Transitioning to a waste-free economy requires cities and regions across Europe to properly collect, recycle and reuse waste. Unfortunately, this is not the case in many places. Thanks to the EU-funded COLLECTORS project, policymakers have access to the information they need to implement fully integrated waste collection systems, making life cleaner and greener for EU citizens.
Europe needs more bio-based products to ensure future generations inherit a sustainable society, but the success of such products can only be built on trust. The EU-funded STAR-ProBio project are conscious of the challenges ahead. They built a new framework to help create better labels, standards and certifications that will allow for that trust to be built, ultimately benefiting all EU citizens.
The easier knowledge can be spread, the faster science can move forward. The OpenAIRE initiative has been spearheading this vision since 2008 with the goal of setting European science free. Most recently, the EU-funded OpenAIRE-Advance project went a step further by making open access to research the default option across Europe, bringing science truly closer to citizens.
Earth Observation data is information about Earth’s physical, chemical and biological systems, often coming from satellites. The EU-funded openEO project developed a new interface to help users access, process and compare data from different providers. This is an important step towards allowing communication between platforms from different providers, benefiting researchers and citizens.
While cement and lime are essential to modern life, unfortunately the manufacturing process unavoidably releases large amounts of CO2. The EU-funded LEILAC project has been developing cutting-edge technology to efficiently capture these emissions at a low cost. This will help to decarbonise a critically important industrial sector and contribute towards cleaner air for all citizens to enjoy.
The diesel ferries used to transport people and vehicles from point A to point B produce a lot of air pollution. But a new all-electric, pollution-free car ferry designed by the EU-funded E-ferry project has proven capable of effectively replacing these diesel models. As a result, passengers across Europe could soon be commuting via sustainable, quiet, and smog-free electric ferries.
People love tomatoes so much that they are now the most important vegetable crop worldwide. But as world temperatures rise, the risk of losing this vital source of food has become very real. The EU-funded TomGEM project has identified new varieties with better heat tolerance to ensure citizens can continue to enjoy all the tasty tomato-based foods they adore for a very long time still to come.
Methanol has been touted as a potential climate-friendly ‘fuel of the future’ since the late 1980s, but its use in the transport sector remains limited. The possibility of generating it from CO2 has recently rekindled interest. An EU-funded project explored this option to decarbonise the steel industry and power cargo ships that would benefit both the environment and, subsequently, citizens.
A great deal of biodiversity, accounting for an enormous variety of plants, amongst other forms of life, is found on the forest floor but this is often overlooked in forest management strategies. An EU-funded project developed an online tool to accurately take account of biodiversity loss at this level. This will help to conserve forests for future generations of EU citizens.
Heavy industry is often associated with giant chimneys releasing large quantities of dense, polluting smoke. The EU-funded CLEANKER project has developed new CO2 capture technology for cement plants, challenging this age-old industrial perception. Their technology will boost the EU’s plans for a greener economy that will ultimately benefit all citizens, wherever they live.
