The Belgian EU Presidency wants to clean up industrial processes in Europe by promoting a "cradle-to-cradle" approach to resource management in the manufacturing sector, EurActiv has learned.

Meeting in Ghent on 12-13 July, EU environment ministers will debate a study by the Belgian EU Presidency on "sustainable materials management" (SMM).

The study, obtained by EurActiv, advocates "a fully integrated way of addressing materials use" in manufacturing in order to limit resource depletion and air, soil and water pollution.