Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
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KH-AJ-05-001-EN-C
European Commission
LIFE (“The Financial Instrument for the Environment”) is a programme launched by the European Commission and coordinated
by the Environment Directorate-General (LIFE Unit - BU-9 02/1).
The content of the publication “Best LIFE-Environment projects 2005-2006” does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
institutions of the European Union.
Authors: Wendy Jones, Jon Eldridge, Stephen Gardner, Eric Sarvan (Astrale GEIE – AEIDL). Managing Editor: Philip Owen,
European Commission, Environment DG, LIFE Unit – BU-9, 02/1, 200 rue de la Loi, B-1049 Brussels. LIFE Focus series coor-
dination: Simon Goss (LIFE Communications Coordinator), Evelyne Jussiant (DG Environment Communications Coordinator).
The following people also worked on this issue: Katalin Kolosy, David Ferguson. Production: Monique Braem, Christine Charlier.
Graphic design: Anita Cortés, Daniel Renders. Acknowledgements: Thanks to all LIFE project beneficiaries who contributed
comments, photos and other useful material for this report. Photos: Unless otherwise specified; photos are from the respective
LIFE projects. This issue of LIFE Focus is published in English with a print-run of 3,000 copies and is also available online
at http://ec.europa.eu/life.
Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union.
New freephone number: 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu).
ISBN 92-79-02123-0
ISSN 1725-5619
Printed in Belgium
This is the second review of completed projects funded through the EU’s LIFE-Environment demonstration programme.
The objective was to find out which projects were the ‘Best of the Best’ (BoBs) of those projects that completed their
final reports before January 2006. This year, following an initial review carried out by the LIFE Unit’s external monitoring
team, Member States reviewed the top 21 of the 62 projects that finished within the reference period.
We used the same criteria as for the 2005 selection i.e., the LIFE national authorities used a set of criteria, agreed upon at a
meeting in the city of Malmö in Sweden (on 27-28 April 2005) to identify the best projects from an initial list prepared by the
external monitors. However, this year there were a few modifications made in response to comments by Member States last
year. The projects were distributed among evaluators on a random basis in a workable language for the national authority
and with only one review from the Member States where the project beneficiary was based.
Overall, the process ran much more smoothly than the first year’s selection process with colleagues responding promptly to
my many requests and queries. The results were encouraging: no projects were considered “below average” and although
only five projects could be included in the final, ‘Best of the Best’ (BoBs) selection, the margin separating fifth place from
eighth, was only 1.5%, which indicates just how close the decision was. I was also pleased to note that project managers
are increasingly aware of the ‘BoBs’.
We should not forget that the purpose of the evaluation exercise is to raise the profile of the work done through the
LIFE-Environment programme and help ensure that policy officers and SMEs are aware of important results which could
enhance their activities and benefit Europe’s environment. With the selection and management of projects in the new
LIFE+ Programme (2007-2013) likely to be moving from the Commission to Member States, I hope that the ‘BoBs’ can find
a new role bringing together the outputs from national programmes, and identifying and rewarding projects, whose results
are exceptionally significant at EU level.
For me this was also a sad occasion, as this was my last year coordinating the final selection process (I have moved to a
new post within Defra – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). From next year, the ‘BoBs’ will be coordi-
nated by Nicole Kerkhoff of SenterNovem, an agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Economics Affairs, to whom I offer my
best wishes.
I would like to express my gratitude to all my national authority colleagues who gave up valuable time. A special thank you
goes to: Isabelle Lico, Eleni Stylianopoulou, Ralf Tegeler, Gabriella Camarsa and Pascal Magoarou. Thanks also to the staff
from the LIFE Unit, the external monitors and to all the project beneficiaries.
Robbie Craig
UK LIFE Committee Member
Available LIFE
publications ........................39
“Best of the Best” projects
Introduction
EU Member States represented on the LIFE Committee and the European Commission’s LIFE
Unit have announced the Best LIFE-Environment Projects 2005-2006. The results of the selection
(approved by the LIFE Committee on 15 May 2006), are the 21 projects featured in this publica-
tion. These projects represent the most successful of the recently completed LIFE-Environment
projects in terms of their contribution to immediate and long-term environmental, economic and
social improvements; their degree of innovation and transferability; their relevance to policy and
their cost-effectiveness.
The 21 best Environment’s main themes: land-use 2004. The system was introduced by
LIFE-Environment development and planning; water man- the Commission, following an initiative
projects 2005-2006 agement; minimising the impact of eco- taken by Sweden and the Netherlands.
Land-use development and planning nomic activities; waste management, After a meeting at The Hague on 11-
SINESBIOAR Portugal and Integrated Product Policy. 12 May 2004, a set of ‘best practice’
AIRforALL Romania criteria was developed in collabora-
MicoValdorba Spain The objective of the exercise is to help tion with the Member States. These
Ythan Project United Kingdom
improve the dissemination of LIFE criteria included: projects’ contribution
EcoMonte Austria
ECOREG Finland
project results by clearly identifying to immediate and long-term environ-
CER-COM+ Italy those projects whose results, if widely mental, economic and social improve-
applied, could have the most positive ments; their degree of innovation and
Water management impact on the environment. transferability; their relevance to policy
Dairy, no water The Netherlands and their cost-effectiveness. In view
ANPHOS The Netherlands
Commenting on the results of this of the importance of these aspects to
Bothnian Bay Finland
year’s selection process, LIFE Com- project success, project beneficiaries
Impact of economic activities mittee Member Robbie Craig (Depart- are also required to provide an After-
RefinARS Italy ment for Environment, Food and Rural LIFE Communication Plan and an
DETECTIVE The Netherlands Affairs, UK) said: “We offer our hearti- Analysis of the long-term benefits of
OSIS Denmark est congratulations to all the projects the project with their final report. This
Stiim Sweden
that were selected. We offer particular information forms an integral part of
congratulations to the five selected the evaluation process.
Waste management
PAROC-WIM Finland
‘Best of the Best’ (BoBs), who, in the
GENPLAST Spain opinion of the LIFE Committee, repre- All completed projects are initially
REUSEOIL Sweden sented the very best of this list.” technically assessed by the LIFE Unit’s
ENVACTCRB Romania external monitoring team (the Astrale
He noted that once again there was a consortium). The monitors ranked all
Integrated Product Policy
“very strong emphasis on eco-innova- the projects that ended during the ref-
ECON-tainer The Netherlands
CLEAN DECO Italy
tion” among the short-listed projects: erence period (autumn 2005 to spring
GPPnet Italy “Word about these awards is beginning 2006), to produce a first list. The final
“Best of the Best” projects
to spread. Throughout the EU, it seems selection was undertaken by the Mem-
beneficiaries of projects that are just ber States under the coordination of
This, the second Best LIFE-Environ- about to close are asking for more infor- Mr. Craig, using the agreed criteria.
ment Projects’ exercise, follows on from mation about the criteria for selection.”
a lengthy identification and evaluation This publication presents the 21 best
process based on a set of best prac- How were the best projects LIFE Environment projects 2005-2006,
tice criteria, developed by EU Member selected? including the five Best of the Best
States in collaboration with the Euro- projects selected by the LIFE Commit-
pean Commission. The projects, from Scoring of completed LIFE-Environ- tee. It includes the beneficiaries’ con-
across the EU-25, cover all of LIFE- ment projects began in the summer of tact details and website addresses.
Land-use development
and planning
The Commission’s new Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment calls for
planning at the local and regional level. To be sustainable, land-use planning and
water, air and soil protection to the promotion of economic development; from
the conservation of natural habitats to the fulfillment of transport needs; and from
which take into account the economic and social, as well as environmental con-
Due to its topography and the pres- ever, air-quality forecasting was not The success of the pollution-forecast-
ence of two large smelting facilities, the technically available in Romania, and ing system has encouraged further
City of Baia Mare suffers from high lev- the NAM had no method of predicting cooperation between local agencies
els of pollution from toxic substances when and where exceptionally high responsible for environmental protec-
such as sulphur dioxide and lead levels of air pollution would occur. tion and other technical institutions,
powders. The county of Maramures, with a view to providing polluters with
in which Baia Mare is located, is one of The aim of the AIRforALL project was a sound scientific basis for steering
the country’s 20 most polluted areas to develop a computerised system their technologies in order to minimise
(also known as “hot-spots”). Here to forecast air-quality status in Baia the risk of excess pollution. The GIS-
the mortality caused by air-pollution Mare urban area and other neigh- supported system is also a valuable
related diseases is 15% higher than bouring zones 24 to 48 hours in instrument for developing zoning poli-
the national urban average. advance. Based on this warning, the cies and industry plans, and the NAM
local authorities, the polluters and the is currently implementing a further
Local weather conditions further population can react to prevent the LIFE project, ‘AIR-AWARE’ (LIFE05
increase the risk of incidences of occurrence of high levels of pollutants ENV/RO/000106), which seeks to
high concentrations of pollutants that and avoid high-risk areas. assist spatial planning, traffic man-
accumulate just above the ground agement and pollution control in the
level. The National Administration of The project created a scientific dis- Bucharest metropolitan area.
Meteorology (NAM) is legally respon- cussion ground for the central authori-
sible for issuing warnings about ties, local authorities and the pollut- With the early-warning system opera-
adverse weather and ambient pollu- ers, to jointly act to avoid increased tional, and its application in other
tion. At the start of the project, how- air contamination. high-risk areas probable, the most
important long-term criteria for the
Precisely predicting pollution scheme’s success will be the number
of pollution alerts that are reacted
The project succeeded in developing upon by industrial plants responsible
Project Number: a system which, based on remotely for the emissions.
LIFE00 ENV/RO/000987 processed local meteorological and
The forecasting system remotely
Title: Air quality forecast and air-pollution data, is able to forecast
processes local meteorological and
alarming system on pollution levels ambient air-quality with a high degree air pollution data.
of accuracy 24 hours in advance of
Beneficiary: National Administration
the expected adverse event. One of
of Meteorology, Romania
the project’s principal success factors
Total Budget: E462,000 was its close cooperation with a previ-
LIFE Contribution: E201,000 ous LIFE project, ‘ASSURE’ (LIFE99
ENV/RO/006746), which developed
Period: 01-Nov-2001 to 30-Apr-2005 a Geographical Information System
Website: http://life-airforall.inmh.ro (GIS)-based land-use planning sys-
tem to assess and forecast the envi-
Contact: Mihaela Caian
ronmental impact of anthropogenic
Email: mihaela_caian@yahoo.com activities.
MicoValdora: Sustainable
management of wild fungus-
producing forest ecosystems
Lack of control of mushroom picking is threatening the biodiversity of mushroom-producing areas
in the Navarra region of Spain. A LIFE co-funded project to establish an integrated management
system for the region has generated economic and social benefits.
Mushroom collection and cultivation concerns into official land-use policies A tourism-based model for the sus-
provides great potential for rural eco- and natural resources planning sys- tainable use of mushrooms led to
nomic development in the Valdorba tems at local and county level. the creation of six routes for mush-
region of Navarra. While most wood- room collecting and eco-tourism.
land mushroom areas are owned by Wide-ranging results The model combined accommoda-
local authorities and managed by tion, gastronomic offers focusing
the Navarra Regional Government, In total, 72 hectares of woodland were on mushrooms, courses and guided
mushroom production and collec- managed using forestry practises walks. The project contributed directly
tion is generally not controlled. Lack based on sustainable mycological to an estimated 30% increase in the
of management often leads to con- resources management, and 17 ha of area’s hotel occupancy. The region’s
flicts between the landowners and land were reforested with mycorrhized mushrooms and truffles attract about
mushroom collectors. Unsustainable trees. The technical team employed for 500 visitors a year.
picking practises threaten mushroom the LIFE project is now considered a
populations, soil fertility, plant devel- specialist reference unit for mushroom-
opment as well as the overall equi- related project development. The team
librium of the natural ecosystems is regularly requested to provide sup-
– mostly meadows, woodlands and port and advice to others.
traditionally cultivated land.
The project produced manuals and
The project beneficiary, the city coun- guidelines for sustainable manage-
cil of Leoz, one of seven municipali- ment tools and methodologies, such
ties comprising the Valdora region, as innovative mycological manage-
set out to establish an integrated ment plans, technical plans and for- Project Number:
management system for mushroom- estry programmes. Guidelines were LIFE00 ENV/E/000402
producing ecosystems. The aim established for the ecological labelling Title: Sustainable management of
was to ensure the conservation and of truffle and mushroom production at wild fungus-producing forest
enhancement of the ecosystem’s bio- European level. ecosystems in Valdorba, Navarra
diversity, while generating social and
Beneficiary: Leoz Council
economic benefits for the region’s A high level of media coverage was
(Ayuntamiento de Leoz), Spain
rural population. also achieved at local, regional and
national levels. Numerous events were Total Budget: E392,000
At the heart of the innovative project organised, including conferences, LIFE Contribution: E175,000
was the application of forestry prac- nine technical courses, tree-plant-
Period: 03-Sep-2001 to 03-Sep-2004
tises and land management methods ing days and even cookery lessons.
that combine sustainable management Around 250 landowners participated Website: www.valdorba.org/
of mycological resources with rural through seminars, courses and visits. micovaldorba2/pagina.shtml
economical development. The project Though not originally foreseen, an Contact: José María Gallo Férez
developed tools aimed at integrating annual truffle fair was established, fur-
Email: josegallo@basico.reterioja.es
mycological resource management ther spreading the project’s results.
> The University of Hertfordshire de- The project worked with farmers to
signed computer software to enable complete more than 100 water man-
local farmers to complete nutrient agement plans for farms. Amounts
budgets. of suspended solids in neighbouring
> Farmers were encouraged to join streams were reduced and the nutri-
the Rural Stewardship Scheme ent budgets demonstrated that fer-
(RSS), to support the development tiliser use on farms could be cut by
of buffer strips alongside streams an average 15%. Another positive
and rivers. result was the establishment of a for-
> Water quality data was collected estry management plan for the Gight
over a three-year period. Local peo- Woods at Methlick, a large woodland
ple, supported by Scottish Environ- site adjacent to the River Ythan. More
Protecting water courses required
community involvement. ment Protection Agency staff, were than 2,000 broad-leaved trees were
involved in water quality sampling planted at 35 riparian sites.
at eight sites and in 50 river habitat
Aberdeenshire’s Ythan estuary in surveys. The project organised around 50
northeast Scotland is an extremely > Local communities organised aware- events, including a major conference
important site for birds, and is des- ness-raising events in schools and in October 2004. Many of these events
ignated as a Ramsar Site and as an community centres. They selected were organised and/or supported by
Important Bird Area. Levels of nitrates river restoration sites and completed community volunteers. The project
and phosphates in the estuary have work on 12 sites. has provided a model for similar initia-
been increasing in recent years. This tives to clean up river catchments.
has led to a growth of green macro- The project also monitored changes
algae in estuary waters that is a to the condition of the river and estu-
potential threat to the food supply of ary through the use of aerial photog-
Project Number:
wading birds. Current regulation is raphy, and bird counts were carried
LIFE00/ENV/UK/000894
only partially effective and does not out every two weeks for two years.
protect the estuary site from activities In addition, social surveys assessed Title: … sustainable land manage-
further upstream. public attitudes to the project and to ment in the Ythan catchment
water management at the beginning Beneficiary: The Ythan Project,
The project promoted sustainable and end of the project. c/o Aberdeenshire Council, UK
land and river management through
Total Budget: E737,000
raising public awareness and engag- The project was an excellent exam-
ing the community in a range of meas- ple of a participatory project in a rural LIFE Contribution: E358,000
ures that included: area. The outputs of the project were
Period: 01-Aug-2001 to 28-Feb-2005
> Local farmers were shown around considerable. Contacts with around
two farms that were established to 200 farmers resulted in a rise in appli- Website: www.ythan.org.uk
demonstrate the benefits of agri-en- cations to RSS, and more than 70 Contact: Keith Newton
vironmental schemes and nutrient kilometres of buffer strip had been Email:
budgeting. established by project end. Keith.newton@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
EcoMonte: Environmental
management in Austrian Alps
The Grosses Walsertal region of the Austrian Alps is tackling environmental problems related
to the depopulation of the area. The LIFE co-funded EcoMonte project coordinated measures
to raise the area’s environmental status to attract tourism and encourage sustainable
development.
CER-COM+: Environmental
measures boost local economy
in Northern Italy
Seven cities in northern Italy, Comunità Montana, have teamed up to implement a raft of
environmental measures including the establishment of guidelines for sustainable development
and the promotion of responsible tourism. LIFE co-funding helped the region achieve the
EMAS environmental management certification, while also aiding economic development.
It has introduced the objective to achieve good ecological status for surface
waters and has therefore emphasised the need to understand and monitor
flooding and irrigation; pollution prevention and planning are covered by the
directive.
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amount of ground and
drinking water used is
particularly important
HE
in reaching the goals
set by the Water Frame-
BE
work Directive1.
ST OF T
Cost savings were also notable.
The dairy producer saved Û550,000 a
At the new plant, the beneficiary sought
a system for managing the process.
to close the internal water cycle.
A flow of water was created in the year through a water intake reduction
DOC Kaas aimed for its dairy plant in factory with water buffers of differ- of 550,000 m³ at Û1 per m³. The new
Hoogeveen in the Netherlands to be ent temperatures and several heat/ methodology also produced impres-
completely self-sufficient in terms of cold exchangers. By not having to sive energy savings. The project
water. All the water needed for the pump water from a water supplier, achieved the following results:
production of dairy products would energy savings were also possible. > For cooling, a reduction in energy
come from condensate fed back use of 6,196,097 kWh/year. Such
into the process. The LIFE project Water and energy savings a result translates to a reduction of
set out to achieve this aim and, CO2 of some 3.5 kton/year.
as a consequence, greatly reduce While the beneficiary’s ambitious > For heating, a reduction in energy
the amount of water the company targets were not completely real- use of 2,408,418 m3 gas per year.
wastes. ised – the new plant is not totally This translates to a reduction of CO2
water self-sufficient – the project of around 4.3 kton/year.
Water present in milk is filtered off in resulted in great reductions in
the production of cheese whey, and the use of groundwater, drinking
this water can be used again in the water and energy. The benefici-
process cycle. The project designed ary estimates that around 70% of
a method for extracting the water – the water current being discarded
1 WFD (2000/60/EC) http://ec.europa.
ensuring it met the required stand- is suitable for reuse. At the end of eu/environment/water/water-framework/
ard for re-use in the process – and the project, the following results index_en.html
The European dairy industry produces more than 6,200 million kg of cheese from
around 55,800 million litres of milk. Cheese consists of 42% water, in contrast with
milk, which is 88% water. Traditional cheese factories, however, use 0.8 litres water
to process 1 litre of milk and drain off 1.1 litres of wastewater. The water used can
be divided into two types: internal process water and cooling water.
With the current installation, a total relatively cheap compared with the
annual CO 2 reduction of some 7.8 cost of re-using the water contained
kton has been achieved. in milk.
The main obstacles to achieving the The new dairy plant in the Nether-
project’s objectives was the com- lands took account of environmental
plexity of water management and concerns and sought to avoid costly
a higher than expected demand for later adjustments to its design. It was
water at the new plant. The beneficiary favourable to aim for a near water-
Other cheese and whey factories could
is continuing efforts towards achieving self-sufficient plant. Protecting the
benefit from the technology.
the objective of becoming self-sup- environment gives the new plant a
porting in water. It is improving water strong marketing position.
management and identifying further
ways to reuse wastewater.
Long-term effects
Bothnian Bay:
Managing the common sea
Human activities pose a threat to the marine environment of Bothnian Bay in the Baltic Sea. The
Bothnian Bay LIFE project developed a database for the exchange of information about the bay’s
water quality and introduced a plan for the sustainable management of this important conserva-
tion area.
includes the 1996 Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC),
which aims at minimising emissions to water, air and soil from industrial point
sources throughout Europe. The directive defines common rules on the author-
Available Techniques (BAT). BAT refers to the most advanced techniques that
can be used to achieve a high level of environmental protection for the industrial
sector in question.
=1114203
The project consortium (including Elec- The project also supported the estab- LCO 2 is non-toxic and non-flam-
trolux and Aga/Linde of Sweden) was lishment of a franchise textile-clean- mable. It is produced in an almost
steered by the beneficiary Krom Stomer- ing organisation – Hangers Cleaners pure form in oil refining and ammo-
ijen, a Dutch dry-cleaning company. Europe www.hangerseurope.com nia production. It also causes no
The team sought to optimise full-scale by project partner AGA/Linde AG. groundwater contamination. As a
application of the new technology. Although the new technology is just renewable resource, LCO 2 has an
starting to establish itself in the mar- advantage over perc, which is made
ket, the team believes it is sufficiently from exhaustible mineral reserves.
1 1999/13/EC of 11 March 1999)
developed to receive policy incentives It is separate from the combustion
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/
site/en/consleg/1999/L/01999L0013- and that its emergence provides a processes and not released as a
20040430-en.pdf sustainable alternative to perc. greenhouse gas.
Project Number:
LIFE00 ENV/NL/000797
Email: info@krom.nl
BEST 2
means that offshore
installations have not
yet been included in
HE
the strict OSPAR rules
OSIS oil spill detector sensor is now governing oil pollution in
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being developed for ships.
ST OF T
line of Europe. Together with large designated special areas.
oil spills, such pollution constitutes
Europe is the world’s largest market in a major threat to the environment OSPAR call for technologies
crude oil imports, representing about and places enormous demands on
one third of the world total1. A very national authorities responsible for “In the late 1990s, OSPAR called for
high percentage of oil and refined rapid response and clean-up opera- technologies, such as OSIS (Oil Spill
products are transported to and from tions. Tackling this environmental Identification System) to be developed
Europe by sea. Inevitably, some of threat is the 1992 Convention for the so that they could enforce a new type
this oil makes its way into the marine Protection of the Marine Environment of regulation in those special areas,”
environment. of the Northeast Atlantic, the OSPAR said project manager Peter Moeller-
Convention. OSPAR defines special Jensen of OSIS International, a pri-
Accidents that had massive envi- areas with tough emission limits for vately owned Danish SME. The OSIS
ronmental consequences, such as oil pollution team thus sought to demonstrate a
the “Prestige” or “Erika”, powerfully potential solution to this widespread
illustrate the devastation that can be
caused by ship pollution. However, 1 Source: Energy Information Administra-
even routine ship operations pollute tion http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ipsr/
t31.xls
the sea through ballast water, tank 2 Source: Global Marine Oil Pollution
washings and engine room effluent Information Gateway http://oils.gpa.unep.
discharges. org/facts/sources.htm
Raising awareness
OSPAR
The OSPAR Convention [http://www.ospar.org/eng/html/welcome.html], which
entered into force in March 1998 and includes the participation of the EU, devel-
ops new programmes and measures required to identify, prioritise and monitor the
emissions, discharges and losses of substances to the marine environment.
Project Number:
LIFE02 ENV/DK/000151
Website: www.osis.biz
Email: pmj@osis.biz
Waste management
The Commission’s Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and Recycling of
Waste is one of the seven thematic strategies set by the Sixth Environmental
cling and recovery of materials and energy from the waste we produce. This
long-term policy is having significant results. Over the past ten years, the EU
has doubled the amount of municipal waste recycled to more than 80 million
tons per year, and several EU countries have managed to achieve recycling
The main objective of the LIFE co- This waste is usually ground and
funded project was to minimise the mixed with cement to make briquet-
amount of waste from the manufac- tes. The machinery required for tur-
turing of stone wool by injecting the ning waste into briquettes represents
process waste, which is fine frac- a high investment cost and uses an
tioned material, into the melting fur- extra raw material, cement. As a result
nace. The Waste Injection into the of impurities in cement, melting bri-
stone wool Melting (WIM) process quettes creates high emissions of
developed a system for feeding the particulate matters and sulphur oxi-
waste material back into the des into the atmosphere.
fractioned materials,
in particular fine frac- In this context Paroc, an interna-
BEST 2
The system’s design has needed to The advantages over briquetting Summary of WIM’s
take into account the limitations of the and other ways to recycle fibre environmental benefits
machinery and location, but improve- process waste as a new material
ments have been made to optimise are considerable. Depending on > It reduces the amount of land-filling
their use. “The time yield in Finland the sulphur content in the rock of waste from the production pro-
was low at first,” Olsson says, “but and cement used, making briquet- cess;
it has been improved now.” In fact, tes can cause an increase of about > It requires less coke as a result of
a year into the project, the plant at 50% in emissions of sulphur oxi- energy savings;
Oulu was already recycling nearly des. Another key advantage of the > The amount of gas emissions cau-
80% of the spinning waste as raw WIM process over briquetting is its sed by burning coke is reduced;
material corresponding to over 7% ease of implementation. Invest- > It saves natural resources (virgin
of the total amount of mineral raw ment in waste injection costs rou- rock, coke); and
materials. ghly a fifth of the amount of the > New possibilities for the use of fine
cost of the equipment required for fractioned raw materials have been
Refining the process making briquettes. created.
The larger scale machinery in Häss- A final objective of the project is Total Budget: E871,000
leholm has made a greater reduction to make the system commercially
LIFE Contribution: E194,000
in coke consumption possible. The available to other stone wool produ-
replacement of 5% of pure raw mate- cers. It can be applied in the stone Period: 01-Dec-2001 to 30-Nov -2004
rial with production waste results in a wool producing industry where Website: www.paroc.com/channels/
more than 10% reduction in the use cupola furnaces are used for melting com/about+us/customer+benefit/
of coke. Such a reduction of coke stone material. Also, in the context innovativeness/life.asp
consumption generates a significant of EU environmental policy, WIM can
Contact: Patrick Johansson
saving in the melting costs, as well as help meet targets for the reduction
Email:
a decrease in the emissions of carbon of waste and greenhouse gas emis-
Patrick.Johansson@paroc.com
dioxide and sulphur oxides. sions in a cost-effective way.
Project Number: > Eliminating 7,000 tons of abandoned Across Europe the use of plastics in
LIFE03 ENV/E/000076 or dumped plastic waste per year as the horticultural sector has grown
Title: Integrated recycling plant for well as removing the environmental in recent years and is producing an
agricultural plastics costs of transporting to landfill sites increasing amount of waste. The
such as emissions, noise, risks and lack of appropriate disposal of this
Beneficiary: Genplast, S.L., Spain
use of fossil fuels. waste in Spain and in other countries
Total Budget: E3,741,000 > Saving on consumption of non-re- emphasises the significant impact the
LIFE Contribution: E656,000 newable energy sources. technology could have.
> Reducing air pollution by avoiding
Period: 01-Jun-2003 to 31-May-2005
the need to produce new plastic Genplast is continuing the recycling
Website: www.lifegenplast.com and reducing the incidence of un- initiative of the LIFE project. It is also
Contact: Rafael Cuenca Caceres controlled waste material burning. developing an integrated waste man-
> Raising awareness of the problem of agement system for integrated plas-
Email: rafaelcuenca@genplast.
agricultural plastic waste manage- tic film production and transformation
c.telefonica.net
ment. processes.
The project was implemented in the The project also paid close atten-
following stages: tion to the filter collection system,
which is essential for improved
1. Pre-installation procedures. functioning of the process. The Project Number:
2. Construction and installation of the beneficiary is further developing the LIFE03 ENV/S/000596
recovery plant. process and considering extending Title: Recovery of used oil filters
3. Testing of the prototype, including the process to its branches in Esto- generating recyclable…
meticulous evaluation of measure- nia and Latvia.
Beneficiary: Ragn-Sells Specialav-
ment tests.
fall AB, Sweden
The results were communicated to
specific target groups such as suppli- Total Budget: E2,042,000
ers of oil filters, producers of motor LIFE Contribution: E442,000
vehicles and machines, hazardous
1 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ Period: 01-Sep-2003 to 30-May-2005
waste/elv_index.htm waste management and treatment
companies as well as local and Website: www.ragnsells.se/reuseoil
2 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/
waste/oil/consultation.htm national authorities, whose repre- Contact: Lena Stridh
3 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ sentatives were part of the project
Email: lena.stridh@ragnsells.se
waste/landfill_index.htm reference group.
higher adsorption capacity than con- 14 tons a year of carbon dioxide and
ventional activated carbon. The tech- generates approximately 15 tons of
nology itself is a non-polluting one. oxygen);
> A limit to the use of a waste material,
Romania supplies abundant amounts which adversely affects the combus-
of low-grade coal – known as xylite tion process in power plants;
– which due to its wood-like charac- > Prevention of air and soil pollution by
teristics is an excellent material for the the powders (fly ash) resulting from
production of adsorbents. Since the the incomplete combustion of xylite
launch of the project in 2002, the ben- at the power plants; and
eficiary, the Metallurgical Research > A decrease of wood flour and other
Institute (ICEM), together with its wastes produced by wood process-
partners, developed the technology ing, which represent precious renew-
of production of the activated carbon able raw materials in the process of
Prototype plant at Gorj County. from xylite that proved both techni- activated carbon manufacturing.
cally and economically viable.
LIFE99 ENV/IT/000213
Integrated Product Policy
The Commission’s strategy on Integrated Product Policy (IPP) aims to reduce
the environmental impact of goods and services at the most relevant stages
as raw materials, its manufacture, assembly and transport, its marketing and
sale, its subsequent use and, finally, its recycling or disposal. An integrated
approach for products implies involving many different actors and stakeholders
the product. As part of this process, IPP seeks to promote the coordination
The LIFE-supported project set up the The plant was completed at the end
world’s first zero-emission container of 2002 and became operational at
degassing and fumigation facility. The the beginning of 2003. Twelve new
project was implemented by Europe gas-tight chambers were built and
Combined Terminals (ECT), which equipped with the required heating,
handles 60% of containers passing conditioning and monitoring instal-
through the Port of Rotterdam, and lations, and four types of treatment
aimed to demonstrate a new environ- were performed:
mentally friendly technique for treat- 1. Treatment with the EcO2 QPS (Quar-
ing containers for pests. antine and pre-Shipment) heat treat-
ment. This technique was developed
ECON-tainer established four new to treat wood, and to stow wood
techniques at its new container plant. materials and packaging materials
In the start-up phase (2003-2004), it together with their goods.
reduced emissions of methyl bromide, 2. Gassing with methyl bromide in a
an odourless, colourless gas that is controlled environment. New zero emission container facility at
used to control several pests, in the 3. Treatment with EcO2 controlled the Port of Rotterdam.
Netherlands by approximately 15%. atmosphere technology. This tech-
Methyl bromide is harmful to humans nique is mainly used for pest control
and a significant ozone-depleting purposes in food stocks.
substance. 4. Degassing containers with methyl The Montreal Protocol calls for an end
bromide in a controlled environ- to the production of substances that
ment. deplete the ozone layer, and the new
FAO-guideline for regulating wood
Project Number: Zero-emission techniques packaging material in international
LIFE02 ENV/NL/000124 trade, ISPM15, is expected to lead to
Title: An environmental friendly All four zero-emission techniques an increase in the use of methyl bro-
cargo handling plant in the Port of used for gassing and degassing con- mide. The ECON-tainer project dem-
Rotterdam tainers were technically feasible; the onstrated that the EcO2 QPS heat
first two treatments were also eco- treatment is a certified and acceptable
Beneficiary: Europe Combined Ter-
nomically viable. The results of the alternative within ISPM15 for gassing
minals, the Netherlands
project have generated a lot of inter- with methyl bromide.
Total Budget: E2,999,600 national interest, particularly in view
LIFE Contribution: E623,000 of a recent regulation to cut down on
methyl bromide emissions. Delega-
Period: 01-Mar-2002 to 31-Dec-2004
tions from other European countries
Website: www.rest.rotterdam.nl and North America visited the plant,
Contact: Jan Nater and the ports of Antwerp, Felixstowe
and Hamburg are considering setting
Email: jan.nater@ect.nl
up similar facilities.
Public authorities spend around thereby set an example to influence Based on the project’s results, a
16% of the EU’s gross domestic the behaviour of other organisations national working group on GPP was
product. By using their purchasing and individuals. established in Bologna in March 2005.
power, they have the potential to not The working group has been invited
only improve their own environmen- A 300-page handbook was published by the Ministry of the Environment
tal performance, but even to influ- containing background information on to participate in the consultations for
ence the market for ‘greener’ goods GPP and describing its step-by-step the drawing up of the National Plan on
and services itself. GPP can cover introduction into a public adminis- GPP. Under the auspices of the Ital-
areas such as energy-efficient com- tration’s procedures. The publication ian Agenda 21 Coordination agency1,
puters, office stationary and furni- includes a set of environmental crite- it is expected that the results of the
ture made of renewable or recycled ria to be included in calls for tender, GPPnet project will be widely dissem-
materials, eco-labelled appliances, together with relevant procedural inated to local and provincial govern-
organic food for canteens, electric- instructions and detailed form-sheets. ments in Italy.
ity from renewable energy sources, The environmental specifications for
municipal vehicles that run on alter- 189 goods and service were compiled
native fuels and environmentally from 14 existing ecological labels 1 ambiente@provincia.
cremona.it
certified suppliers. and from guidelines established by
national bodies such as the environ-
Nevertheless, only a small minority of ment agencies in the United States
public organisations systematically and Denmark.
consider environmental criteria when
selecting suppliers, service provid- The handbook is an excellent instru-
ers and contractors. One of the main ment for public administrations
barriers to GPP is the lack of skills seeking to introduce GPP and has
and information among public pro- been formally adopted by the local
curement officers for including envi- authorities involved in the project. Project Number:
ronmental requirements into tender- Politicians and executives across LIFE02 ENV/IT/000023
ing procedures. The GPPnet project all departments of the Province of Title: GPPnet Green Public
therefore aimed to provide public Cremona were encouraged to pro- Procurement Network
authorities with simple rules for their mote its dissemination within their
Beneficiary: Amministrazione
procurement decision-making and administrations. Suppliers and
Provinciale di Cremona, Italy
processes. service providers were also kept
informed of developments, in order Total Budget: E850,000
National network on GPP to be able to comply with upcoming LIFE Contribution: E398,000
contract stipulations. All the public
Period: 01-Dec-2002 to 30-Nov-2004
The initiative involved the creation of administrations involved prepared
a GPP network with the participation calls for tender in accordance with Website: www.compraverde.it
of the project beneficiary, the Provin- the GPP manual’s recommenda- Contact: Pesaro Mara
cial Administration of Cremona, and tions, in sectors such as furniture,
Email:
13 municipalities seeking to improve paper, office equipment, services
ambiente@provincia.cremona.it
their environmental performance and and public works.
A number of LIFE publications are Alien species and nature conservation Best LIFE-Environment Projects 2004-
available on the LIFE website: in the EU - The role of the LIFE pro- 2005 (2005, 44 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00889-7)
gramme (2004 - 56 pp. – ISBN 92-894- http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
LIFE and European forests (2006 - 68pp. 6022-9 – ISSN 1725-5619) infoproducts/bestlifeenv/bestenv.pdf
ISBN 92-79-02255-5 - ISSN 1725-5619) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ infoproducts/alienspecies_en.pdf LIFE-Environment 1992 – 2004
infoproducts/forests/forest_lr.pdf “Demonstrating excellence in envi-
Industrial pollution, European solu- ronmental innovation” (2005, 124 pp. –
LIFE in the City – Innovative solutions tions: clean technologies - LIFE and ISBN 92-894-7699-3 – ISSN 1725-5619)
for Europe’s urban environment (2006, the Directive on integrated pollution http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
64pp. - ISBN 92-79-02254-7 – ISSN prevention and control (IPPC Direc- infoproducts/bilanlife/lifeenv1992_
1725-5619) tive) (2003 - 32 pp. – ISBN 92-894- 2004_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ 6020-2 – ISSN 1725-5619)
infoproducts/urban/urban_lr.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ LIFE-Environment in Action. 56 new suc-
infoproducts/cleantechnologies_en.pdf cess stories for Europe’s environment
Integrated management of Natura 2000 (2001 -131 pp. – ISBN 92-894-0272-5)
sites (2005 - 48 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00388-7) LIFE and agri-environment supporting http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/info- Natura 2000 - Experience from the infoproducts/successstories2001_
products/managingnatura_highres.pdf LIFE programme (2003 - 72 pp. – ISBN en.pdf
92-894-6023-7 – ISSN N° 1725-5619)
LIFE, Natura 2000 and the military http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ LIFE-Environment Projects 2006 compi-
(2005 - 86 pp. – ISBN 92-894-9213-9 infoproducts/agrienvironmentreport_ lation (2006, 56 pp.-ISBN 92-79-02786-7)
– ISSN 1725-5619) en.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ infoproducts/lifeenvcompilation_06.pdf
infoproducts/lifeandmilitary_en.pdf LIFE for Natura 2000 - 10 years imple-
menting the regulation (2003 - 108 pp. LIFE-Nature Projects 2006 compilation
LIFE for birds - 25 years of the Birds – ISBN 92-894-4337-5) (2006, 67 pp. – ISBN 92-79-02788-3)
Directive: the contribution of LIFE- http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
Nature projects (2004 - 48 pp. – ISBN infoproducts/lifepournatura2000_en.pdf infoproducts/lifenatcompilation_06.pdf
92-894-7452-1 – ISSN 1725-5619)
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ A sustainable approach for the envi- LIFE-Third Countries Projects 2006
infoproducts/lifeforbirds_en.pdf ronment - LIFE and the Community compilation (2006, 20 pp. – ISBN 92-
Eco-Management and Audit Scheme 79-02787-5) http://ec.europa.eu/envi-
The air we breathe - LIFE and the Euro- (EMAS) (2003 - 32 pp. – ISBN 92-894- ronment/life/infoproducts/lifetcycompi-
pean Union clean air policy (2004 - 32 pp. 0543-0) lation_06.pdf
– ISBN 92-894-7899-3 – ISSN 1725-5619) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ infoproducts/emas_en.pdf LIFE-Environment Projects 2005 compi-
infoproducts/focusair/lifeair_hr_en.pdf lation (2005, 97 pp.-ISBN 92-79-00104-3)
Water, an essential resource - LIFE http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
LIFE-Nature: communicating with and the new European water policy infoproducts/lifeenvcompilation_05_
stakeholders and the general public (2002 - 28 pp. – ISBN 92-894-0538-4) lowres.pdf
- Best practice examples for Natura http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
2000 (2004 - 72 pp. – ISBN 92-894-7898- infoproducts/water_en.pdf LIFE-Nature Projects 2005 compilation
5 – ISSN 1725-5619) http://ec.europa. (2005, 55 pp. – ISBN 92-79-00102-7)
eu/environment/life/infoproducts/ http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/
naturecommunicating_lowres_en.pdf infoproducts/lifenatcompilation_05_
lowres.pdf
A cleaner, greener Europe - LIFE and
the European Union waste policy A number of printed copies of cer- LIFE-Third Countries Projects 2005
(2004 - 28 pp. – ISBN 92-894-6018-0 tain LIFE publications are available compilation (2005, 19 pp. – ISBN 92-
– ISSN 1725-5619) and can be ordered free-of-charge 79-00103-5) http://ec.europa.eu/envi-
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/ at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ ronment/life/infoproducts/lifetcycompi-
infoproducts/lifewaste_en.pdf env-informa/ lation_05_lowres.pdf
LIFE is made up of three thematic components: “LIFE-Nature”, “LIFE-Environment” and “LIFE-Third countries”.
Objectives
> with a view to sustainable development in the European Union, contribute to the drawing up, implementation and
updating of Community policy and legislation in the area of the environment;
> explore new solutions to environmental problems on a Community scale.
Beneficiaries any natural or legal person, provided that the projects financed meet the following general criteria:
> they are of Community interest and make a significant contribution to the general objectives;
> they are carried out by technically and financially sound participants;
> they are feasible in terms of technical proposals, timetable, budget and value for money.
Types of project
KH-AJ-06-001-EN-C
> Eligible for LIFE-Environment are innovative pilot and demonstration projects which bring environment-related
and sustainable development considerations together in land management, which promote sustainable water and
waste management or which minimise the environmental impact of economic activities, products and services.
LIFE-Environment also finances preparatory projects aiming at the development or updating of Community
environmental actions, instruments, legislation or policies.
> Eligible for LIFE-Nature are nature conservation projects which contribute to maintaining or restoring natural habitats
and/or populations of species in a favourable state of conservation within the meaning of the “Birds” (79/409/EEC)
and “Habitats” (92/43/EEC) Community Directives and which contribute to the establishment of the European network
of protected areas – NATURA 2000. LIFE-Nature also finances “co-op” projects aiming to develop the exchange of
experiences between projects.
> Eligible for LIFE-Third countries are projects which contribute to the establishment of capacities and administrative
structures needed in the environmental sector and in the development of environmental policy and action programmes
in some countries bordering the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.
Implementation National authorities in the Member States or third countries send the Commission the proposals of
projects to be co-financed (for LIFE-Environment preparatory projects, the applicants send their proposals directly to the
Commission). The Commission sets the date for sending the proposals annually. It monitors the projects financed and
supports the dissemination of their results. Accompanying measures enable the projects to be monitored on the ground.
European Commission
Life Focus / Best Life-Environment projects 2005-2006
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
2006 - 40p - 21 x 28 cm
ISBN 92-79-02123-0
ISSN 1725-5619
ISSN 1725-5619