ECOS | Environmental Coalition on Standards

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Clean energy

Sustainable buildings & construction products

Buildings are at the core of our lives. Yet, creating and maintaining buildings takes a huge toll on our limited natural resources. In the EU, the production of building materials emits 250 million tonnes of CO2 annually – equivalent to flying around the world 38 million times. It takes another 950 million tonnes to provide lighting, cooking, heating, and cooling. Our aim is to make a sustainable built environment a reality. We develop international standards and push for legislation that ensures circular, low-carbon building materials and creates buildings that fit planetary boundaries.

What we are working on

  • We push for an ambitious EU Strategy for a Sustainable Built Environment and Construction Products Regulation.
  • We advocate clean heating and cooling, with a phase-out of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy sources.
  • ECOS shapes standards to promote transparency on environmental impacts and make sustainable materials the default.
  • We call for mandatory green public procurement of construction products.

 

Who we work with

Alliances and campaigns

Related news

  • Look back on our Annual Conference 2024: Building blocks for the future

    From how construction products are designed and how their environmental information is disclosed to the way public purchasing decisions are made, pathways to sustainable construction are within reach. Yet, they remain underexploited. This year – against the background of renewed institutions and bringing together key stakeholders from industry, civil society, and policymakers - the 14th edition of our annual conference focused on key leverages to implementing ambitious construction policies and standards in the EU.

  • Call for experts – Chemicals in construction products

    ECOS is looking for experts in the field of chemicals in construction products to represent and defend environmental interests in the development of standards and related policies. Our experts provide us with technical and scientific input and represent ECOS in standardisation processes and multi-stakeholder discussions.

  • Buy better to build better: Green public procurement can unlock sustainable construction

    Construction products are one of the most significant contributors to environmental damage with an annual carbon footprint of 250 million tonnes in the EU. This is equivalent to the electricity use of nearly 500 million homes in a single year. Beyond emissions, construction products account for half of the EU's total material consumption and contribute to about one-third of the bloc's annual waste output.

Contact person
Joren Verschaeve
Senior Programme Manager joren.verschaeve@ecostandard.org
Thomas Trevisan
Programme Manager thomas.trevisan@ecostandard.org

ECOS is co-funded by the European Commission and EFTA Funded 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 EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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