Industrial Emissions Directive

A large portion of Europe’s pollution originates from industrial production processes, including the release of pollutants, wastewater discharges, and waste generation. In November 2010, the EU introduced the Industrial Emissions Directive, with the primary aim of reducing pollution from industrial activities. The directive replaced several previous environmental regulations, including the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive, in order to create a more unified and effective regulation of emissions.

The directive is updated – IED 2.0

On August 4, 2024, Directive 2010/75/EU was updated to 2024/1785 (IED 2.0). The overall aim remains the same, but the directive now covers a wider range of industries.

The updates are primarily driven by the EU’s ambitious climate and environmental objectives, along with technological developments in emission reduction. The revision also places greater emphasis on improved water and resource efficiency, expanded industry coverage, stricter emission limits, and enhanced transparency and monitoring.

You can read more about the updates in our news article here: https://swehydro.se/uppdaterat-IED

Objectives

As mentioned earlier, the overarching goal of IED is to minimize the impact of air pollution on human health and the environment by reducing harmful emissions from industries.

The main goals of the directive are:

• Promote innovation by using the most effective methods to reduce emissions.
• Set stricter emission limits and tougher conditions for granting exceptions.
• Streamline permits through regulations on industrial emissions portals to improve access to environmental data.
• Provide new tools for circular economy and resource efficiency, as well as reduce the use of hazardous chemicals.
• Cover more activities in the industry to reduce unregulated emissions (e.g., mining and waste landfill operations).
• Improve public rights by strengthening and expanding information, participation, and access to legal remedies.

How does the directive work?

National permit authorities are responsible for issuing environmental permits to the relevant installations.

A central part of the process is that industries must use Best Available Techniques (BAT). These are technologies that are environmentally effective, as well as economically and technically feasible. They are crucial for reducing and controlling emissions.

BAT is typically determined sector by sector through the transparent, collaborative, and evidence-based Sevilla Process. This process is managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and results in so-called BAT Reference Documents (BREFs). These documents form the basis for the development of BAT Conclusions (BATC), which are binding implementation decisions adopted by the Commission. BATCs serve as guidelines for member state permit authorities when setting permit conditions.

Environmental permits must also include specific requirements for resource efficiency in materials, water, and energy, where relevant. The aim is to better address challenges such as water scarcity and waste.

To ensure compliance, competent authorities conduct harmonized environmental inspections on-site. The frequency of inspections varies from one to three years, depending on the risk level of the activity.

You can read more about the directive here: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/industrial-emissions-and-safety/industrial-and-livestock-rearing-emissions-directive-ied-20_en

Project Stena Recycling

You can also read more about Stena Recycling, which in June 2024 installed a stormwater system to manage large volumes of industrial stormwater, after a new stormwater pond was put into operation. With significant amounts of water needing treatment and stricter requirements from the County Administrative Board in Sweden, a robust and reliable facility was required to meet the new regulations.

Read about the project here: https://swehydro.se/stena-recycling