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LIFE21-ENV-IT-REBREATH – Project no. 101074269

RE-BREATH project

‘RE-BREATH’ is an ambitious project funded by European Commission’s LIFE Programme in the field of sustainable urban mobility.
In particular the challenge of ‘RE BREATH’ project, acronym for REduction of Brake weaR Emissions in the Transport sector is to improve
knowledge of the emissions of non exhaust micro particles generated by Local Public Transport mobility braking systems to assess their
impact on people’s quality of life and the environment and, finally, to design and develop an innovative and more environmentally friendly bus braking system as well as to intervene with green mitigation works.
The project started in August 2022 and will last 36 months, with a total budget of 3,241,827.28€ of which 1,945,096.28€ financed by the European LIFE programme.

For a sustainable mobility

Through the shared commitment of all the realities involved, the ‘RE-BREATH’ project intends not only to measure and demonstrate the reduction of PM 10 emissions, related to the braking system of buses at bus stops and other hot spots, but also to support national authorities in the estimation of non exhaust emissions (to be calculated in the EMEP/SEE emission inventory, according to Directive 2016 2284) to demonstrate the decrease in the brake wear rate and the consequent increase in the life of the braking system compared to traditional solutions, contributing to the construction of more sustainable models.

Watch the video and discover the project:

Updates

May 2024

The work of each project partner continues, working hard to achieve results in the short, medium, and long term.

  • Brembo is testing new brakes on Arriva buses in Bergamo and Bratislava to reduce emissions.
  • The CNR is conducting sampling and analysis in the areas adjacent to selected bus stops. The current measurement cycle will be completed by December 2024.
  • The Municipality of Bergamo has created new green spaces near bus stops. The Municipality of Bergamo, responsible for project dissemination, has also launched an awareness campaign in collaboration with ATB – Bergamo Transport Company, acting as Communications Supporter.

The entire Re-Breath consortium works to promote sustainability by organizing internal events and participating in external events such as the Transport Research Arena and EuroBrake.

For more information, download the May 2024 newsletter.

Newlsetter 05/2024

March 2025

The project partners continue to work tirelessly to achieve short, medium, and long-term results.

  • Brembo has completed the RE-BREATH testing phase on the Arriva Italia and Arriva Slovakia fleets. The trial is being extended to other buses in the fleet with a view to replication, while material testing continues.
  • CNR has completed the analysis and sampling of measurements taken at bus stops. It is currently working on guidelines and a post-project conservation plan for the results achieved with RE-BREATH.
  • Arriva Slovakia is working on the transnational event that will take place on 18 and 19 March 2025 in Bratislava.
  • The Municipality of Bergamo is preparing an update to the plan for improving the city’s flowerbeds created as part of the project. Meanwhile, the awareness campaign continues in collaboration with ATB – Bergamo Transport Company.  

For more information, download the March 2025 newsletter.

Newlsetter 03/2025

July 2025

The operational phase of the RE-BREATH project has been successfully concluded. All partners presented their results in terms of reduced brake wear emissions, impact on air quality, and operational benefits for public transport.

  • Brembo confirmed the effectiveness of the new brake system under real-world conditions, sharing project data with Task Force 5 to help develop future emission standards.
  • Arriva tested the extended lifespan of the braking system, which resulted in less waste, lower maintenance requirements, and reduced operating costs for public transport operators.
  • CNR processed the collected environmental data, developed dispersion models, and produced a high-resolution map of PM10 concentrations in the monitored areas.
  • The Municipality of Bergamo disseminated the project results through informational materials and during the final event held at Kilometro Rosso headquarters in Bergamo.

The RE-BREATH consortium is now working on the replication phase of the model on other vehicle fleets and is drafting the post-project results exploitation plan.

For more information, download the July 2025 newsletter and stay tuned for more updates.

Newlsetter 07/2025

Project partners

The project is coordinated by Brembo, a world leader in the development and production of braking systems, and involves important partners from the public and private sectors such as the Municipality of Bergamo, which has long promoted and supported both local and international initiatives on sustainability issues Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (which will participate with the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research (CNR IIA) and the Institute of Nanostructured Materials (CNR ISMN) Arriva Italia and Arriva Slovakia.

Brembo SpA is a world leader and recognized innovator in disc brake system technology for vehicles.

It is a supplier to the world’s most prestigious manufacturers – of passenger cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles – of high-performance braking systems, as well as clutches and other components for the racing industry.

Brembo also has undisputed supremacy in the sports sector with more than 500 world championships won to date.

The city council is the representative public assembly of the citizens of a municipality, who directly appoint it by electing its mayor and 32 councilors.
The council has planning, policy-making and political-administrative control functions. Its matters of competence are defined by law, and among the main ones are the statute of the entity, the budget, the final account, the municipal urban plan, the public works plan, and conventions between local authorities.

The Municipality of Bergamo is responsible for communicating and disseminating the project’s activities and results, which it will carry out with the support of a communications firm and with the contribution of ATB for the awareness campaign prior to the launch of the planned pilot program. The Municipality will also identify and plant selected shrubs to reduce the environmental impact in certain areas of the city.

Cnr-Iia is the Institute on Atmospheric Pollution of the National Research Council. It is mainly concerned with the study and monitoring of air quality, emissions, pollution, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability.

Established on September 13, 2000, and operational since 2002, the Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials was born from the union of five former Institution’s organs with many years of experience in the field of Innovative Materials.
ISMN is one of the one hundred and four Institutes belonging to the National Research Council and has achieved important scientific achievements and established significant interaction with the National and International Research System and the business world.

Arriva Italia is the Arriva Group’s italian branch. Present on the Italian market since 2002, managing around 5% of the market shares, it provides both urban and extra-urban transport services mainly in Northern Italy, as well as shuttle services to Turin and Milan airports.

It provides public transport connections and suburban lines in the regions of Bratislava, Nitra, Košice, Žilina, and Trnava. In 2016 the company operated a rail link between Nitra and Prague and since 2017 a shared bicycle service, so-called bikesharing comes bike in the city of Nitra and from March 2019 BikeKIA in the city of Žilina.

Deliverables

D4.4 Potential hotspots and draft plan of greening intervention D5.1 Exploitation and After – LIFE conservation Plan D5.3 AfterLIFE conservation Plan D5.4 Guidelines D6.3 RE-BREATH VIDEO TEASER D6.6 FINAL VIDEO

This project has received funds by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.