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.
We are excited to welcome a new member to the ECOS Network: Institut cirkulární ekonomiky (INCIEN) is the first Czech NGO working on circular economy through a holistic perspective.
ECOS has two open calls for tenders for tailored coaching and leadership training for our senior management teams. The training should entail a mix of theoretical learning and concrete practices. We invite providers to submit proposals for one or both by 22 February 2026.
ECOS is looking for experts to help us secure an ambitious and effective decarbonisation pathway for cement and concrete value chains in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
ECOS is seeking suitably qualified candidates, both independents and from within our membership, to join our governance and contribute to the strategic direction and governance of ECOS. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader to play a key role in guiding our vision and mission, and strategic decision-making, as well as drive positive environmental impact across the globe, while navigating a complex and evolving geopolitical landscape. Apply before 28 February 2026!
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.
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In May, Buy Better to Build Better (BBBB) was officially launched. The coalition unites 35 forward-thinking stakeholders from across the construction sector, civil society, and public authorities under a shared commitment to elevate public procurement as a core lever for driving demand for innovative solutions.
Want to know more about the environmental impacts of data centres? Come to our session at the European Sustainable Energy Week, #EUSEW2025, the biggest conference dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency. We will be presenting about whether AI can be efficient and sustainable, and why we must go beyond energy efficiency to achieve our climate ambitions. Register now!
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?
This month, ECOS Members, Experts, and partners met in Brussels for stimulating exchanges, learning about standards, and shaping priorities for the ECOS network. Also in June, we celebrated the African Day of Standardisation. Developing standards with environmental consideration can help to develop clean technologies, promote circularity, manage waste, or protect the natural ecosystems that produce raw materials – growing in importance for Africa and global trade.
Press contact: Alison Grace – alison.grace@ecostandard.org +32 493 19 22 59
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.
Press release, Brussels | Today, Europe’s Environment Ministers bowed to the automotive industry by voting to weaken a crucial regulation to make the automotive sector more circular, warn environmental NGOs.
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.