ECOS

Today's omnibus proposal marks the beginning of a new era of deregulation in the EU — first on the hitlist: corporate sustainability reporting. Responding to the European Commission proposal, ECOS Programme Manager Laura Väyrynen said: 🗣️ "What’s the point of a corporate sustainability reporting law that doesn’t make companies report on their environmental impacts? These rules were a win for the planet, investors, civil society, and the public — that’s not easy to achieve. This U-turn is devastating for transparency, environmentally conscious companies, and our transition to a low-carbon economy that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Thankfully, sustainability reporting hasn’t been completely scrapped, but with significantly fewer companies likely to have to do it, and with potentially fewer data points to disclose, critical environmental impacts will not be reported. The insufficient and incomparable data left won’t be worth much. Lower your expectations for reaching climate and sustainability targets because we’ll be flying blind." #NoToOmnibus

Some opportunities, few guarantees. Our reaction to the #CleanIndustrialDeal: https://lnkd.in/eYSkn8R3 Today’s publication is a mixed bag with encouraging signals in some areas, and questions raised in others... 💭 ➡️ Lead markets: Public procurement can stimulate the development of lead markets if it is strategically designed to do so. However, few insights are provided into how the EU intends to connect the dots between the different pieces of relevant legislation. ➡️ Cement: Cement is a key industry for Europe, but it is also energy intensive and in need of an updated and sector-wide shift to quickly decarbonise. However, it receives little attention in the Clean Industrial Deal. ➡️ Circular economy: The ambition of the Clean Industrial Deal is to make the EU the world leader on #CircularEconomy by 2030. This is encouraging, but sustainable resource management, sufficiency, and demand reduction are missing. We cannot recycle our way out of the triple planetary crisis. ➡️ Energy: Focus on renewable energy and lowering costs for businesses is reassuring. But without prioritising energy savings and efficiency, it will be harder and slower to secure our energy system, transition away from fossil fuels, and make bills more affordable. 👉 Learn more in our full reaction: https://lnkd.in/eYSkn8R3

Europe needs bolder investment in affordable and renewable heating and cooling to secure a clean energy future, independence, competitiveness and climate targets. Today, the EU Commission launched the #CleanIndustrialDeal (CID) and the #AffordableEnergyActionPlan. Both contain useful elements, such as mentions of a new #heating and #cooling strategy and funding for residential clean heating. However, more is needed to accelerate the transition to clean heating and cooling, a key sector for EU competitiveness and affordability. The CID, a flagship initiative from the European Commission aimed at boosting European advanced manufacturing, is betting too heavily on imported #FossilGas - at the expense of building out renewable energy infrastructure and industry for a long-term boost to industries. This is what our steering committee member Marco Grippa, programme manager at ECOS had to say about the CID 👇 For more information, read the coalition's position on the CID: https://lnkd.in/depHuH5R

⏰ There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the #construction sector's waste problem. Half of all raw materials extracted yearly are used in construction materials that build our houses, bridges, and roads.   ♻️ And a third of all EU waste comes from these activities with only a small share being reused or recycled into new products. The upcoming #CircularEconomyAct is an opportunity to deliver measures that address construction waste and foster a market for reused and recycled materials by: ✅ Tackling outdated provisions and gaps in the #WasteFrameworkDirective  ✅ Creating a competitive and efficient market for secondary construction materials through green public procurement and product requirements   ✉️ Joint letter from the recycling industry, cities, and NGOs: https://lnkd.in/emWdTWEd EU for Social Economy & Social Enterprises, Mattia Pellegrini, Katharina Knapton-Vierlich, Florian Flachenecker, PhD, Anna Lupi, Philippe Moseley, EuRIC - The European Recycling Industries, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, European Environmental Bureau

What best practices from Africa and Europe are there to tackle #greenwashing? Join our webinar on 13 March to find out! 🌳 Co-organised by the Association Camerounaise pour le Développement, l’Entraide Sociale et la Protection de l’Environnement (ACDESPE) and ECOS, this webinar will focus on sharing best practices and highlighting opportunities. Speakers include the Cameroonian Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection, and Sustainability (MINEPDED), the Cameroonian National Standardisation Body (ANOR), and civil society representatives. 📅 13 March, 14:00 - 15:30 (WAT/CET) 💬 Simultaneous interpretation into French and English will be available. ➡️ Register now: https://lnkd.in/gHDQWJaT

🗨️ Today we are participating in the first meeting of the #EcodesignForum, where we will discuss the implementation of the EU’s new ecodesign rules – the #ESPR. This groundbreaking EU regulation needs to be implemented without delay, tackling all high-impact products. 🍀 The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation will help make #sustainable products the norm. Ecodesign will play an important role in achieving the EU’s climate and environmental aims, complementing the efforts of the #CleanIndustrialDeal. 🎓 The forum is a diverse, expert group that will be consulted on the development of #ecodesign requirements and the preparation of ESPR working plans, which identify products and measures to be addressed. 🤝 ECOS representatives bring decades of experience working alongside other stakeholders to develop #ProductRequirements - within #standardisation committees or the predecessor to the Ecodesign Forum. 🔄 Product requirements must be guided by the best available evidence on ecological thresholds. Only then, can the ESPR realise the full potential of ecodesign - to create an energy-efficient, #circular, and toxic-free economy.

2024 was a year of action, impact, and progress for ECOS. Here's a recap of how we brought meaningful solutions to big environmental challenges (link in comments) 👇   🛠️ Right to repair: We helped bring the EU’s Right to Repair Directive to life to tackle e-waste.   🔋 Better batteries: Our work on carbon footprint standards for EV batteries ensured sustainability was central.   🌊 Cleaner oceans: We shaped new standards for circular fishing gear to reduce ocean plastic and waste.   ♻️ Sustainable design: We paved the way for greener products with contributions to the EU’s #ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation)   🏗️ Greener public procurement: We shone a light on the power of public spending, which could slash construction emissions.   🏭 Real climate action: We held standardisers accountable on misleading climate neutrality claims.   🌍 Global reach: ECOS Africa celebrated its first year, creating partnerships and exchanging expertise.   🌱 Bigger impact: We expanded our work, built new alliances, and shaped standards and policy in new sectors.   These activities bring us closer to a world where technical solutions meet global environmental needs - because environmental problems don't stop at borders.   We need policies, standards, and laws that work together to solve collective challenges 🤝 into 2025 and beyond.

Have you ever wondered what's it like to live with a heat pump? ♨️ There has been a lot of misinformation spread about heat pumps in recent years, leading to false perceptions. We wanted to cut through the noise to ask consumers for their lived experience to see what it's really like. We asked consumers in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, and Spain about what benefits a heat pump had brought to their home and what policymakers can learn from the experience. The result? We found that: 1️⃣ Consumers were broadly happy with their heat pump 2️⃣ Cooling is a big advantage during warmer months 3️⃣ Cost savings are important but more efforts are needed to make heat pumps a more cost-competitive choice 4️⃣ Heat pump users tend to become more conscious of their energy consumption 5️⃣ Although installation went smoothly, detailed advice on the suitability of the heat pump and housing insulation was often lacking 6️⃣ Many ‘teething issues’ highlight the importance of post-installation service and maintenance It's the perfect #ValentinesDay💕 and #WorldEnergyDay reading material. Is it a consumer love story? Check out our brand new report to find out 👇 UFC-Que Choisir Consumentenbond dTest, o.p.s. Federación de Consumidores y Usuarios CECU

🌹 Roses are red 🩵 Violets are blue 🌳 Is it #greenwashing or is this love really true? Trust is an essential component of any relationship.   Building trust between companies and consumers through transparent and honest communication should be the norm. A strong #GreenClaimsDirective could offer that. 

When it comes to #electronics, there's one EU policy solution that could make them ALL more sustainable 🥁📢 horizontal ecodesign measures! Moving slowly from product to product isn't efficient when there's a faster and more effective approach that could: ♻️ Reduce the environmental impacts of electronics 🚫 Prevent e-waste from piling up 👨🔧 Create repair jobs across the EU All electronic products must be designed to be: 🛠️ Easy to disassemble and repair with affordable and accessible spare parts ℹ️ Supported by free access to repair information 🛑 Free from software restrictions that prevent spare part replacements Alongside 30+ civil society and repair organisations, we've called on the European Commission to introduce horizontal ecodesign requirements for electronic products. Read our joint letter 👉 https://lnkd.in/eXGFhvnC #sustainability #ecodesign #ESPR #CircularEconomy