Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)

The European Union addresses industrial pollution and resource efficiency through the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)¹. As part of the European Green Deal² and the EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan³ for 2050, the Commission has proposed updates to the IED. The revision strengthens the role of the Directive not only as an emissions control tool, but also as a mechanism to promote energy, water, and material efficiency, increased reuse, and the uptake of circular-economy techniques in industrial processes. The review resulted in the adoption of the Industrial and Livestock Rearing Emissions Directive (IED 2.0)⁴. A key operational lever remains the EU system of Best Available Techniques (BAT), which guides permit conditions and is increasingly expected to integrate resource-efficiency and circularity considerations.