Supported projects

LUXEMBOURG / RUSSIA - This investigation traces the international networks of companies, traders, vessel owners and insurers connected to Russia's largest coal mine.

RUŽOMBEROK - As demand for paper packaging grows, pressure on Europe’s forests increases. An investigation into Mondi SCP in Slovakia reveals the source of its wood and raises questions about the transparency of logging practices and the future of protected forests.

BROOKLYN – Amidst pastel colours, carefully styled product photos and phrases such as “made with love”, “authentic” and “sustainable”, the online marketplace Etsy promises an alternative to the anonymous mass production of fast fashion. It seems that anyone who shops here is not supporting a factory ...

AMBETHAN - Europe’s “sustainable mobility transition” is contributing to India’s toxic problem. While the European Green Deal promises “zero-emission mobility by 2035”, the supply chain is creating permanent contamination zones in India.

CHARLEROI / FARCIENNES - As Google rapidly expands its data centres in the Belgian region of Hainaut residents are watching farmland, wetlands and entire neighbourhoods disappear behind concrete walls and barbed wire.

GHENT / TERNEUZEN - Our region has everything it needs to be a world leader in green chemistry. At least, that is what the government and industry unanimously claim. We put this to the test in North Sea Port, the binational port that says it is fully committed to a circular future. Will the chemical ...

BUCHAREST / PRAGUE / WARSAW - The Polluter Profits Project is a data investigation that uncovers how billions of euros from the EU Modernisation Fund, one of the main sources of public decarbonisation funding for lower-income member states, have been channelled towards polluting industries.

CERRO DE PASCO - The city of Cerro de Pasco lies at an altitude of 4,380 metres in the harsh climate of the Peruvian Andes. It is one of the highest cities in the world, but also one of the most polluted, as there is a huge pit right in the centre of the city.

LIERNEUX - Europe wants to reduce its dependence on foreign supplies of key raw materials. That is why Member States are looking into what can be mined within their borders. Senne Starckx investigated the possibilities in Belgium.

IKEBIRI / POTENZA - From the dry hills of southern Italy's Basilicata region to the flood-stricken communities of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, oil giant Eni has left a trail of pollution and environmental degradation spanning continents. This cross-border investigation examines the consequences.

TERVUREN / LUBUMBASHI - The increasing pressure on the Africa Museum to return artefacts has taken a new turn. The US, Congo and the EU are keen to digitise the museum's geological archives from the colonial era and gain access to information about the subsoil of Central Africa and its potential ...

ANTWERP - Flemish industry urgently needs to become greener in order to meet climate targets, but the transition is proving difficult. Although the government is making more and more resources available, it remains unclear whether these investments will actually lead to greening.

BUCHAREST / BARCELONA / MILAN / PARIS – By dropping clothes into collection bins, we often believe to be doing a good deed, “a small gesture that transforms the world”. But does it really? This investigation's findings reveal systemic failures in this presumably sustainable system.

BAHIA / CREMONA - This investigation uncovers how a coalition of timber traders and representatives from the musical instrument industry has been lobbying governments in Europe and worldwide to reject the proposal or to water down existing measures.

KVISTGÅRD - Newly uncovered confidential documents and exclusive testimonies reveal how one of the biggest Scandinavia fluoropolymer users has left behind a toxic legacy in Denmark, a pattern now familiar in many parts of Europe.

BRUSSELS / LONDON / PARIS - In this investigation, journalists investigated the role medals awarded by wine competitions play in misleading supermarket consumers over the supposed quality of wines.

DUNKERQUE / PEÑA COLORADA / SANTA CRUZ - This team of journalists investigated the operations of Ternium and ArcelorMittal, two Luxembourg-based steel giants that present themselves as leaders in “sustainable” and “low-carbon” steel.

MOYOBAMBA - This investigation traces the global supply chain of sacha inchi, an Amazonian seed also known as ‘the Inca’s gold’, to expose the mechanisms of modern-day biopiracy.

AALSMEER / NAIVASHA/ TABACUNDO – This cross-border investigation reveals the hidden economic, social and ecological asymmetries of roses, which symbolise love in the north but often represent exploitation in the south.

VICENZA / LOTE PARSHURAM - What happens to a Western chemical plant after it closes down due to causing an environmental disaster? Sometimes it travels to other continents. This investigation reveals how a PFAS factory implicated in an Italian environmental scandal was dismantled and rebuilt in ...

OSTRAVA - This investigation looks into preventive measures taken after the ecological disaster on the Oder river in 2022. It showcases the conflict between economic development and environmental preservation and the need for cross-border systemic solutions.

BRUSSELS / RIGA – Utilising AI-driven analysis of Russian customs data, the Tools of War project uncovers the clandestine network of European companies that profited from supplying high-tech machinery to Russia's military, enhancing its capabilities prior to the invasion of Ukraine.

BRUSSELS - Which is more sustainable: a woollen jumper or a polyester one? The European Union proposes a universal calculation to find out. The answer may surprise you: although polyester is a synthetic fibre made from fossil fuels, it is not the plastic fibre but the natural fibre that turns out to ...

BRUSSELS/DUBLIN - For decades, European consumers have been warned about the dangers of smoking. Yet wine and beer still carry no clear health warnings, even though alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. This investigation reveals how the European alcohol industry has fought to ...

BERLIN – Volkswagen needs minerals for electric cars. War-torn Congo and Sudan have them. Long supply chains and an opaque system of certifications make it likely that “conflict minerals” end up in new electric cars from the German car giant.

PALAS DE REI / FIGUEIRA DA FOZ - This cross-border investigation reveals a Portuguese pulp company’s controversial plan for a pulp mill in Galicia. The project comes with multiple environmental risks and questions about the future of local industries.

ANTWERP / RIEME - No one knows how many harmful substances are emitted from the chimneys of Flemish factories. However, the emissions of the limited group of “Substances of Very High Concern” reported by Flemish companies are almost twice as high as those reported by companies in the Netherlands. 

DURRES / TIRANA / UTRECHT - Port areas in Europe are often densely populated, and at the same time highly polluted, both as a consequence of maritime traffic and of industries concentrated in those areas.

BRUSSELS - Agriculture in Flanders is facing challenges. Caught between expanding cities and ever-growing nature reserves, farmers are striving to produce food for a growing (global) population.

BEREGOVO - Journalists embarked on a journey along the Tisza River to investigate the sources of pollution in one of Central and Eastern Europe's major waterways.