EU Water Framework Directive
In September 2017, ABIS - The Academy of Business in Society hosted a five-day learning activity for all project partners. During those five days, through lectures and interactive workshops, project partners, decision makers and enterprise representatives were present in order to learn and share experiences about all six project topics, with an emphasis on the current state of play of CSR policies at the EU level.
Second day was dedicated to The Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and it featured a presentation from every project partner on the topic of EU Water Framework, its transposition into national legislation, current status, challenges and limitations in its implementation as well as best practice examples from partners countries.
Third day included a study visit to the institutions of the European Union. Project partners went to the European Commission, Directorate General for Environment, for a meeting with Karen Dalgaard-Sanning, Policy Officer working on the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive, where they had the chance to learn first-hand about the current state of play of EU CSR policies relating to water, difficulties regarding their implementation as well as the role of corporate social responsibility in sustainable water management and the rising question of economic value of water.
Educational materials about this topic can be found below:
European Commission, DG Environment (Karen Dalgaard-Sanning)
Refill Campaign: Tackling the source of plastic waste
14.02.2018.
The footage of plastic waste in our oceans and its destruction of sea life has sparked a powerful wave of activism that aims to reduce our plastic waste. Around 12 million tonnes of plastic are thrown away each year into the oceans, and this could increase ten fold in the next ten years if no action is taken. This has given new impetus to the Refill campaign.
more...Freewa: social impact startup is mapping free drinking water
27.12.2017.
Freewa, launched in 2017, is a small startup from Croatia aimed to increase the availability of drinking water worldwide. It consists of a web platform, a mobile app for mapping free drinking water locations and an eco-friendly water bottle. App is developed through crowd mapping and crowd monitoring of global clean water resources and it reveals the closest free drinking water location. It has mapped over 2000 sources in over a hundred cities around the world.
more...The Water Crisis, an SME response
19.12.2017.
The Water crisis is ranked as the biggest long-term risk that we are facing. The cause of this is simple: our demand for water is increasing despite a decreasing supply. The effects of this are less simple for people to identify. Diminishing water supply destroys wildlife, as well as our livelihood. For instance, it causes fights over water supplies and less food being produced. This has impacted farmers from Southern European regions, but also Poland, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
more...The importance of water: Italy is making an effort
09.10.2017.
Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water has introduced an innovative approach to European legislation from the environmental, administrative and management point of view. The basic principles of the European Directive are essentially to prevent qualitative and quantitative deterioration, improve water status and ensure sustainable use. Specifically, the objectives identified by the Directive are to extend the protection of both surface and underground water...
more...Bathing water quality standards in Europe better than ever before
02.10.2017.
During the third Learning Activity in Brussels, the Hi4CSR team had the chance to learn more on the current state of the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The team went to the to the European Commission for a meeting with Karen Dalgaard-Sanning, Policy Officer working on the implementation of the Directive, where they learned first-hand about the current state of play of EU CSR policies relating to water, difficulties in their implementation and role of CSR in sustainable water management...
more...The Water Framework Directive
25.08.2017.
Water is an essential resource for economy and at the very core of sustainable development. In the context of EU, it is a key element in the agenda on growth, jobs and investment, since all economic sectors need water for their activities, but also because the water sector directly includes 9000 active SMEs and almost 600.000 jobs in water utilities alone. Also, there is a growing awareness of the role of corporate social responsibility in sustainable water management...
more...Water and Financial Returns — Don’t Be Hung Out to Dry
Recently, investment professionals have paid increasing attention to the impact of carbon-intensive businesses on financial returns. Stricter regulation and increased certainty of higher carbon pricing have made this a mainstream concern. S&P Global Ratings’ announcement of a green assessment of debt finance in September 2016 is one notable example of this trend.
more...Slovenia adds water to constitution as fundamental right for all
In November, Slovenian parliament adopted an amendment to constitution, making the right to drinking water a fundamental right. Slovenia is the first European Union country to include the right to water in its constitution; although according to Rampedre (the online Permanent World Report on the Right to Water) 15 other countries across the world had already done so.
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