EU Green Week 2021
The EU Green Week is one of the main European events dedicated to environmental policy, which takes place yearly. In 2021, the priority was given to “Zero pollution for healthier people and planet. In that context, from May 31 to June 4, 2021, various virtual events – including the Opening Event in Lahti (Finland), 4 days of conferences and several virtual stands hosted by prestigious groups and institutions – were organized. The following article describes how the INCITE project and its associated public-private partnership, the SPIRE program, are contributing to Zero Pollution Ambitions.
The European Green Week initiative
This year, the European Green week focused on the ‘zero pollution ambition’. It was articulated around the EU Action Plan toward a Zero Pollution Ambition. Other relevant European Green Deal initiatives were also discussed, such as climate initiatives, the upcoming Chemicals Strategy, as well as initiatives in the fields of energy, industry, mobility, agriculture, fisheries, health and biodiversity. During the whole week, discussions focused on the role of EU policies in moving towards a toxic-free environment across the EU while creating jobs and sustainable growth. Topics such as better monitoring and reporting, prevention and remediation of pollution from the air, water, soil, and consumer products were raised.
Current contribution of INCITE to reduce hazardous chemical uses and waste generation using enzymes and flow chemistry at an industrial scale
INCITE is aiming to accelerate a transition to a more flexible and sustainable chemistry by taking novel integrated upstream and downstream processing. The project involves flow chemistry and membrane technology in two chemo-enzymatic demonstration cases at an industrial level. Globally, the project is expected to positively impact the environment by drastically reducing the energy and carbon dioxide emission. It will also greatly reduce raw materials requirements (including hazardous organic solvents) alongside cutting down waste production, compared to traditional chemical synthesis.
Process4Planet: the future of process industries and the ambition for a zero pollution and toxic-free environment
Following the significant impacts of the current SPIRE2030 Roadmap, SPIRE founding partners, the A.SPIRE European Association and the European Commission published the “Processes4Planet Partnership Guidance document – Transforming the European Process Industry for a sustainable society” coupled with its 2050 roadmap. The initiative notably ambitions circularity of European process industries by a cross-sectorial approach to achieve the EU Green Deal targets by 2050. They will act to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels while increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Most importantly, they will aim for the ultimate goal of zero landfilling and water discharge, circular models will be implemented across industrial sectors, value chains and with regions and cities.
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More information about the Zero pollution action plan: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/zero-pollution-action-plan_en
Take a watch at “The 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkOaRmWi0Cg
