News and events published on the EcoAP Community Platform

• Report on implementation of EU water legislation emphasises role of eco-innovation
• Recovering solar panel silicon
• New study: cost-effective river restoration

There are potentially major business opportunities in the European Union for high-tech small and medium-sized companies that specialise in the “technospheric mining” of rare earth elements, according to a recent study for the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate is an international initiative, chaired by former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón and backed by the governments of Colombia, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In September 2014, the commission oversaw the publication of a major report, Better Growth, Better Climate, which makes the case for the economic benefits of efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Jason Eis, the lead innovation author for the report, discussed the need to facilitate low-carbon innovation and the need for system-wide approaches, in particular in a city context.

The Netherlands is gearing up to make the circular economy a centrepiece of its presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of 2016. As part of the preparations, a project to make the Netherlands a “circular hotspot” started in September 2014.