ECOS is looking for experts in Circular economy standardisation 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.
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To better understand the trade in used textiles and textile waste, we are engaging with and learning from key partners in Kenya. Their valuable insight can help develop effective end-of-waste criteria in the EU and address the negative impacts of importing used textiles and textile waste.
The purpose of this tender is to appoint an external audit firm, through a framework contract, for the provision of external audit services for a three-year period (financial years 2026, 2027, and 2028).
ECOS is looking for experts in the field of methane emissions 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. Apply before 09/03/2026!
We are looking for a highly motivated Programme Officer to join our Energy Transition team and work on sustainable production and consumption. The chosen candidate will closely collaborate with the Circular Economy & Nature team on standardisation, policy developments, and project management related to ecodesign and energy labelling, in the framework of the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The successful candidate will report to a Senior Programme Manager.
ECOS seeks to subcontract a company or individual to deliver expertise on heat pump testing. Apply before 28 February 2026!
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Research shows that by 2050, Africa's population will increase by about 60%. Two-thirds of the infrastructure and buildings required are yet to be built, ushering in an unprecedented wave of construction—and potentially, pollution.
The ECOS Network Days are happening on 9 and 10 June in Brussels. We hope to see many of our members in these two days of learning and of celebration for the 25 years of ECOS!
The European Commission’s proposed ‘EU Product Act’ could provide necessary revisions to ensure coherence and consistency and further reinforce EU product policy. Join this ECOS webinar as our experts unpack this framework of EU legislation and discuss how to build a competitive and future-proof Single Market that is fit for circular economy and the digital transition.
Watch the recording from our recent workshop, where we discussed the standardisation process, best practices, and recent developments for solutions for packaging minimisation, refill, and reuse.
Together with our member Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, we are organising an event in Stockholm looking at why and how civil society should get involved in standardisation in Sweden. The effective participation of environmental NGOs in standards-making is key to making sure our planet is protected by robust rules – and this year we are focusing on the role standards can play to bring about circular economy.
Webinar | How data centre expansion risks derailing climate goals - and how to fix it.
Standards will play an essential role in implementing the EU's new packaging rules. Join us on 2 October to learn more about the standardisation process and hear from experts about best practices and recent developments, as we discuss solutions for packaging minimisation, refill, and reuse.
Webinar | The increasing popularity of AI and other digital technologies is driving a boom in the need for data centres. AI is framed as a vehicle for progress, but its unchecked evolution also has a darker side: it risks undermining climate goals, destabilising energy systems, and deepening environmental and social inequalities. Join us for the launch of a new report on the environmental impacts of data centres, and possible EU policy responses.
This month, we explain the importance and value of civil society representation in European standardisation, helping to build stronger standards. We also have an update from our ECOS Africa office, as we continue to work with national partners on standards and a Green Public Procurement (GPP) approach to low-carbon construction, and in our latest blog we discuss our valuable collaboration with partners in Kenya to inform the EU’s end of waste criteria.
Standards can have a great impact on our societies and our environment; therefore including civil society organisations with environmental expertise throughout the standards-making process can help to build stronger standards that work for society. ECOS is turning 25 this year! Learn about our priorities in our Work Programme for 2026 and we also take a look back at our successes from last year.
In our final newsletter of the year we share our expert insight on the European Standardisation Regulation and published a new factsheet on Environmental Attribute Certificates for steel (and how to ensure the right calculation methods are used). This month we also wrote about the benefits of energy labelling and had an interview with the European Commission’s DG ENV discussing how public procurement can accelerate a sustainable and competitive construction sector. Plus all the usual updates from our international network, including a new vacancy and calls for experts.
This month we called on EU leaders to include the essential environmental angle in the legal basis for the EU’s Circular Economy Act. We also reviewed the EU’s Bioeconomy Strategy and published a new factsheet on standards that underpin global trade rules for raw materials. Looking ahead we share a new vacancy in the team and write about expectations for the next United Nations Environment Assembly.
This month we marked World Standards Day – a day to recognise and celebrate the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide who develop standards. We participated in important discussions on e-waste with our partners in Africa to mark International E-waste Day. We also celebrated the EU’s new Soil Monitoring Law this month and looked at opportunities to address environmental and social aspects together in the European Affordable Housing Plan.
In our September newsletter, catch up on what you might have missed over the Summer - from the environmental impacts of data centres to defining ‘regenerative’ bioeconomy. We're also looking ahead to World Standards Day in just a few weeks (14 October), we’ve been writing about the importance of inclusiveness in standardisation. We will also be hosting an event with our members in Sweden to help engage civil society in the development of standards at national level.
The European Standardisation Regulation holds strategic importance for ECOS and is now under revision. Watch this space, as the public consultation is expected in the coming weeks. In other news, we have a new European standard for testing the durability of washing machines and we also discuss ‘the big question’ - what kinds of hydrogen now qualify as ‘low-carbon’ in the EU?
Press contact: Alison Grace – alison.grace@ecostandard.org +32 493 19 22 59
Press release, Brussels | The EU’s new Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) deprioritises decarbonisation with insufficient and unclear public procurement measures for clean industrial products and low quotas for concrete and steel, environmental group ECOS says. Mainstreaming green public procurement is the EU’s most powerful climate solution, with the power to make or break Europe’s climate credibility. Stifling its potential will be a missed opportunity, ECOS explains.
The Rethink Plastic Alliance is deeply concerned by the Commission’s decision to allow the use of certain problematic, so-called ‘chemical recycling’ technologies to achieve the EU’s recycling targets. The first full recognition of ‘chemical recycling’ can set a dangerous precedent for future legislation.
Press release, Brussels | The bioeconomy is not inherently circular or sustainable, it must be built that way. The EU’s revised Bioeconomy Strategy takes some steps to do that, but it missed opportunities to do a lot more, environmental organisation ECOS says.
Press release, Brussels | New Eurostat data released today exposes the scale of Europe's overconsumption of electronics and the continued failure to properly collect and recycle electronic waste. Environmental NGOs are urging the European Commission to take decisive action in the upcoming revision e-waste legislation: stronger and binding measures to prevent waste and promote repair, reuse and proper collection (including reuse targets), and robust EPR schemes with eco-modulated fees that hold producers accountable for their products throughout their life cycle.
Press release, Brussels | Today, EU lawmakers listened to citizens and science and rubber stamped the deal on the Soil Monitoring Law, the EU’s first ever law on soil health, after months of negotiations. Despite severe shortcomings of the endorsed text, this is an important milestone towards addressing Europe’s crisis of soil degradation. Its success will depend on impactful implementation.
Press release, Brussels | New NGO coalition unveils first members and launches EU methane regulation implementation tracker.
Press release, Brussels | European consumers need a strong Green Claims Directive to deter false claims, but concerning and unverified reports suggest the proposal is in jeopardy. If policymakers do not reach an ambitious agreement, greenwashing will continue, say environmental groups ECOS, ClientEarth, Carbon Market Watch, and the European Environmental Bureau.
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.