Bild zeigt den Vizepräsidenten des Umweltbundesamtes Dr. Thomas Holzmann

About Thru.de

Dear visitors


How much pollution is the facility in my neighbourhood producing? Which chemicals are still contained in wastewater released from sewage treatment plants into the environment?


You will find the answers to these and many other questions here at Thru.de - a new design of the former Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) website.

PRTR is an appropriate tool for encouraging improvements in environmental performance, for providing public access to information on pollutants released and for use by competent authorities in tracking trends, demonstrating progress that contribute to preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment.
This site now features a compilation of information about pollutants’ releases, the disposal of waste and emissions from diffuse sources.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The Federal Environment Agency aims to cast more light on environmental protection as its very existence depends on information. The industry, large and medium-sized enterprises have the duty to publish their environmental data and to disclose it to the state, its people and also to the EU Commission. This includes information about where and what kind of pollution exists and how trends – whether positive or negative – may develop. Environmental policy decisions are made based on this information. Citizens are also meant to have open access to this information. They may want to actively participate in the efforts to protect the environment. Transparency and comparability – in line with the aims of sustainability – are good instruments for reducing pollution and for creating innovation incentives in industry.
The media daily report on the effects of industrial activities on the environment. Media may discuss questions such as how great is the strain on the environment, for example of different procedures practiced at waste incineration plants? How much hazardous waste does this country generate and eventually export every year and where to? How have levels of particulate matter and carbon dioxide pollution developed in recent years? You may find answers to all these question when visiting http://www.thru.de

 


What you will find there, esteemed visitors, can also be of interest for facilities, which may want to use this forum to compare business processes and environmental performance to others competing on the market, known as benchmarking.


The publication of industrial emissions data will certainly have an influence on how an individual company is perceived in public. Insurance companies, too, may be interested in information about certain pollutant emissions. Thru.de creates more transparency for everyone.

By launching Thru.de, we have laid another cornerstone of the long process towards more transparency in environmental protection. We will be adding more information to include well-processed data on emission from diffuse sources, for example from households, road transport or agriculture, which will complete the picture. We are currently involved in a development project to achieve this. The information on Thru.de may also play a role in the climate debate, especially at the local level. It offers a platform for facilities to show progress in emissions reduction and to advertise the use of environmentally friendly production processes.
The various and significantly upgraded website functions allow users to search for facilities to see data on emissions released into the air and/or water by pollutants and sectors and waste generated through industrial activities.
Thru.de facilitates access to information about the environment. You are encouraged to utilize this. 

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Holzmann 
Vice-President, Federal Environment Agency