Level(s) is the European Framework for Sustainable Buildings developed by the JRC, It is an assessment and reporting tool for the sustainability performance of buildings. It is closely affiliated with the goals of the European Green Deal for a sustainable building sector, and part of the actions described in the new Circular Economy Action Plan and the Renovation Wave Strategy. It was developed as one of the important elements of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative.
There are several sustainable practices of Level(s) at the JRC such as in Seville where candidates of the international architectural design contest for the new building were asked to include reports based on the Level(s) checklist in their proposals. Also in Geel, Level(s) is used for the refurbishment of the conference building (B100). This co-creation project involved JRC Geel staff in the building design which developed both flexible and multiple functionalities.
How does Level(s) support the New European Bauhaus?
Environmental sustainability is one of the three values of the New European Bauhaus, and part of the initiative’s strategy is to better connect the European Green Deal to our daily lives and living spaces. Level(s) complements this agenda by equipping proponents of the NEB in the building sector to identify measures to improve the sustainability of Europe’s buildings at every life cycle stage.
Making Commission's conferences and events even greener!
Since 2020 the Commission organises an annual corporate competition on sustainable conferences and events, in order to highlight and promote the successful and innovative sustainable events' practices already in place, under the aegis of Commissioner Hahn, responsible for Budget and Administration.
In 2024, the Commission Guidelines were updated to address virtual and hybrid events.
Under the "greening' initiative we will also investigate the possibility of developing a common tool for the calculation of the environmental impact of conference organisation.
Velomai - an example of staff participation
A staff wellness initiative coordinated by HR.D.2 'Be Well' team, initiated by the Executive Agencies HaDEA and EISMEA, launched the 2024 edition of Velomai, the interinstitutional cycling challenge from 1 to 31 May.
The 2024 edition's theme is Cycling towards a Greener Europe, focusing on building a community of cyclists. Colleagues across EU institutions, agencies, and bodies as well as delegations around the world compete by registering the rides in the VeloMai App.
EU Mobility week 2024 - an example of a staff campaign
In 2024, the promotion of soft mobility during EU Mobility Week (16-22/09) was celebrated: In Brussels, with the organisation of a bike repair workshop, four safe cycling training sessions (online and presential), and a Sustainbale Commuting Photo Competition.
Colleagues in Luxembourg were invited to go car-free on 17 September at the Cloche d’Or and Kirchberg sites. In Ispra, in collaboration with the Living Labs team, a new phase of the EV charging research project (PRISM) was launched, where staff could earn bonus credits to spend in energy for their electric vehicle, every time staff carpool with colleagues to and from work.
Smart EV-charging stations at the JRC
The JRC hosts the DES-Lab committed to testing innovative energy-related solutions in living contexts. High-tech start-ups can apply for testing their technologies upon an open call of interest, making use of a living environment such as the JRC Ispra site.
The winning applicant to last JRC open call, Silla industries, has signed an agreement with the JRC Ispra for a 3-year experimental project to test their technologies on-site. Silla industries offer a product called PRISM, an electric vehicle charger featuring an open solution for smart charging of electric cars. In particular, PRISM allows smart charging using the electricity produced instantaneously by a PV system connected to the local grid.
In cooperation with the infrastructures department, the DES-Lab has installed nine EV charging stations by the JRC Ispra solar parking for staff usage. The information collected (availability of the chargers, instant power, total energy supplied within a session) is at disposal of staff and shown on an interactive dashboard. The Living Lan approach allows studying user behavioral implications in relation to new technologies and steering users towards more virtuous and sustainable practices.
European Research Executive Agency (REA) - reducing physical presence in evaluations
REA manages an evaluation facility in Brussels for various EU Programmes. By 2018, it had already shifted significantly towards online and hybrid evaluation meetings, rather than inviting all experts to Brussels. And in 2022 they signed the corporate pledge for reducing CO2 emissions linked to staff and experts’ travel, seeking a 50% reduction by 2024 compared to 2019.
To support this change in programme implementation, REA converted 108 of 140 meeting rooms at one facility to hybrid rooms with improved audio-visual equipment to cater for online meetings and provide more flexibility for the management of online or hybrid meetings for evaluations and reviews.
Reduced physical presence owing to these measures (and Covid), led in 2020 to REA closing the proposal printing service and saving, in addition, 3 million sheets of paper annually (equivalent to 300 trees, and with a financial saving of €135,000).
Upcycling of old furniture in Brussels
Pictures showing the process of the upcycling of old furniture.
The image is a collage of two photos illustrating the upcycling of old furniture into new functional items within an office environment.
In the left photo, a white cabinet has been repurposed as a waste sorting station, with circular openings cut into the top surface and colored labels indicating different waste streams.
In the right photo, a light wood cabinet has been transformed into a water dispenser station. It includes a built-in tap on the countertop, a drip tray, glasses placed on the surface, and shelving above for additional glasses. A ventilation grille is visible on the lower front panel.
JRC Ispra circular economy
JRC Ispra approaches the circular economy from a range of perspectives.
Furniture in good condition from buildings demolition or refurbishment are collected and stored in warehouses where it is ready to replace old or damaged furniture. In 2024, 85% of desks, 75% of office cabinets and 30% of drawers removed were reused internally. On top of this, 15 laptop were donated to a nearby municipality.
A Stationery Corner was introduced - a place for collecting unused stationery items to give them a second life.
Finally, a group of colleagues inaugurated a collaborative space, called Repair Café, where, once a month, people gather to try to fix broken items, thus reducing waste and applying circular economy principles.
Sustainable procurement for events in Vienna
The Representation in Vienna strives to reduce waste by prohibiting its contractors to offer single-use utensils at events and avoiding printing out of event programmes, flyers or other promotional material. In the run-up to the European Elections 2024, the European Parliament Liaison Office in Vienna ordered seed paper postcards and seed bookmarks with visuals of the European Election 2024 campaign for distribution during promotional events. When the Representation participated in the Vienna Pride 2024, biodegradable balloons made from natural latex were used at the parade to contribute to this large-scale event in a sustainable manner.
On the right: use of natural latex (biodegradable)
balloons at Vienna Pride 2024, Credit: Grega Rogelj
Space-efficient waste separation in Valletta
An on-the-wall initiative in the office areas has made waste separation even easier by raising the bins off the ground, making them more visible at first glance to anyone passing, and more convenient to use. New bins were also purchased for the public areas and marked with what should be left where - to help visitors.
On the right: Mounted waste recycling bins at the office in Valletta
JRC Ispra has a valuable naturalistic character. The site hosts many interesting wildlife species and habitats. It aspires to protect and enhance biodiversity and aims to be regarded as a hot spot of biodiversity within the regional area. The most recent on-site activities that implement the EU Biodiversity strategy 2030 are listed below.
As a symbolic gesture to preserve the site's green areas and to engage staff, a yearly JRC Tree day was established. During the 2024 event, 120 native trees and shrubs were planted.
Deadwood piles creating wildlife habitat at the JRC Ispra
What are they?
Deadwood piles are small trees, branches and twigs stacked together – these materials are a by-product of our turf maintenance and storm debris.
Why?
Deadwood piles are deliberately created to host wildlife such as birds, mice, squirrels, rabbits, salamanders, frogs, lizards, snakes, hedgehogs and insects. These animals use the spaces between them as burrows or nesting sites to shelter from inclement weather, escape predators, and forage. Wooden stakes with holes provide homes for a variety of insects.
Did you know?
About 20% of our fauna lives directly or indirectly from deadwood, including fungi, lichens, mosses, ferns, insects, reptiles, birds and also mammals such as the cave-dwelling martens and dormice – all of which find an ideal habitat niche in deadwood.
Joint Research Centre - Ispra Site Management – Infrastructure Unit
In 2016 a standardised annual programme was established for monitoring the Rana latastei population, using a capture-mark-recapture methodology, to evaluate if any protective additional actions are needed. In 2016-2017 the population size was estimated of being about 87 breeding frogs and grew up to 176 in 2019. The monitoring had a new start in 2023 after a pause due to the Covid pandemic. Monitoring in 2024 was influenced by the anomalous weather patterns that made it difficult to identify the best period and to provide a new reliable population size estimate.
However in 2024, the occupancy increased to 33%, since an improvement of habitat and water condition in the pond behind the cogeneration plant allowed the species to colonize it again. On the other side, the detectability of the species dropped from 83% in 2023 to 75% in 2024, showing that, when present, the species is easily detected, especially when suitable habitat proportion occupied by the species decreases. Actions to improve habitat quality were established, including a containment plan to remove exotic predator fauna.
In the context of the European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (EBMS), JRC Ispra has conducted, since 2022, a weekly butterfly monitoring program within its territory, named "butterfly transect", as part of the efforts to monitor and conserve butterfly populations across Europe. During 2024, 22 species were identified, including for the first time a rather rare one, the Lopinga Achine, which is part of the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Sustainable catering in Vienna
Vienna requires external caterers to follow high standards on sustainability. One catering contractor is EMAS-certified.
These standards mean that only seasonal and regional products are used with a majority of vegetarian and vegan options. Single-use utensils are prohibited, and caterers are requested to provide paper take-away containers for leftovers or to distribute leftovers among staff to prevent food waste.
Innovative communication actions in Petten
At JRC Petten every first Thursday of the month a "Lunch walk" was organized. The walk starting from the site and ending in the dunes or beach of Petten promotes a health and environmental awareness as during the walk waste is collected. To increase the motivation also goodie bags were awarded to colleagues participating regularly to the walks.
To promote eco-friendly and natural cleaning products a workshop was organized at JRC Petten. Colleagues had the opportunity to create their own beeswax wraps, all-purpose household cleaner and toilet tabs.
In November 2024 a Kintsugi workshop was organized in Petten. Kintsugi is a Japanese art form where broken ceramics are mended with gold, silver or platina. Instead of hiding the fracture, it is emphasized and accentuated, so it becomes part of a stronger design. The philosophy of Kintsugi is based on the principles of Wabi-sabi: the beauty of imperfection and embracing transience. Awareness amongst colleagues on the topic of Upcycling was promoted during this interesting workshop.
Workflow software for managing audit findings
The EMAS staff have been tracking and presenting to management the status of audit findings in the EMAS Steering Committee meetings. The graphics below show separately the status of internal audit and external audit findings as presented in February 2025.
The greater number of unresolved findings in the external audit in 2024 was due to slightly later than usual auditing schedule in 2024.
Water use in JRC Ispra
The water used at the site comes entirely from Lake Maggiore. It then undergoes a series of treatments such as disinfection and filtration and is finally distributed either as "cooling water" (for cooling buildings, facilities and other technical purposes) or, after a second filtration and disinfection, as "drinking water" (toilets, water dispensers, canteens, social and sport areas, etc.).
The water used at the site comes entirely from Lake Maggiore. It then undergoes a series of treatments such as disinfection and filtration and is finally distributed either as "cooling water" (for cooling buildings, facilities and other technical purposes) or, after a second filtration and disinfection, as "drinking water" (water dispensers, canteens, social and sport areas, sanitary use, etc.).
The site's objective is to maximise the use of "cooling water", since it is a renewable energy source, while reducing the water used for "drinking purposes".
In 2024, works for the implementation of numerous improvements to the water system started. These works aimed to improve all water cycle system starting from pumping station to the wastewater treatment plant.
