In Germany, air emissions predominantly result from households, traffic, trade and industry. The reporting on emissions is coordinated by the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) and completed in terms of the so called National emission system. The system facilitates the performance of international reporting duties (such as the duties of the Kyoto Protocol or the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, LRTAP) as well as the reporting according to the EU Directives (e. g. national emission ceilings). Thus, the system facilitates the verification of concerted reduction targets as well as the monitoring of trends of particular pollutants. Besides information on emissions of previous years, the system also includes scenarios on the future development. In this way the emission inventory allows a validation of the impacts of eco-political measures and, if necessary, the elaboration of additional measures in order to achieve the agreed targets.

For the last 20 years Oekopol has been working on a considerable number of projects on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency aiming at the improvement of the national reporting. On the one hand, Oekopol made up detailed inventories on several industries (“source categories”), such as emissions from the use of solvents (CRF 3) and from the food and beverage industry (CRF 2.D.2). On the other hand, Oekopol on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency investigated emission factors underlying the national emission system with respect to the reality in industry sectors. This was done, by way of example, for lime production, refineries, foundries, non-ferrous metals (primary and secondary aluminum, lead, copper and zinc foundries), printing, paint and varnish application, oil extraction as well as for small firing systems in households, trade and military.

From 2003 to 2012 Oekopol worked on international monitoring studies on CO2 emissions of passenger cars and light utility vehicles on behalf of different contracting authorities, notably for the European Commission (Directorate General Climate Action), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Activities in this context included data analysis, the development, implementation and review of working routines on an organizational, content and IT level, evaluation of implementation of legal requirements in EU member states as well as the development of options for the improvement of the EU Regulations on the reduction of CO2 emissions of passenger cars and of light utility vehicles.

In 2009, Oekopol completed a study on emissions from solvent-containing products on behalf of the European Commission (Directorate General for the Environment). The study’s objective was the evaluation of the European implementation of Directive 2004/42/EC (“Decopaint Directive”) on the reduction of VOC emissions. The study also developed measures for an additional reduction of VOC emissions from solvent-containing products, such as protective coatings, wood coatings, cosmetics and hair sprays.