Partners
Responsible mobility
Active transport incorporates all modes of transport relying on human power for propulsion. The most familiar modes are undoubtedly walking and cycling, but other modes include kick-scooters and skateboards, kayaking, skiing and running. Source: Interreg Europe (https://www.interregeurope.eu/sites/default/files/inline/TO4_PolicyBrief_Active_Modes.pdf)
Responsible mobility
Bike sharing refers to short-term urban bicycle rental schemes that provide bicycles to users for A-to-B trips. Also known as Public-use Bicycles (PUB’s) or city bikes, bike sharing allows users to pick up a bicycle from one self-serve bicycle station and return it to any other bicycle station. These schemes are typically operated on a self-service basis and are available for public use. Source: European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) (https://ecf.com/what-we-do/urban-mobility/bike-share-schemes-bss)
Responsible use of resources
Capable of decomposing rapidly by microorganisms under natural conditions (aerobic and/or anaerobic). Most organic materials, such as food scraps and paper are biodegradable. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible mobility
Carpooling is defined as the joint use of a land motor vehicle by a driver and one or more passengers, carried out without payment, except for the sharing of costs, in the course of a journey undertaken by the driver on his own account. Source: French Republic - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A15032?lang=en)
Responsible clothing
Circular fashion is about designing waste and pollution out of our clothes, and ensuring they help regenerate natural systems at the end of their (long) lives. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible food
Circular food systems prioritize regenerative production, favor reuse and sharing practices, reduce resource inputs and pollution and ensure resource recovery for future uses. As such, they close resource loops and pursue cross-sectoral synergies (e.g. with water and energy systems) that contribute to the resilience of a territory. Source: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (https://circulars.iclei.org/food-systems-handbook/#:~:text=What%20are%20circular%20food%20systems,resource%20recovery%20for%20future%20uses.)
Responsible food
Composting is a biological process that decomposes biodegradable waste and transforms it into a stable product, which can be used for soil improvement and plant nutrition. Composting is an environmentally friendly waste management method that helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve natural resources, and enhance soil health. Source: European Parliament (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098&from=EN)
Responsible use of resources
The integration of environmental aspects into the product development process, by balancing ecological and economic requirements. Eco-design considers environmental aspects at all stages of the product development process, striving for products which make the lowest possible environmental impact throughout the product life cycle. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible mobility
Electric vehicles are vehicles that use electricity as an energy source for their propulsion. They have the ability to substitute oil with a wide variety of primary energy sources, ensuring security of energy supply and promoting the use of renewable and carbon-free energy sources in the transportation sector. Source: European Commision (https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/clean-transport-urban-transport/clean-and-energy-efficient-vehicles/green-propulsion-transport/electric-vehicles_en)
Responsible mobility
Emissions means the release of greenhouse gases and/or their precursors into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time. Source: Eurostat Glossary (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Carbon_dioxide_emissions)
Responsible use of resources
Refers to actions to save fuels by better building design, the modification of production processes, better selection of road vehicles and transport policies, the adoption of district heating schemes in conjunction with electrical power generation, and the use of domestic insulation and double glazing in homes. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible clothing
A movement that seeks to address the challenges faced by workers in the global garment industry. It involves adopting international standards and codes of labor practices that prioritize the safety, well-being, and human rights of workers in the industry. Ethical fashion also focuses on promoting sustainable practices and responsible supply chain management to minimize the negative impact of the industry on the environment. Source: Fair Wear Foundation (https://www.fairwear.org/about-us/labour-standards)
Responsible food
Fair trade is a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in developing countries. Fair trade organizations promote fair prices and stable markets, and provide training and support to enable producers to improve their businesses and communities. Source: European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/fair-trade/)
Responsible clothing
Fast fashion is a model of fashion production and consumption that relies on fast turnaround of styles and products with sales prices, often leading to fast discarding of pieces, cumulatively resulting in extremely high social and environmental costs throughout the entire value chain. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible food
The distance food travels from where it is grown to where it is ultimately purchased or consumed by the end user. The more food miles that attach to a given food, the less sustainable and the less environmentally desirable that food is. Source: Global Development Research Center (https://www.gdrc.org/uem/footprints/food-miles.html#:~:text=What%20is%20Food%20Miles%3F,consumed%20by%20the%20end%20user.)
Responsible food
Food waste is any food intended for human consumption that is discarded, lost, or degraded along the food supply chain, from the primary production up to the point of consumption. It includes both food that is fit for human consumption but is not eaten, and food that is not fit for human consumption and is disposed of. Source: European Parliament (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2017/614630/EPRS_BRI(2017)614630_EN.pdf)
Responsible mobility
The proportion of energy released by fuel combustion that is converted into useful energy. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/fuel-efficiency)
Responsible food
GMO-free products are those that do not contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The use of GMOs in food and agriculture is regulated in the EU to ensure their safety for human health and the environment. Source: European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/gmo_en)
Responsible use of resources
Greenwashing is the practice of companies misleading consumers by providing false or exaggerated environmental claims about their products or services. This can give consumers a false impression of a company's environmental impact or benefits, leading to a lack of trust in environmental claims. As a result, consumers may be misled into believing that a company's product or service is more environmentally friendly than it actually is. Source: European Commission (https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/circular-economy/green-claims_en#:~:text=Some%20environmental%20claims%20are%20not,a%20practise%20known%20as%20greenwashing.)
Responsible mobility
The physical support of transport modes, where routes (e.g. rail tracks, canals, or highways) and terminals (e.g. ports or airports) are the most significant components. Infrastructures also include superstructures, which are movable assets that usually have a shorter lifespan. Source: The Geography of Transport System (https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter1/what-is-transport-geography/core-components-transportation/)
Responsible mobility
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a process of evaluating the effects that a product has on the environment over the entire period of its life thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and decreasing liabilities Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/life-cycle-assessment#:~:text=Life%2Dcycle%20assessment%20(LCA),use%20efficiency%20and%20decreasing%20liabilities.)
Responsible food
Locally sourced products are those that have been produced within a certain radius of the point of consumption, usually around 150 km. By sourcing products locally, organizations can reduce the environmental impact of transport and support local producers and economies. Source: Official Journal of the European Union (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R0543&from=EN)
Responsible clothing
Microplastics or microfibres refer to plastic particles smaller than 5mm. Synthetic clothes, which are one of the largest sources of environmental pollution, are responsible for more than one-third of all microplastics polluting our waters. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible food
Organic farming is a production method that aims to produce food while respecting natural life cycles. It emphasizes the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. Organic farming avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and promotes animal welfare. Source: European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/organic-farming_en)
Responsible clothing
Organic cotton is cotton grown in farming systems that have the potential to sustain and promote the health of soils, ecosystems, and people by relying on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles that are adapted to local conditions rather than using external inputs that could have adverse effects. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible food
Foods that are primarily made from plants and may also contain other non-animal ingredients such as dairy products, eggs, and honey. Source: Official Journal of the European Union (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0116&from=EN)
Responsible mobility
The act or the means of conveying people in mass as opposed to conveyance in private vehicles. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible clothing
Material that has been reprocessed from reclaimed material by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a product. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible use of resources
Energy sources that do not rely on fuels of which there are only finite stocks. The most widely used renewable source is hydroelectric power; other renewable sources are biomass energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wave energy, and wind energy. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible use of resources
For renewable resources, the part of the harvest, logging, catch and so forth above the sustainable level of the resource stock; for non-renewable resources, the quantity of resources extracted. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
Responsible clothing
A movement that advocates for the production of high-quality, timeless clothing made from sustainable materials, with a focus on reducing waste and promoting ethical and transparent supply chains. Slow fashion emphasizes thoughtful and intentional purchasing habits, encourages the building of minimalist wardrobes, and promotes the idea of investing in well-made and long-lasting clothing. Source: The Good Trade (https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-slow-fashion/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20caring%20for,chain%20process%20and%20labor%20conditions.)
Responsible use of resources
Corporate Social Responsibility is defined by the European Commission as “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”. This includes how a company’s activities affect – among other things – human rights, workers, the rule of law, the community, and the environment. Source: European Trade Union Confederation (https://www.etuc.org/en/issue/corporate-social-responsibility-csr#:~:text=Corporate%20Social%20Responsibility%20is%20defined,the%20community%2C%20and%20the%20environment.)
Responsible use of resources
Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present whilst ensuring future generations can meet their own needs. It has three pillars: economic, environmental and social. To achieve sustainable development, policies in these three areas have to work together and support each other. Source: European Commisision (https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/development-and-sustainability/sustainable-development_en#:~:text=Sustainable%20development%20means%20meeting%20the,together%20and%20support%20each%20other.)
Responsible clothing
Sustainable fashion means finding a balance when designing, manufacturing, and consuming clothes. It means avoiding the depletion of natural resources, but also the exploitation of individuals and communities. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible food
Sustainable fishing is fishing that ensures healthy fish stocks and does not harm the marine ecosystem. It aims to maintain fish populations at a level that can produce maximum sustainable yield (MSY), which is the highest catch that can be taken without compromising the ability of fish populations to replenish themselves. Source: European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/sustainability/sustainable-fishing_en)
Responsible mobility
Sustainable transport refers to modes of transportation that prioritize the reduction of negative environmental and health impacts caused by transportation activities, particularly in relation to greenhouse gas emissions. This can be achieved through the promotion of affordable, accessible, healthier and cleaner alternatives to traditional transportation methods. Source: European Commission (https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/sustainable-transport_en)
Responsible clothing
Material that would have been disposed of as waste but is instead reprocessed by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a production. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible clothing
It is about re-using and re-purposing old items to make something new, like using old bedsheets to make a face mask. Upcycling removes waste from the system, requires less energy than recycling, and so has a better environmental impact. Source: The Sustainablity Club (https://www.thesustainabilityclub.com/glossary)
Responsible use of resources
Waste reduction is a strategy and set of actions aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated and sent to landfills or incinerators. It involves a shift towards sustainable consumption and circular economy, in which materials are kept in use for as long as possible, and waste is avoided, minimized, or repurposed. Source: European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) project (https://ewwr.eu/project/)
Responsible use of resources
Distinction is made between renewable and non-renewable water resources. Non-renewable water resources are not replenished at all or for a very long time by nature. This includes the so-called fossil waters. Renewable water resources are rechargeable due to the hydrological cycle unless they are overexploited, comprising groundwater aquifers and surface water like rivers and lakes. Internal renewable water resources comprise the average annual flow of rivers and groundwater generated from endogenous precipitation. Source: European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/help/glossary/eea-glossary/)
