sustainability

Digitalisation

UBA application lab for AI and Big Data

Two wind turbines, a solar plant, two people, the globe, plant leaves and diagrams illustrating the topics of the AI Lab are depicted on a light-coloured background.

The Application Lab for Artificial Intelligence and Big Data (AI Lab) at the Federal Environment Agency makes AI and big data methods usable for environmental and sustainability applications. As a space for innovation and experimentation for the environment department, it focuses on the added value of AI for people and the environment and identifies new research questions in this field. read more

Waste | Resources

Resource use in Germany

Opencast mining with large machines

In 2019, German consumption of raw materials totalled 1,328 million tonnes, or 16 tonnes per capita. This represents only a slight change in the trend up to 2018. In 2019, raw material consumption in Germany will fall slightly. German raw material consumption will also fall slightly in 2020 and 2021. read more

News on Economy | Consumption

Start the transformation of the food system now!

Verschiedene Gemüse wie Möhren, Knoblauch, Sellerieknollen und eine Zucchini

Ecological, regional and plant-based: The transformation of our food system towards more sustainability was the focus of a research project commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). New UBA brochure outlines strategies for a sustainable change in our diet. read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Series: Extended Producer Responsibility in international law

World map from green leaves

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been increasingly discussed as a concept to solve the current waste problems for specific products. Thomas Lindhqvist first described it in 1990 as “an environmental protection strategy to reach an environmental objective of a decreased total environmental impact of a product, by making the manufacturer of the product responsible for the entire life-cycle... read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Series: The relevance of the War in Ukraine for transformation

Weltkugelfahnen

The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the urgently needed sustainability transformation face new challenges due to the Russia’s war against Ukraine. Especially in European societies, many initiated changes are currently re-evaluated under the unprecedented geopolitical situation ("Zeitenwende"), such as energy supply, mobility, and agriculture. The German Environment Agency... read more

Sustainability | Strategies | International matters

Preventing corruption for a sustainability transformation

Treppe auswärts mit grünem Blättern umringt.

From 14 to 16 February 2023, the International Academy Transformation for Environment and Sustainability at the UBA (abbreviated to "TES Academy") held a three-day workshop on "Corruption Prevention as a Prerequisite for Successful Sustainability Transformation". In a video statement, the participating international experts call for cooperation in the prevention of corruption.Corrupt practices are... read more

Water

Germany’s HELCOM Chairmanship 2020 – 2022

Logo von HELCOM

On 1 July 2020, Germany took over the chairmanship of the Helsinki Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea for two years. Selected pressures, the protection of species / habitats and climate change are among Germany's priority topics. The focus is on the revision of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, which will be adopted by a ministerial conference in October 2021. read more

The Umweltbundesamt

For our environment