2017 LRI Innovative Science Award Ceremony and Workshop on Making Sense of ‘Omics’

The winner of the prestigious LRI Innovative Science Award, worth €100,000, will be announced at the opening gala dinner of the 19th annual Cefic Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) workshop on November 15-16 in Brussels. The topic of the main workshop is “Making Sense of Omics”. 


Cefic’s LRI Innovative Science Award is Europe’s biggest prize for early career life scientists. It finances outstanding research contributions developing novel approaches for assessing the potential impact of chemicals on human health and the environment.

The research undertaken by the LRI programme complements that done by SusChem with  focus on technology innovation and chemical safety/omics for regulatory applications.

Participants attending the 19th Annual Workshop have the opportunity to gain insights into the LRI programme and its future direction.

Omics: global perpectives
This year’s workshop theme is “Making Sense of Omics”. A dedicated session will discuss the regulatory applications of omics from a European and US perspective.  ‘Omics’ describes a wide portfolio of biology research areas including genomics, proteomics and  or metabolomics.

The event showcases the results from LRI Programme projects and their impact on pressing issues around the technical aspects of chemicals policy. Chemicals-related topics to be examined at the workshop by leading scientists involved in policy making in Europe, Canada and the USA include:

• Biodegradation
• Bioaccumulation
• Carcinogenicity
• Inhalation nanotoxicology

Key speakers
Key speakers of interest to the media include:

• Dr Albert Piersma - professor in reproductive toxicology at Utrecht University and Senior Scientist at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, member of the Dutch Health Council and of advisory committees for the EU, OECD and WHO
• Dr Frank Gobas – environmental toxicologist at Simon Foster University, Canada and a member of scientific expert groups and advisory boards for the UN, the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and the Canadian government
• Dr Damian Helbing – assistant professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, USA

More information and registration
The LRI workshop takes place at two venues with the opening gala dinner and awards ceremony at Le Plaza Hotel in Brussels on the evening of 15 November with the workshop taking place at The Square conference facility in central Brussels on 16 November.

The full programme for the workshop is available here and you can register via this link. Participation is free.

Announcing the 2017 European Responsible Care Awards

The European Responsible Care Awards 2017 organised by Cefic are now open for entries. The Responsible Care Programme has been at the heart of the Chemical Industry for many years.  And each year, the Responsible Care Awards enable chemical companies to demonstrate their commitment to this unique initiative. But be quick - the final date for applications to be submitted is 10 May 2017.

The European Responsible Care Awards provide Cefic member companies the opportunity to share effective and innovative projects for cooperation up and down the product chain, energy efficiency and combating climate change initiatives, health, safety and environmental excellence that demonstrate the business value of Responsible Care and its ability to enable engagement with stakeholders.

Cefic is looking forward to your entries and for 2017 is particularly encouraging SMEs to participate. Take part in the competition and get your work done in front of the people that matter! The Awards will be presented at a ceremony during the Cefic Chemical Convention in Vienna that takes place on 27 October 2017.

What does it involve?
Do you believe your organisation deserves increased visibility for its commitment and accomplishments in applying the Responsible Care principles? Are you keen to present your efforts and achievements that are actively contributing to the Responsible Care objectives? Do you consider your project outstanding?

The 2017 European Responsible Care Awards, managed by Cefic, are looking for examples in one of the three categories (listed below) that embrace the Responsible Care ethic.

1. Chemical substances safety
Projects that demonstrate their excellence in addressing health and safety issues related to products in the way they are developed, manufactured, distributed, used and disposed of in a responsible manner. This category recognises value chain projects that help companies set up and improve their chemicals management procedures. It also recognises projects related to the Product Stewardship initiative which, in line with chemicals regulations, addresses management of risks and improvement of the performance of products in the fields of health and safety during its entire life cycle.

2. Occupational health, process safety and security
Projects that either

• demonstrate their excellence in occupational health, by the means of improved or sustained health programme performance and a healthy workforce and workplace, which includes but is not limited to management commitment, employee engagement and evidence of a culture of proactive health risk management and well-being support initiatives, or 
• demonstrate their outstanding and exemplary record in implementing effective process safety management systems from process design to continued operation and routine maintenance, best practises and improvements for chemical prevention, preparedness and response to reduce major process hazards and risks for on-site operations, or 
• demonstrate their outstanding performance in management practises to protect people, property, products, processes, information and information systems by enhancing security, including security against potential terrorist attacks of industrial sites.

3. Environment Responsibility
Projects that either

• demonstrate excellence in environmental processes and products over their life cycles so as to avoid harm to people and the environment by reducing their pollutant emissions to air, water and soil and to limit environmental hazards related to their operations through the development of innovative technology. Also using resources efficiently and minimising waste, or implementing solutions for a circular economy, or
• demonstrate their outstanding performance in energy efficiency, renewable or low-carbon energy along the supply chain. This area gathers projects that relate to the SPiCE3 initiative, that effectively contribute to, or favour, a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and have a proven impact across the whole economy. This category also addresses the efficient management of energy to improve practises and technologies in heat and power generation, the review of the steam flow in processes and its optimisation, and the use of electricity.

Judging criteria
Entries will be assessed by a panel of independent judges, including representatives from EU institutions, other industries, trade associations and the media. Judging of all entries will take place in June 2017. The jury will select one winner in the each of the three categories.

Winning projects should have elements of originality, innovative features and best practise sharing within the chemical industry and with customer industries.

For more information about the 2017 Responsible Care Award, including guidelines for applications and information on past winners, please visit the Responsible Care Award pages on the Cefic website, or contact Katleen Raes at Cefic.

LRI Innovative Science Award 2016 to be revealed at Red Carpet Gala Dinner

Join us at a Red Carpet Gala Dinner organised by Cefic-LRI on 16 November 2016 to find out the winner of the 2016 LRI Innovative Science Award. The 2016 awardee will be officially revealed at the glamorous Cefic-LRI Annual Workshop dinner during the first day of the 18th Annual Cefic-LRI Workshop. The Cefic-LRI Red Carpet Gala Dinner will start with a networking poster session at 17:30 followed by the Gala Dinner at 19:30 at Le Plaza Hotel in Brussels.

The LRI Innovative Science Award is an initiative of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in conjunction with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association of European Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), the International Society of Exposure Sciences (ISES) and Chemical Week. It offers a €100 000 award to support promising new research in the field of novel approaches to the characterisation of molecular initiating events (MIEs), or other key events, in pathways of human and environmental toxicity.

The 2016 award winner will be presented by Dr Nicolas Cudre-Mauroux, Group Head of Research and Innovation at Solvay.

Out of the box
The objective of the LRI Award is to stimulate innovative research, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and new approaches, which will advance the development and application of new and existing data in the assessment of chemical safety. The initiative seeks to foster inventive research, focused either on human health or environmental safety that is pioneering new approaches to identifying and characterising MIEs and other key events/biomarkers relevant for important new Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs).

Places are filling quickly so if you would like to be part of this special evening on 16 November, please register for the Red Carpet Gala Dinner now here or by 4 November at the latest.

Please note that separate registrations are required for both the Gala Dinner and the Annual Workshop.

If you haven't registered yet for the 18th Annual Cefic-LRI Workshop, click here. On 17 November, the 18th Annual LRI Workshop will be held at The Square, in Brussels – you can find the programme here. For enquiries related to the workshop, please contact Dr. Bruno Hubesch, LRI Programme Manager, or the LRI Secretariat.

Save the date: 14 September for Societal Challenge 5 InfoDay

On 14 September 2016 the European Commission is holding an Information Day and Brokerage event covering the 2017 calls for proposals in Horizon 2020's Societal Challenge 5: ‘Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials’ in Brussels. The actual call will be launched in autumn 2016.

Societal challenge 5 is a key area of interest for SusChem and features in the SusChem Strategic Innovation and Research Agenda. Interested stakeholders from the research community, businesses and public administration are invited to register as soon as possible for this briefing in Brussels and to start consortium building.

A draft agenda for the meeting is available. The event takes place in the European Commission's Charlemagne building at rue de la Loi 170, Brussels and you can register here.

The event will open with two plenary sessions: the first introducing Societal Challenge 5 on Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials followed by a session on effective proposal submission; and the second session covers open data and risk management issues.

This will be followed by parallel sessions covering the following topic areas:

• Nature-based solutions & Cultural heritage for sustainable growth
• Climate services and decarbonisation, The Arctic dimension and earth observation
• Raw Materials
• Circular economy

A full list of call topics for Societal Challenge 5 for 2017 can be found here.

In the afternoon there will be an extended brokerage and matchmaking session.

Live webcast
If you can’t make it to Brussels on 14 September the morning plenary sessions and the parallel sessions will be webcast live (links available nearer the event) and after the event video recordings with sound and integrated slide presentations will be made available online too.

For more information contact the event organisers.

Consultation on shape of future Horizon 2020 SC5 calls launched

The European Commission has launched an external stakeholder consultation to help shape the Work Programme for 2018-2020 of Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5 – 'Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials'. SusChem stakeholders are invited to participate in this consultation and express your views. Of particular interest is the topic: "Sustainable supply of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials". The consultation is open until Friday 8 April 2016. 

The European Commission is starting to prepare the next Horizon 2020 Work Programme and calls for proposals that will cover the period 2018-2020. Within Societal Challenge 5, research and innovation aims to "achieve a resource – and water – efficient and climate change resilient economy and society, the protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems, and a sustainable supply and use of raw materials, in order to meet the needs of a growing global population within the sustainable limits of the planet's natural resources and eco-system."

Since Horizon 2020 was adopted the socio-economic and policy context has changed. For Societal Challenge 5, the budget to be allocated for 2018-2020 will be of the order of EUR 1 billion and to ensure relevance a new consultation of stakeholders is required for this final programming period.

Consultation questions
The consultation seeks answers to the following questions:

• What are the challenges in the areas of Societal Challenge 5 that require action under the Work Programme 2018-2020? Would they require an integrated approach across the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges and Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies?
• What is the output/impact that could be foreseen? Which innovation aspects could reach (market) deployment within 5-7 years?
• Which gaps (in science and technology, innovation, markets, policy, financing and governance, regulation etc.) and potential game changers, including the role of the public sector in accelerating changes, need to be taken into account?
• Which areas could benefit from integration of horizontal aspects such as social sciences and humanities, responsible research and innovation, gender aspects, international cooperation?
• In view of the recent evolution of the socio-economic and policy context, what are the emerging priorities for Societal Challenge 5? 

Responses should cite any available supporting evidence such as foresight and other assessments of research and innovation trends and market opportunities, across the six sub-challenges of Societal Challenge 5.

These are: Fighting and adapting to climate change; Protecting the environment, sustainably managing natural resources, water, biodiversity and ecosystems; Ensuring the sustainable supply of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials; Enabling the transition towards a green economy and society through ecoinnovation; Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems; and Cultural heritage.

The consultation document is available here and background information on the whole Societal Challenge 5 programme is here.

All responses to the consultation should be send by email to the European Commission.

UK Horizon 2020 Events announced

The Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge Five (SC5 -  Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials) is happening today (21 September) in Brussels, but in the UK Horizon 2020 National Contact Points (NCPs) are organising a number of information and networking events over the next two months at various locations across the UK. 

The events are theme-based and reflect the main interests of the UK research and industry community following preparatory work between the NCPs and many UK organisations for the 2016 - 2017 Work Programme. The events will be ideal places to learn about many interesting potential project ideas and to link up with project partners.

Attending one of the UK events will allow you to hear about the details of the SC5 funding calls and also to meet and network with organisations interested in collaboration.

Nature-based solutions - re-greening cities
30 September 2015 in London

Funding for water innovation
1 October 2015 in Manchester

Climate resilient business
2 November 2015 in Exeter

More information
For more information or to take advantage of our extensive UK network of industry and academia contacts for partner searching opportunity (provided both via the Knowledge Transfer Network and the Enterprise Europe Network), please contact Ewa Bloch UK National Contact Point for EU Horizon 2020 - Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials (Societal Challenge 5). Ewa will also be at the 21 September InfoDay in Brussels.

To register for regular updates from Horizon 2020 UK NCPs visit the UK Horizon 2020 website.

Shape the future of EU R&I policy in Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials

On 23 and 24 September the second RECREATE Strategic Workshop will be held at the Diamant Conference and Business Centre in Brussels. The theme of the workshop will be “Defining tomorrow’s research and innovation funding priorities” and participants will help outline policy needs with other key stakeholders to support the development of the EU’s research funding programme Horizon 2020 in the area of Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. Registration for the workshop is now open!

The RECREATE (REsearch network for forward looking activities and assessment of research and innovation prospects in the fields of Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials) project is a Coordination Action funded by the European Commission under FP7 and SusChem (via Cefic) is involved with the project. RECREATE aims to provide evidence and intelligence concerning the future direction for research in Horizon 2020 in the areas of Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. To do this the project is involving a large network of stakeholders, making extensive impact assessments and developing a range of forward looking activities (with a time horizon to 2050) to provide the insights and knowledge required. The RECREATE project started in July 2013 and will run until June 2018.

Workshop objectives
The objectives of the September workshop include:

• Presentation of the project's first results and findings
• Gathering stakeholders’ viewpoints and feedback
• Identification of future research and innovation funding needs in the relevant fields

The workshop will open on the afternoon of 23 September and will include a keynote presentation on ‘Expectations and new developments at DG RTD with regard to Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials’ from Kurt Vandenberghe, Director Environment, DG RTD, European Commission and a report on recent progress in RECREATE from Robbert Fisher, Managing Director of JIIP and RECREATE Project Coordinator. A second Keynote presentation will be given by Eva Kaili, MEP.

The first day will also feature a presentation and discussion on the RECREATE scoreboard work package that is being developed to compare and benchmark the performance of Member States in terms of ‘Green Innovation’ and assess the implementation of the European Research Area in the fields of Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials. The scorecard should be able to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches pursued in the Member States and reflect on different opportunities as well as potential barriers and failures.

The day will be completed by a poster and networking session

On 24 September will feature a dual track with TRACK 1 looking at RECREATE’s evidence-based narratives on Climate Information Services, Nature Based Solutions, and Systemic Eco-Innovation and TRACK 2 discussing RECREATE’s Trends and Scenarios.

More information on the workshop can be found here and registration for the workshop is here.

This workshop is the second of four RECREATE workshops that will be held in Brussels to:

• Share information on the fields of Climate Change, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials.
• Enable networking with relevant stakeholders on these arenas
• Gather feedback on research needs, gaps and recommendations that contribute to creating a clear cut research and innovation agenda for the Horizon 2020

By participating in these workshops, stakeholders will be helping the project consortium and the European Commission in their efforts to develop a programme which addresses research, innovation and industry needs in these fields.

What does RECREATE do?
The overall objective of the project is to support the development of the European Union’s new research funding programme Horizon 2020, with a specific focus on Societal Challenge 5 - Climate Action, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials - by providing an evidence base.

To do this RECREATE will:

• Create, launch and manage a Stakeholder Network
• Develop and monitor indicators for assessing the impact of EU research and innovation programmes (including policy, economic, society, sustainability)
• Analyse technology, policy and market developments as well as policies and programmes as a basis for forward looking activities
• Produce quantitative and qualitative briefings with R&I information, trends and strategic options for EU research

Further information about the event and the workshop's travel reimbursement policy can be requested from the RECREATE secretariat.

Rebel thinkers required!

Are you a rebel thinker? Do you have a good idea for novel research in human health or environmental risk assessment? Then you can help your ideas come alive with the Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award 2015. But be quick - the closing date for applications is 17 March 2015.

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in conjunction with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Federation of Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), the International Society of Exposure Scientists (ISES) and global chemicals news organisation IHS Chemical Week, is offering a €100,000 award to support promising new research in the field of novel use of surrogate data to assess apical endpoints in human health and/or environmental risk assessment. But you must apply by 17 March 2015!

Apical endpoints are empirically verifiable outcomes of exposure, such as developmental anomalies, breeding behaviours, impaired reproduction, physical changes and alterations in the size and histopathology of organs etc. These gross changes observed in-vivo can offer evidence of toxicity for a substance being studied.

Criteria
The award judges will be looking for new approaches and techniques that, in addressing the challenges of assessing chemical risks, will enhance our understanding of the causes of adverse effects. 

These could include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:

• Techniques to combine different types of existing information on similar chemical(s);
• The use of predictive computational modelling such as Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSARs);
• Novel non-animal toxicology testing, for example in-vitro and/ or high-throughput screening assays.

The objective of the Cefic-LRI Award is to stimulate innovative research, "out-of-the-box" thinking and new approaches which will advance the environmental assessment of hazardous substances.

The Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award was established in 2004 to inspire highly innovative and industry relevant projects in biomedical toxicology and ecotoxicology led by promisingly early career scientists. The prize of € 100 000 has been awarded annually ever since; boosting the careers of eleven younger European scientists in the challenging fields with which LRI is engaged.

Who can apply? 
The award is intended for a European-based scientist with less than ten years of research experience after their doctoral degree. Active involvement in interdisciplinary research, their current academic track record, and access to appropriate networks will be considered in the selection of the finalists. 

Valid entries submitted by end-of-play on 17 March will be assessed by a panel of judges to select three finalists, who will be invited to present their ideas in Brussels on 1 June 2015, where the ultimate winner will be decided.

For more details on the Cefic-LRI award and how to apply, please visit the awards webpage.

What is LRI?
The Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme is a major voluntary initiative of the European chemical industry to support the long-term sustainability of its sector and European society. Through the programme we hope to identify the hazards posed by chemicals and improve the methods available for assessing the associated risks.

The LRI sponsors high-quality research of a standard publishable in a reputable peer-reviewed journal, and seeks to provide sound scientific advice on which industry and regulatory bodies can draw-on to respond quickly and accurately to the public's concerns.

Chemistry-Enabled Technologies Key to Future Mobility!

The European Union is currently celebrating its 13th European Mobility Week (EMW 2013) from 16 to 22 September. Many cities and towns across the continent have joined the initiative and implemented solutions and good practices that can be shared with other towns.

A typical example is the story of Burgas in Bulgaria. Last February, the city's bus fleet was entirely replaced by 67 new clean vehicles. The city’s efforts are now concentrated in the construction of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line which should be operational in 2015, creating a North-South bus corridor through the city. The city aims to further promote its investment in sustainable mobility by participating in EMW 2013.

More about this story can be found in a video produced by the Covenant of Mayors an organisation of local and regional authorities dedicated to sustainable development to which SusChem is affiliated.

Clean chemistry
Clean vehicles are based on solutions provided by the chemical industry: they require lightweight materials to contain energy consumption, and specific materials for the smaller batteries and catalysts required to clean up emissions.  Chemistry is the player that can enable more success stories on clean mobility in Europe and ensure clean air becomes a widespread urban reality.

Local authorities can rely on the chemical industry to provide the solutions to ensure that the ambitious EU targets for sustainable mobility are achieved, for example by helping making the vision for mobility of the Smart Cities Platform a reality.

But chemistry does not provide only sustainability and energy efficiency. It is also a force for safer transportation: from defrosting products for aeroplane wings that are essential in harsh weather conditions to resilient material for automotive vehicles, chemistry is at the heart of the processes ensuring safe and sound mobility.


SusChem staff recently followed a debate on Smart Mobility in Cities organized by the European Voice in Brussels. Speakers from the private sector, trade associations, local authorities and the European institutions discussed the most innovative technologies and initiatives for the mobility of tomorrow: from a new approach to parking space to novel hydrogen and electric vehicles.

Chemistry will surely play a part in making their vision and ideas a reality!

If you want more information on what chemistry can offer in terms of innovation in mobility, take a look at the new SusChem flier on mobility!

SusChem on the move for Mobility!

‘Smart Cities’ need smart, sustainable chemistry innovation and SusChem has developed some exciting proposals on energy efficiency in urban buildings. But one of the major challenges facing our urban areas is mobility. How can SusChem and sustainable chemistry help?  During European Mobility Week (16 – 22 September) SusChem will be highlighting some of chemistry’s contributions in this area.

Around three-quarters of the EU’s citizens live in or around cities and urbanisation is growing. Europe’s urban areas consume over 80% of the continent’s total energy supply. With growing pressure on resources, achieving a sustainable quality of life in cities is one of Europe’s major challenges.

To be environmentally sustainable, economically competitive and remain attractive to live in, cities need to reduce their total energy consumption, increase their use of renewable energy, adapt their physical and communication infrastructures and find solutions to mobility issues – in particular personal mobility.

Smart mobility
The free movement of people and products is an essential element of our modern urban environment. However mobility comes at a cost: the consumption of a vast amount of energy (30% of the total energy consumed in the EU).

And with energy consumption – especially energy derived from fossil fuels – comes pollution. Mobility contributes considerably to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as well as other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides or small particles. Urban mobility accounts for some 40% of all CO2 emissions by road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants generated by transport.

Changing our transport habits can go a long way to stemming urban air pollution. This year’s European Mobility Week theme is “Clean air – it’s your move!” and reflects the power that citizens have to clean up air quality through their mobility choices. It is a reminder that we all have a part to play, and that even small changes, such as commuting by bicycle rather than taking the car, opting for public transport, or choosing to walk, can enhance our quality of life.

Smart mobility requires a mind-set change in commuting habits. We need to re-think our reliance on a singular means of transportation, such as, walking, driving, biking, or taking public transportation to one that considers using a combination of these methods to achieve the most efficient commuting solution at the lowest carbon footprint.

Sustainable solutions
So what is sustainable chemistry doing to meet the mobility challenge for Smart Cities and help stem urban air pollution?

The answer is a huge amount with aspects of chemical science and engineering enabling innovative solutions to numerous mobility issues! Here are just a few examples.

• Lightweight materials, particularly composite and hybrid materials can drastically reduce the weight of vehicles without compromising safety requirements. And lighter vehicles mean lower cost, increased recyclability, better energy efficiency and therefore fewer emissions.
• And designing vehicles using recyclable materials such as bio- and smart-materials can ensure that vehicles do not become waste at the end of their useful life.
• New fuels, for example hydrogen produced from renewable sources, are potentially emission-free alternative to fossils fuels. The environmental and health benefits to society are even greater when hydrogen is produced from low- or zero-emission sources, such as solar or wind energy.
• Electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular and have significant energy security and local zero emissions benefits. Battery technology is a key enabler here and future electric vehicles need smaller batteries that can provide a longer range between charging. Chemistry is key to ensuring that these very high energy density batteries are safe and can make electric mobility more attractive, cheaper and reliable.
• Catalysts are a key enabling technology for improved air quality and mobility whether as an essential element of new clean fuel cell powered cars or cleaning up emissions from fossil fuel powered vehicles. Catalyst exhaust systems remove a range of pollutants and using photo-catalytic coatings on the walls of tunnels and other transport infrastructure mean noxious pollutants can also be removed directly from the atmosphere.

You will be able to find more information on mobility issues and sustainable chemistry solutions at SusChem’s dedicated Smart Cities website due to be launched soon.

What is European Mobility Week?
European Mobility Week is an annual campaign on sustainable urban mobility supported by the European Commission’s directorates for Energy and Transport. The aim of the campaign is to encourage European local authorities to introduce and promote sustainable transport measures. The main theme for 2013 is ‘Clean air – it’s your move’.

The week runs from 16 to 22 September every year and will see events taking place across Europe and also globally. The week culminates in an ‘In Town Without My Car!’ event which sees participating urban areas setting aside areas solely for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport for an entire day.

In Brussels ‘Car Free’ day will be on Sunday 22 September and will see the whole 160 square kilometres of the capital region closed to traffic from 9 am to 7 pm transforming Europe’s capital into a pedestrian and cyclists’ paradise.