LIFE & Environmental certification The EU LIFE Programme The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. Since 1992 it has co-financed pilot and demonstration projects that contribute to the implementation and development of EU environment policy and legislation. LIFE has supported public authorities and the private sector in developing environmental management schemes and raising awareness to decrease the impact of their activities. LIFE has helped identify barriers to uptake and pioneered the implementation of EU Ecolabel and EMAS procedures and other green certification in diverse public and private sector contexts. Of the 4 171 projects supported by LIFE to date, 139 specifically deal with environmental certification (Ecolabel, EMAS, ISO14000, ETV, etc), mobilising a total budget of some 150 million euros. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have coordinated the majority of these projects. These enterprises come from a range of manufacturing and service sectors, including: marine aquaculture, wine production, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, cleaning products, printing, retail, sport and events and hospitals. Two successful environmental labelling LIFE projects are profiled below, followed by a list of 14 other notable projects. Further details about these, can be found in the LIFE project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/
M A R I N E A Q U A C U L T U R E
Title: ECOSMA - Ecological Certification of Products from Sustainable Marine Aquaculture Project number: LIFE07 ENV/D/000229 Coordinator: CRM - Coastal research and Management GbR Website: http://www.ecosma.de
Title: WINEC - Advanced systems for the enhancement of the environmental performance of WINEries in Cyprus Project number: LIFE08 ENV/CY/000455 Coordinator: University of Cyprus Website: www.eng.ucy.ac.cy/winec
ECOSMA
WINEC
The ECOSMA project brought together numerous stakeholders such as producers, retailers, scientists, supervisory authorities and consumers to initiate a discussion and develop criteria for organic aquaculture. A committee bringing together stakeholders in the aquaculture sector was created , which continued its’ activities aſter the project end date, under the association the “Bundesverband Aquakultur” (Federal Association of Aquaculture), which was founded in October 2011.
The ‘WINEC’ project has developed an environmental management system (EMS) and wastewater treatment plant for the Tsiakkas Winery in the Troodos Mountains. It is hoped that this will have an important demonstration effect, since many small Cypriot wineries still spread their untreated effluent in fields, thereby polluting groundwater resources. Wineries also consume large quantities of water in cleaning fermentation tanks, barrels and other equipment (approximately three to four litres per litre of wine produced).
During the project, a wide range of dissemination activities, training programmes and public events were carried out successfully. For example, a list of all eco-labels for fish and seafood found in Germany was compiled; a lecture showed the differences between conventional and sustainable aquaculture and highlighted the variety of eco-labels on the market; an educational game on consumption patterns in relation to fish and seafood was presented; the Kiel “Day on the quayside” initiated by the project has since become an annual street festival with training sessions and exhibitions about sustainable aquaculture. The project demonstrated guidelines for calculating the CO2 emissions from each process and sub-process in the cultivation of seaweed and in the production of a seaweed extract. This CO2 footprinting exercise was a first for the aquaculture sector, anywhere in the world, and followed the new procedures of the GHG Product Protocol. It also developed “Guidelines for sustainable marine aquaculture”, which provide detailed information, including a business model, for sustainable marine aquaculture businesses. CRM was the first company in Germany to be certified under EU Regulation ((EC) No 834/2007) on organic production and the labeling of organic products.
The new wastewater treatment plant was developed by the University of Cyprus, the LIFE project beneficiary. Pilot scale tests showed that the combined membrane bioreactor (MBR)/Solar Advanced Oxidation system was able to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) by more than 80%, as well as cutting the toxicity and phytotoxicity of the final effluent to zero. The demonstration plant at Tsiakkas Winery has been operating regularly since October 2011, enabling the business to re-use the treated wastewater to irrigate all its vineyards, with potential savings of up to 400 tonnes/ yr of fresh water. The plant has the capacity to treat up to 1 500 tonnes/yr of water and the winery intends to install 200-300 tonne storage tanks to enable re-use of a significant proportion of the treated water. In conjunction with the University of Cyprus, the winery has also implemented steps to reduce the environmental impact of its processes.
W I N E P R O D U C T I O N
Lessons from this “eco mapping” process fed into a good practice guide for improving the environmental performance of wineries and specifications for wastewater treatment plants, which was developed by the beneficiary as part of the ‘WINEC’ project. The work also provided the impetus for Tsiakkas Winery in its quest for EMAS certification (awarded in 2012).
Environment
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SELECTIVE LIST – PROJECTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION B.R.A.V.E.
GREENING BOOKS
Better Regulation Aimed at Valorising Emas
Improving the environmental performance of publications from design to lecture!
Coordinator: Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant’Anna
www.braveproject.eu
LIFE10 ENV/IT/000423
LIFE09 ENV/ES/000457
SUMFLOWER
Establishment of Impact Assessment Procedure as a tool for the sustainability of agroecosystem: the case of mediterranean olives
SUstainable Management of FLOriculture in WEstern Riviera
http://www.sage10.gr
LIFE09 ENV/GR/000302
Coordinator: Università degli studi di Genova - Giardini Botanici Hanbury http://www.sumflower.eu
LIFE09 ENV/IT/000067
HAproWINE
GREEN COMMERCE
Integrated waste management and life cycle assessment in the wine industry: From waste to high-value products
Compromise for a reduction of the environmental impact of the retail sector
Coordinator: Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León www.haprowine.eu
Coordinator: Conselleria de Industria, Comercio e Innovación
LIFE08 ENV/E/000143
LIFE08 ENV/E/000138
PROMISE
E.C.C.E.L.S.A.
Product Main Impacts Sustainability through Eco-communication
Environmental Compliance based on Cluster Experiences and Local Sme-oriented Approaches
Coordinator: Regione Liguria Dipartimento Ambiente
Coordinator: Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant’Anna
http://www.lifepromise.it
LIFE07 ENV/IT/000515
LIFE08 INF/IT/000312
WEEELABEX
TRITECH ETV
WEEE LABEL OF EXCELLENCE. European Standards for Treatment and Recycling of E&E Waste and for Monitoring the Processing Companies
Pilot Scheme for an EU Environmental Technologies Verification System Incorporating Soil Remediation, Waste Water Treatment and Energy Related Technologies
Coordinator: Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum www.weee-forum.org/
LIFE07 ENV/B/000041
Coordinator: Beta Technology Ltd www.lifeetv.com
LIFE06 PREP/UK/000002
Ecostep
DESTINATIONS
Implementation of a Integrated Managementsystem for small and medium enterprises
Development of Strategies for Sustainable Tourism Investments in the Mediterranean Nations
Coordinator: Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz
Coordinator: Priority Actions Programme (PAP) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)
www.ecostep-online.de
www.project-destinations.org
LIFE04 ENV/DE/000052
LIFE06 TCY/INT/000250
P.H.A.R.O.S.
ECOMASS
Playground harbour and research of sustainability
Eco-Efficient Mass Event EMS manual
Coordinator: Regione Liguria
Coordinator: TKK Dipoli Environmental Education, Helskinki University of Technology
www.lifepharos.it
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http://greeningbooks.eu
SAGE10
Coordinator: Benaki Phytopathological Institute
© European Union, 2015
Coordinator: Acondicionamiento Tarrasense
LIFE04 ENV/IT/000437
LIFE04 ENV/FI/000309
Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life
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