, it is worth pondering whether environmental risks and scarcities feature high enough on Europe’s security agenda.
To find out what European citizens think about our current consumption habits and what more can be done to improve their sustainability, the IEEP went to the Democracy Alive Festival on the island of Texel, in the Netherlands.
Today we celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity aiming at increasing understanding of the diversity of life on the planet and awareness of its importance for human development. IEEP takes the opportunity to share some key positive lessons from recent EU biodiversity action and identify key remaining challenges towards 2030.
IEEP, together with SEI, Mistra and IVL, invited Swedish MEP candidates, business representatives and other stakeholders to an afternoon seminar in Stockholm to discuss science-policy solutions for a more sustainable Europe.