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Collection and treatment of wastewater has improved in Europe's cities and towns, but there are different success levels between the European Union Member States, a new report reveals. The European Commission recently published the 10th report on the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD), which is part of the Commission's zero pollution efforts. The report shows that compliance rates with...

An additional £1.5M of EU funding from the Welsh Government allows marine renewables research to continue in Welsh waters until 2022. Specifically, the funding boost extends the SEACAMS2 project, which supports developing economic opportunities in Low Carbon, Energy and Environment through specialisation in commercial application of research and innovation in marine renewable energy, climate change resilience and resource efficiency in...

Fuel-poor households in Scotland are to benefit from a further £16 million government investment to improve energy efficiency in their homes. The money will be used to improve insulation and install energy-efficient heating systems, including those using renewable technology, contributing to Scotland’s net zero targets and helping to meet a key Programme for Government commitment. Warmer Homes Scotland, the Scottish Government’s...

Experts at the University’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures found that farmers would no longer need to rely on government subsidies if they allowed native trees to return to their land and sold credits for the carbon dioxide (CO2) the forest absorbs. The study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, calculated that most sheep farms in the UK make a loss without...

Five global organisations, whose frameworks, standards and platforms guide the majority of sustainability and integrated reporting, have announced a shared vision of what is needed for progress towards comprehensive corporate reporting. Transparent measurement and disclosure of sustainability performance is now considered to be a fundamental part of effective business management, and essential for preserving trust in business as a force...

Retailer Iceland calls after making plastic packaging reporting mandatory for UK businesses in the upcoming Environment Bill after unveiling their own 'plastic footprint'. Richard Walker, Managing Director of Iceland, unveiled the company's 'Plastic Packaging Footprint', the amount of plastic produced by the company in 2019. In his recent blog post, Mr Walker wrote: "Almost every week, we see businesses making announcements...

Island communities in Scotland will benefit from a £2 million programme of locally-led green projects designed to help support their economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The Islands Green Recovery Programme, announced in the Scottish Programme for Government and now open for applications, is split into four strands and managed by four partners, delivering investment in low carbon transport, food...

United Utilities is set to join a list of the world’s most sustainable companies to invest in, with the company to be featured in the Global Challenges Index from September 18. Phil Aspin, Chief Financial Officer of United Utilities, commented on the announcement: “We firmly believe that our long-term prospects are inextricably linked to our ability to operate sustainably and to...

The LEGO Group has announced plans to invest up to $400 million over three years to build on the company's sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. The investment will cover both long-term investments and ongoing costs. The LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen, commented on the announcement: “We cannot lose sight of the fundamental challenges facing future generations. “It’s critical we take urgent...

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has launched a process to develop the first science-based global standard for corporate net-zero target setting, to ensure that companies’ net-zero targets translate into action that is consistent with achieving a net-zero world by no later than 2050. The process is marked with the publication of a new paper that lays out the conceptual foundations...