Soil is our Foundation

Soil is quite literally the foundation of on which we will build a sustainable future. It underpins 90% of all human food, fibre and fuel. It is essential for water and ecosystem health; it acts as a carbon sink, shapes our landscapes, and supports our biodiversity.

In spite of all this, soil is contaminated, exploited and degraded all over the world. In Europe alone, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) estimates that there may be as many as 2.5 million potentially contaminated sites which need investigation. Around one out of every seven of these, a total of approximately 340,000 sites, is expected to be contaminated and in need of remediation.

Contaminated soil and groundwater is not only bad for the environment; it also has a negative influence on the economy. Within the EU alone, the annual socioeconomic impact of the environmental depletion caused by soil contamination is estimated to be around 6.5 billion euros.

Danish Soil and Groundwater Remediation

Someone has to clean up the sins of the past in order to build a more sustainable future. The soil and groundwater remediation sector does that.

Therefore, knowledge about how to prevent future soil contamination and remediate the already contaminated sites and aquifers will be a vital part of the transition towards a more sustainable future. Danish companies and authorities have a central role to play in this development as they have been working with these issues for many years and have built up comprehensive knowhow. This report presents an overview of the Danish sector for soil and groundwater remediation.