Vapour permeation is a membrane separating process that has been used since several decades for gas separation and it has been recently and successfully applied in treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOC) charged gaseous effluents. It presents several advantages compared to conventional processes for gas effluent treatment (e.g. adsorption, incineration and oxidation): it is energetically less demanding, it is easy to operate and it is economically feasible. This article presents a review of the VOC emissions in some principal industrialised countries and the positioning of vapour permeation between the processes for gaseous effluent treatment. It also presents some generalities about the operational principles of vapour permeation, as well as the main characteristics of the commonly used membrane modules and the current materials used for membrane manufacturing. Finally, an overview of the industrial application opportunities of vapour permeation is given.