Industrial pollutant releases into the air in Europe (Indicator)

Key messages: Industrial releases of SO_X and PM₁₀decreased by about 70% in the EU between 2010 and 2022.Other emissions decreased to a lesser extent: heavy metals (Cd, Hg and Pb) by 58%, NO_X by 48%, NMVOC by 35% and CO₂ by 25%. The effect of COVID-19 is apparent in 2020 with a rebound in 2022, but the latest year shows a declining trend in emissions.

Industrial releases of pollutants to air and economic activity in the EU-27 (2010-2022)

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European industrial activity results in pollutants released to the air. These include greenhouse gases (GHG), such as CO₂ and acidifying pollutants (e.g. sulphur oxides (SO_X)), and other pollutants that damage human health and the environment, such as nitrogen oxides (NO_X), particulate matter (in this case PM₁₀), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg).

Between 2010 and 2022, industrial releases of SO_X and PM₁₀ decreased by about 70% in the EU. Other emissions decreased to a lesser extent: heavy metals (Cd, Hg and Pb) by 58%, NO_X by 48%, NMVOC by 35% and CO₂by 25%. Whereas PAHs have also decreased significantly over the last decade (by about 50%), there have been sharp fluctuations in the emissions reported.

During the same period, the value that industry generated for the economy — measured by gross added value (GVA) — increased, indicating that European industry has become less emission-intensive as the ratio of air pollutant releases to the production of industrial goods decreased. GVA in 2022 returned to a pre COVID-19 pandemic level, which led to a rebound of emissions. However, the rebound is not fundamentally challenging the overall decrease in emissions intensity by the sector.

The revised Industrial Emissions Directive adopted in 2024 has the potential to drive emissions further down by requiring operators to apply the strictest, best available techniques-associated emissions levels (BAT-AELs) and making it easier to adopt innovative techniques, among other new requirements. In the long term, the IED demands a deep industrial transformation plan for energy-intensive industries in which operators will describe their plans and investments for decarbonising and enhancing their sites by 2050.

Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.

Industrial emissions to air are reported under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP Convention) (UNECE, 1979), Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (CO₂and other GHG) and the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), which covers releases from large industrial facilities from 65 major industrial activities.

The data used in this indicator are from the E-PRTR. They are published, alongside other environmental data from industry at the European Industrial Emissions Portal, as raw data (EEA, 2023) and as an official EEA indicator (EEA, 2024). Note that as of May 2024, the E-PRTR Regulation was repealed by the Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation (Regulation 2024/1244). Data requirements from the new Regulation will start to apply from 01/01/2028.

The majority of large industrial sites that report to the E-PRTR are also covered by the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) (EU, 2010). The IED implements the integrated environmental permitting of the sites, in which permit conditions have to be based on BAT. BAT and BAT-AEL are determined via the so-called ‘Sevilla process’. Member States, experts, scientists, NGOs and industry participate in this information exchange process that leads to the drafting of BAT reference documents commonly known as BREFs for each industrial sector. The ‘BAT conclusions’ chapter of these BREFs becomes legally binding 4 years after their adoption (EU-BRITE, 2024).

References and footnotes

EEA, 2024, ‘Industrial pollutant releases to air in Europe’, European Environment Agency (https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/industrial-pollutant-releases-to-air) accessed 16 August 2024.
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UNECE, 1979, Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
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EU, 2010, Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control), (OJ L 334, 17.12.2010, p. 17–119).
^a^b
EU-BRITE, 2024, ‘Sevilla Process’ (https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/about/sevilla_process) accessed 16 August 2024.
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Industrial pollutant releases into the air in Europe (Indicator)

Industrial releases of pollutants to air and economic activity in the EU-27 (2010-2022)

Zero Pollution Action Plan 2030 target or policy objectives

Other relevant indicators and signals

References and footnotes