EEA: the circular economy could cut the EU’s climate footprint by 22%
New European Environment Agency estimates: almost one billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent less — but with an investment gap of around €82 billion a year.
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ISO 59000: what it is and why it matters to your business
The circular economy has become a central goal for businesses, municipalities and funders. Until recently, however, something essential was missing: a common way to define, measure and prove it. This gap is now filled by a new family of international standards: ISO 59000. What the ISO 59000 family is It is a series of international…
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Green claims: what changes under Directive (EU) 2024/825
From 27 September 2026 the new rules of Directive (EU) 2024/825 on “empowering consumers for the green transition” apply across the European Union. Their aim is simple: to stop vague and unproven environmental claims, known as greenwashing. For companies with real results, this change is an opportunity. For those relying on generic “green” messages, it…
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Environmental permitting: the most common mistakes businesses make
For most businesses, environmental permitting is something that was “done” once the decision was issued. In practice, however, the permit lives alongside the business: it has conditions that must be met, expiry dates and obligations that change when the activity changes. Most problems in inspections, financing and transfers are not caused by bad intent, but…
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Business bio-waste: from cost to resource
For a hotel, a restaurant, a supermarket or a food manufacturer, bio-waste is usually the heaviest and most difficult waste stream: kitchen scraps, expired products, production by-products, green waste from gardens. Most of it still ends up in the mixed waste bin. That means cost, odours, more frequent collection and a resource that is lost….
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How circularity is measured: a practical guide to ISO 59020
In our previous article we looked at what the ISO 59000 family of standards is. Here we move on to the more practical question: how do we measure how circular a business, a product or a municipality really is? The answer comes from ISO 59020. What ISO 59020 is ISO 59020:2024 “Circular economy — Measuring…
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Separate bio-waste collection: a practical guide for municipalities
Bio-waste, i.e. food scraps and green waste from gardens and parks, makes up a significant share of municipal waste. When it ends up in the mixed waste bin, it raises landfill costs and a valuable resource is lost. When it is collected separately, it becomes compost for the soil. The framework: what applies Without bio-waste,…
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Separate bio-waste collection: what applies in 2026 in the EU and Greece
Since 1 January 2024, every EU Member State has been required to collect bio-waste separately or recycle it at source. Greece had already made this a national obligation from the end of 2022. Yet in 2026 less than a fifth of the country’s municipal waste is recycled, and the European Commission has once again referred…
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The brown bin in Greece: from pilots to full roll-out
Greece now has bins and collection trucks for bio-waste, but not yet the plants to make use of it. Of the 28 planned Bio-waste Treatment Plants (MEBA), only 3 were operating at the end of 2025, according to the European Court of Auditors. A collection chain without treatment does not close the loop. The first…
