Tag: event

Platform News – EU must take action to end dumping of toxic ships and support capacity building

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

The European Commission published its evaluation of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) earlier this month. The evaluation clearly identifies several issues that hinder the effectiveness of the EU SRR, including circumvention of the regulation through out-flagging and a lack of detailed EU standards for hazardous waste management and environmental monitoring. Yet, the Commission does not consider a swift revision of the EU SRR an adequate response.

"As identified in the evaluation, the EU SRR has not delivered the expected outcomes in terms of increasing the market share for sustainable ship recycling [1]. With no immediate plans for a review of the EU SRR, we urge the Commission to effectively adopt alternative measures that will boost capacity for sustainable ship recycling and prevent European shipping companies from dumping their toxic ships on beaches in South Asia."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The evaluation also announces an upcoming report on the feasibility of introducing a return scheme for ships trading in the EU to incentivise the use of EU-approved ship recycling facilities. Additionally, it aims to clarify the application of corrective and punitive actions in cases where deficiencies are identified during ship recycling facility inspections and highlights unannounced inspections as an essential tool for ensuring the effectiveness of the EU SRR.

 

To prevent the loss of skills in both the maritime and circular economy sectors and to boost capacity for handling the increasing number of vessels expected to reach end-of-life in the coming years, the EU’s approach to ship recycling must uphold the Polluter Pays principle and contribute to the general policy objectives of the European Green Deal, including optimised material recovery and zero-emission industrial activities. When formulating targets and policy measures under the Circular Economy Act, the Steel and Metals Action Plan, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and the new Clean Industrial Deal, ship recycling must be recognised as a key contributor to the decarbonisation of the European steel sector.

 

Furthermore, the evaluation finds that the standards set by the EU SRR and their implementation are not sufficiently aligned with EU safety and environmental acquis [2]. Consequently, the Commission intends to develop clearer criteria for the EU approval of ship recycling facilities. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform recommends incorporating measures to optimise material recovery from ships, particularly steel recycling operations. Clear requirements for environmental, health, and safety monitoring and reporting must also be established to ensure that all yards on the EU List operate fully in line with EU standards.

"Double standards have been identified, and they are unacceptable—if a practice is not allowed in the EU, it should not be approved on the EU List. There is no valid justification for allowing EU-flagged or EU-owned ships to be scrapped outside the EU under conditions that would not be permitted within the EU. Beaching—the scrapping of vessels on intertidal mudflats, as practised in all South Asian yards—is not allowed in the EU, nor does the cold re-rolling of scrap steel comply with EU standards."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

While the shipping industry is pressuring the EU to accept Indian beaching yards onto the EU List, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform warns that such a move would blatantly undermine the EU SRR’s objective of creating a level playing field that benefits yards operating in line with the EU safety and environmental acquis. It would also seriously threaten the future of the EU ship recycling sector and the recent investments made to establish new ship recycling facilities based on industrial platforms that provide full containment.

 

The evaluation rightly recognises that the International Maritime Organization’s Hong Kong Convention sets far weaker standards than the EU SRR. The NGO Shipbreaking Platform supports the EU’s efforts to take international leadership in amending the Hong Kong Convention to align with the EU SRR while ensuring full and effective implementation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and their Disposal as it applies to end-of-life ships.

"Efforts at the international level should not prevent the EU from addressing the issues that weaken the effectiveness of the EU SRR. Expanding the regulation’s scope to include beneficial ownership and introducing a financial incentive are both measures that could improve ship recycling regulations globally. The EU has a track record of taking the lead as an early adopter of safety and environmental measures, later championing their global implementation through the International Maritime Organisation. "
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

The Polluter Pays principle and Extended Producer Responsibility are fundamental principles of EU environmental policies and must also apply to the shipping sector. By holding EU-based shipping companies accountable—regardless of their vessels’ flags—many more ships would fall under EU regulations, ensuring alignment with broader EU corporate accountability policies. The current opacity of ownership structures in the shipping sector poses several problems, and transparency regarding the European shipping sector’s Beneficial Owners should be ensured, starting with the public disclosure of ownership details for the 21,000 ships classified as EU-owned.

 

NOTES

 

[1] The evaluation report highlights that “shipping companies did not make the shift they were expected to make towards dismantling their ships in facilities on the European List.” It identifies flagging-out from EU registries at end-of-life as a key factor undermining the effectiveness of the regulation. While flags such as Comoros, St Kitts and Nevis, and Palau are alarmingly popular at end-of-life, many EU-owned vessels never sail under an EU flag, or only do so during their early operational years. As the evaluation notes, fewer than 40 vessels are scrapped annually under an EU flag—a figure far lower than the number of ships scrapped each year by EU shipping companies, many of which end up on South Asian beaches.

 

The report further finds that shipping companies swap their EU flags for non-EU flags to access higher prices from yards not included on the EU List. While the shipping sector presents this as a key factor in maintaining global competitiveness, the report shows that the additional revenue gained from substandard shipbreaking yards represents only 0.0020% to 0.0050% of some shipping companies' annual revenues—demonstrating that the industry can afford to manage its end-of-life fleet at facilities that meet EU standards.

 

[2] Some EU-approved yards in Turkey have been found lacking essential environmental safeguards, such as oil-water separators and functional wastewater collection systems, leading to direct environmental discharge. These deficiencies contrast sharply with wastewater management requirements for yards in EU/EFTA countries. Moreover, facilities operating in Aliaga have not undergone an Environmental Impact Assessment or obtained an environmental licence in accordance with Turkish regulations. These are serious concerns that do not align with EU standards for the safe and environmentally sound management of hazardous waste.

Platform News – Turkish Civil Society Organisations take legal action to ensure Environmental Impact Assessment of the ship recycling sector in Aliağa

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

On 10 January 2024 a coalition of organisations, including Aegean Environment and Culture Platform (EGEÇEP), İzmir Bar Association, TMMOB Chamber of Architects, İzmir Medical Chamber, and eight concerned citizens, filed a lawsuit against Turkiye's Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation, and Climate Change. The legal action challenges the current exemption from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for the 22 ship recycling facilities operating in Aliağa. 

 

At the press conference held at the TMMOB Chamber of Architects Izmir Branch on 20 January, lawyer Arif Ali Cangı said on behalf of the Izmir Ship Dismantling Coordination Group “Since the sector started operating in Aliağa in the 1980s, companies have undergone many operational changes, the capacities of the facilities have increased and many different companies have been transferred. However, the facilities have been exempted from the EIA process. The ship breaking sector is one of the main pollution sources of the region and we are concerned that the carrying capacity of the region has long been exceeded.”

 

 

© Emirhan Durmaz / Evrensel

The NGO Shipbreaking Platform highlighted in a recent report problems related to poor law enforcement and monitoring of the ship recycling sector in Aliağa. Scientific studies, including a 2019 report by Turkey’s Ministry of Environment and a 2022 research by TÜBİTAK and Ege University, have determinedly established that the ship recycling sector is a major source of pollution in the Aliağa region. High levels of heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and other toxic substances have been detected in soil and water. Alarmingly, arsenic and lead levels have surpassed limits recommended by WHO and FAO, with water quality in the area rated as poor. 

 

European Union inspection reports also reveal consistent pollution levels far exceeding acceptable thresholds. Two recycling yards in Aliağa, Şimşekler and Işıksan, were removed from the EU's list of approved ship recycling facilities in December 2022 due to their failure to meet minimum environmental and safety standards. Another yard, Egeçelik, is now also under consideration for removal in the EU's upcoming 14th edition of the list. 

 

The environmental and health impacts of the shipbreaking sector in Aliağa need to be properly understood and evaluated for effective mitigation measures to be identified. Measuring the environmental impact of the ship recycling industry furthermore requires an approach that understands the sector as a cluster, and imposes, as a result, upon all yards the implementation of equal measures to curb and contain pollution. 

"An Environmental Impact Assessment is a vital first step towards improving accountability and sustainability in the sector. Today, far too many yards simply blame the “neighbouring yard” for high pollution levels detected. It must be the role of Turkish authorities to evaluate the sector holistically with the aim of halting further accumulation of pollutants that pose serious risk to the environment and local communities."
Ekin Sakin - Policy Officer - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Similarly, the EU must ensure that facilities approved on the EU List are actually able to conduct meaningful environmental monitoring. The challenges faced by the Turkish ship recycling sector in this regard are even more acute when evaluating the environmental performance of shipbreaking yards operating on tidal mudflats, as is the case in South Asia. There, blaming neighbouring yards or historical pollution when alarming levels of heavy metals and polyaromatic hydrocarbons are detected is also common. In addition, daily tidal flows may in uncontrolled manners disperse toxic discharges – purposefully or not – and thus render their detection difficult to capture. 

 

Setting up a hazardous waste management facility on a tidal mudflat would never receive environmental clearance in the EU. It is also very likely that a proper Environmental Impact Assessment of the ship recycling sector in Turkiye will bring to light that safer and more environmentally sound techniques are needed for the safeguard of public health, local communities and the environment.

 

Platform News – Authorities and industry discuss ship recycling in Turkey at NGO Shipbreaking Platform and IMPEL workshop

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Following the publication of a report on the Turkish ship recycling sector in Aliağa, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform and the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) organised a workshop in  Ankara, Turkey,  on 10 December aimed at sharing knowledge and enhancing collaboration on ship recycling.

 

The workshop  brought together representatives from the European Commission, IMPEL, DNVGL, industry and civil society representatives, as well as Turkish Ministries responsible for the ship recycling sector, including the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change; the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

 

Several presentations gave the participants insights on how the ship recycling sector is regulated at national and EU level. Çağdaş Güneş from the Izmir Development Agency kick-started the discussions by presenting their analyses and possible future outlook for the sector. Okan Çetinkaya of the Ministry of Labour and Giray Işıyel from the İzmir Governorship Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization shared how their respective Ministries manage licensing and monitoring. Christelle Rousseau from the European Commission shared the updates on the EU Ship Recycling Regulation and procedures for approval on the EU List. Insights from inspections of ship recycling facilities in Aliağa were shared by Tone Knudsen-Fiskeseth of DNVGL.

© NGO Shipbreaking Platform

IMPEL representatives shared best practices in ship recycling, with the contributions from Huib van Westen of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands and Beate Langset of Norway’s Environment Directorate. Evren Samur of HKTM introduced the SHEREC project on robotics and AI for ship recycling, followed by Ekin Sakin from the NGO Shipbreaking Platform who presented findings from the report Ship Recycling in Turkey: Challenges and Future Directions.

 

The workshop provided an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange ideas, including on ways to close existing legal gaps and improve information exchange. As a result of the discussions, participants emphasised the need for further cooperation and more effective sharing of data to enhance transparency and help identify possible ways forward for upgrading the ship recycling sector.

Press Release – Ship Recycling Lab’s 2nd Edition: when ethical leadership and cutting edge technology meet, sustainable ship recycling is on the horizon!

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Over 100 participants from across the globe, including recyclers, ship owners, policymakers, researchers, and environmental advocates, met in Lisbon on 9-10 October for the NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s second edition of the Ship Recycling Lab. With a sharp focus on environmental responsibility and cutting-edge technologies, the event showcased  companies that already are sustainably recycling vessels, as well as ongoing research and policy commitments aimed at further scaling and improving practices. 

 

From Brazil to the Middle East, new strategies are pushing for safe and clean ship recycling. Elegant Exit Company shared experiences recycling their first ship in a dry-dock in Bahrain, while Petrobras introduced its new "off the beach" policy and pilot projects designed to boost Brazil’s domestic capacity. In Europe - and on home-turf at the Lab - Lisnave shared that they intend to add recycling to their repair and maintenance activities at their Setubal yard. 

 

Participants at the Lab expressed keen interest to look at what the sector can offer in terms of meeting circular economy and climate objectives. Possibilities for a thriving ship recycling hub in Northern Germany driven by a demand for scrap steel were explored, and going forward, EuRIC, the European Recycling Industries' Confederation, announced at the Lab the establishment of a new working group. They will undoubtedly play an important role in raising the issue at the European level and have already identified the need to embed stricter safety and environmental benchmarks into the upcoming revision of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation to ensure a fair level playing field. 

 

 

The Lab also spotlighted the latest technological advancements, including plasma and water cutting technologies as alternatives to gas cutting, and RFID tracking and blockchain as tools for improving the management of Inventories of Hazardous Materials. AF Offshore Decom captured the attention with their groundbreaking work on upcycling decommissioned assets by generating certified second-hand steel with 95% lower CO2 emissions for the construction sector. Several projects, including SHEREC, Circles of Life, ReCab, and ShipRec, shared ongoing R&D looking at novelties in circular economy principles, including material passports, and AI integration. 

 

Unveiling their new guideline on FSO and FPSO decommissioning, the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) was another stakeholder at the Lab setting a new benchmark for industrial sustainability. Their guideline bans the use of substandard scrapping methods, including beaching, and prohibits dealings with cash buyers — a practice long criticised for fuelling unsafe and unregulated shipbreaking. 

 

Addressing how to foster industrial practices that do not compromise on protecting fragile coastal ecosystems and ocean health, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank, provided insights on how blue bonds could potentially unlock finance, marking a clear step towards integrating ship recycling into global sustainable finance frameworks. Increased traceability on scrap steel, quality and supply chain were furthermore identified as key to add value and also assist the steel sector in its transition towards meeting industrial decarbonisation targets.

"The 2nd Ship Recycling Lab aimed at paving the way for future innovations and policy reforms, so when participants left with a renewed commitment to sustainable practices and a shared ambition to drive global change, I think we succeeded! Collaboration is key to transforming the industry — only through strong partnerships between governments, industry leaders, financiers, research institutions, workers and civil society can we advance clean, safe and just ship recycling globally. We are already looking forward to the 3rd Edition of the Ship Recycling Lab! "
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director and Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

SAVE THE DATE – 2nd Ship Recycling Lab

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

After the successful organisation of the first edition of the Ship Recycling Lab: Transformation Through Innovation back in 2022, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, still recognising the need for visionary solutions for ship recycling, is ready to host its second edition of the Lab on 9 -10 October 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

The event will bring together forward-thinking stakeholders from the maritime, recycling and steel sectors, financial institutions and policy makers to showcase and exchange ideas for best practices and strategies for ship demolition, design, waste management and material recovery in line with ethical circular policy goals.

 

Providing visibility to companies that have developed solutions, including innovative cutting techniques, new state-of-the-art waste handling procedures, cradle to cradle concept design, and clean steel breakthrough technologies aimed at achieving a zero-carbon steel making process, the Lab intends to set the bar for tomorrow’s ship recycling.

 

Come join us and 100+ progressive stakeholders for networking opportunities, inspiring keynote speaker sessions, thought-provoking presentations and interactive panel discussions.

 

Early bird tickets are now on sale! Get them fast before they run out!

Press Release – Turning point: new tech and developments for a new future of ship recycling presented at the Lab

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Stakeholders that are pioneering a new future for sustainable ship recycling gathered in Rotterdam at the NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s Ship Recycling Lab: Transformation through Innovation. New technologies, ethical circular economy models, strategic policies for the steel industry, and many more topics linked to ship demolition, ship design, waste management and material recovery were discussed during the two-day event. 

"We aimed at boosting engagement for a new standard at the Ship Recycling Lab. Companies that can safely dismantle large assets ‘off the beach’ and use technologies ranging from automation and robotics to the age-old, tried and true use of dry docks came in numbers. Coupled with the growing market for sustainably produced scrap steel, it has become clear that the business case for truly responsible ship recycling is rising."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

 

The current industrial and political shift to a circular and low-carbon economy has brought ship recycling to a turning point. Participants at the Lab showcased how they are seizing new opportunities for innovation created by the momentum for green and regenerative design, production and end-of-life management.  

 

Circular Maritime Technologies International BV (CMT) chose the Lab to share its new cutting technology, which is transferable to any facility and reduces the vessel's size in several automated steps. 

 

Founders of Leviathan GmbH, Simeon Hiertz and Karsten Schumacher, announced at the Lab their cooperation with German Naval Yards on facilitating clean and safe ship recycling in Kiel. The technology developed by Leviathan, which includes the use of robots and cold water cutting techniques, will be available to owners of large vessels in a dry dock of 426x88m.

"Now our vision of automated, people- and environmentally-friendly ship recycling is becoming a reality. At the same time, we are securing important steel as a raw material for European steel production, assisting European steelmakers to reduce their carbon footprint."
Simeon Hiertz - Founder - Leviathan GmbH

 

Head of Climate Change and Governmental Affairs at ArcelorMittal Europe, Stephane Tondo, also speaking at the Lab, stated that the green transition will require the decarbonisation of steel production. According to EuRIC, using one tonne of sustainably produced scrap saves at least 1.67 tonnes of CO2. Increasing the share of scrap in steel production and ensuring proximity to raw materials are key strategies to ensure decarbonisation, said ArcelorMittal. The latter revealed its cooperation with CMT for the possible development of a new ship recycling facility in Gent, Belgium, close to its steel plant. Noting that the European Union (EU) will soon become a net importer of scrap, ArcelorMittal is now looking for additional partnerships with recyclers close to its other steel plants in the EU in order to ensure access to good quality scrap steel from vessels. 

 

"There are many reasons to be optimistic and to bet on the innovators that spoke at the Lab. They are convinced that responsible ship recycling can compete, especially given that integrated circular economy hubs, where building, maintenance, repair and material recovery take place side by side, are in view."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

For those who want to learn about the new developments that will shape the future of the industry and the forward-thinkers that spoke at the Lab, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform has published the new magazine Breaking Out: Anchoring Circular Innovation for Ship Recycling. This first edition of Breaking Out cuts across sectors with an eye on the latest technologies and policies aimed at reinventing ship recycling for the twenty-first century.

"Green investors will find lots of inspiring projects in Breaking Out. We also encourage ship owners that unfortunately did not make it to the Lab in great numbers to read the magazine. It is a solutions-oriented publication providing insights on what responsible recycling means via in-depth articles, interviews and spotlight profiles. It showcases very concrete new destinations for their end-of-life assets."
Ingvild Jenssen - Executive Director & Founder - NGO Shipbreaking Platform

Platform News – REMINDER: Ship Recycling Lab on 20-21 September in Rotterdam

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

It’s almost time! We hope your calendars are marked because the Ship Recycling Lab is about to take place in the shipping hub of Rotterdam.

 

On the 20th and 21st of September, forward-thinking stakeholders from the maritime, recycling and steel sectors, financial institutions, and policymakers will gather at the iconic Kunsthal Museum, where they will showcase and exchange ideas for best practices and strategies for ship demolition, design, waste management and material recovery in line with ethical circular policy goals.

 

The event will provide visibility to companies that have developed solutions, including innovative cutting techniques, new state-of-the-art waste handling procedures, cradle-to-cradle concept design, and clean steel breakthrough technologies aimed at achieving a zero-carbon steel-making process. Curious and want to learn more? Check out the list of speakers and the online agenda here.

 

What are the impacts of unregulated shipbreaking practices on workers and the environment? What does it mean to sustainably recycle vessels in line with ethical circularity? What impacts will the increased demand for scrap steel have on the ship recycling market? How can new innovative technologies and economic and policy instruments drive an ethical circular economy?

 

We try to answer these questions in conversation with leading advocates for environmental justice, ship owners, steel producers, policy makers, researchers, shipbuilders, ship recycling experts, and many more.

 

Don’t waste any time. Register and buy your tickets now at www.shiprecyclinglab.org. Come join us! 

Any questions? Contact us at events@shipbreakingplatform.org.
 

We encourage you to join the discussions on Twitter using the hashtag #SRLab. You can also follow the event organisers @ShipRecLab and @NGOShipbreaking.

 

Platform News – SAVE THE DATE: Ship Recycling Lab on 20-21 September in Rotterdam

Posted on by Nicola Mulinaris

Recognising the need for visionary solutions for ship recycling, we are hosting our first Ship Recycling Lab: Transformation through Innovation on 20-21 September 2022 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

 

The event will bring together forward-thinking stakeholders from the maritime, recycling and steel sectors, financial institutions and policy makers to showcase and exchange ideas for best practices and strategies for ship demolition, design, waste management and material recovery in line with ethical circular policy goals.

 

Providing visibility to companies that have developed solutions, including innovative cutting techniques, new state-of-the-art waste handling procedures, cradle to cradle concept design, and clean steel breakthrough technologies aimed at achieving a zero-carbon steel making process, the Lab intends to set the bar for tomorrow’s ship recycling. 

 

Come join us and 200+ progressive stakeholders for networking opportunities, inspiring keynote speaker sessions, thought-provoking presentations, interactive panel discussions, a photo exhibition from Bangladesh and a live performance at the iconic Kunsthal museum in the shipping hub of Rotterdam in September!

 

Register and buy your tickets now at www.shiprecyclinglab.org to get a €200 Early Bird Discount. 

Any questions? Contact us at events@shipbreakingplatform.org.
 

We encourage you to join the discussions on Twitter using the hashtag #SRLab. You can also follow the event organisers @ShipRecLab and @NGOShipbreaking.

 

Platform News – NGO Shipbreaking Platform awarded grant by Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation

Posted on by admin_ec

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Lloyd's Register Foundation under the international collaboration Engineering X - Safer End of Engineered Life Mission. The grant will support a project, in partnership with our member organisation Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association (BELA), that aims at increasing public awareness of the current shipbreaking practices on the beaches of South Asia, including workers’ rights in Bangladesh, as well as at pushing for an industry shift towards truly sustainable practices.

"We thank the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Lloyd's Register Foundation for the support. This award will strengthen our work at national level for increased transparency and business accountability in the shipbreaking sector and for protection of the labourers from occupational hazards."
Syeda Rizwana Hasan - Supreme Court lawyer and Director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association

Engineering X has awarded nearly £1 million in grants to six projects in the UK and overseas aimed at tackling the complex social, environmental and engineering challenges of decommissioning ships and offshore structures. The Platform features as partner also in another project led by the University of Southampton.

 

With a broad base of supporters both in orientation and geographically, including membership in ship owning as well as shipbreaking countries, the Platform plays an important role in promoting solutions that encompass the respect of human rights, corporate responsibility and environmental justice. If you share our vision, contact us to find out how we can work together.

 

Platform News – Platform’s member BELA awarded the 2020 Tang Prize

Posted on by admin_ec

We are pleased to announce that the NGO Shipbreaking Platform’s member organisation Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) has been awarded the prestigious 2020 Tang Prize in Rule of Law for its exemplary perseverance in promoting greater environmental justice, in milieus where the foundations of the rule of law are under severe challenge.

 

Established in 1992 by Dr. Mohiuddin Farooque, BELA promotes environmental justice and has secured sound environmental jurisprudence in Bangladesh through public interest litigation, advocacy, research and publications, as well as capacity-building for actors in the public sector and civil society.

 

Ever since the first case, Dr. Mohiuddin Farooque v. Bangladesh & Others in 1994, BELA has initiated more than 250 public interest litigations and advocated for legislative reform for environmental justice. Issues drawn within its ambit have ranged as widely as river pollution, industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, illegal construction, labour welfare, illegal mining, prevention of soil erosion, reduction of plastic use, wetland protection and prevention of pollution from shipbreaking. The latter was the focus of a recent ground-breaking judgement given by the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in a public interest litigation filed by  BELA.

 

By persuading the courts to recognise its standing to instigate a case on behalf of people affected by environmental degradation, BELA successfully opened the path for public interest litigation. BELA also moved the courts to extend the fundamental right to life to cover the right to a decent environment under the Constitution.

 

The Tang Prize is a set of biennial international awards bestowed by  the Taiwanese Tang Prize Foundation in four fields: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. The 2020 Tang Prize in Rule of Law,  was also awarded to Colombian Dejusticia: The Center for Law, Justice and Society and Lebanese The Legal Agenda.