Science

Transport remains Europe’s most persistent climate challenge. Although rail offers a comparatively low-emission option for moving passengers and freight, road transport continues to dominate, keeping greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions at a high level. This is the key conclusion of a report published today by the European Environment Agency.

European citizens show high levels of concern about extreme heat and other consequences of climate change, while many remain insufficiently prepared to cope with these impacts in their daily lives. This is the central finding of a recent Europe-wide survey analysing public perceptions of climate risks and adaptation measures.

Textiles have not yet been part of a functioning circular economy, either in Switzerland or internationally. In particular, the reuse of fibres as a raw material for new textiles is associated with technical, organisational and economic challenges.

Newly published research indicates that the climate benefits of plastic recycling in Europe depend primarily on recycling quality rather than recycling volume.

Abandoned and discarded fishing nets are a persistent source of plastic pollution in seas and oceans. The REDES4VALUE project addresses this issue by developing processes to recover and recycle end-of-life fishing nets and convert them into secondary raw materials for industrial applications.

The EU-funded REFRESH project has demonstrated that recycled glass fibres recovered from decommissioned wind turbine blades can be processed into a nonwoven mat and used in the manufacture of a new blade section. The project partners produced the mat from glass fibres obtained through thermal recycling and used it in a non-structural blade component manufactured via vacuum infusion.

Investing in climate adaptation can strengthen Europe’s economic resilience and competitiveness by reducing losses from increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Climate-proofing agriculture, energy and transport could prevent substantial economic damage while supporting long-term productivity, according to a recent briefing by the European Environment Agency.

A new research project is developing processes to manufacture bioplastics from agricultural residues and pruning waste generated in the Valencian Community.

Growing concern about plastic waste management and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels has driven the development of bioplastics, whose global production capacity will reach 5.7 million tonnes in 2029, according to the European Bioplastics association.

A major European research initiative coordinated by Fraunhofer Umsicht has been launched to develop integrated solutions for textile waste recycling.