The Alliance for Flame Free Furniture welcomes the ‘COVID-19 Regulatory Relief and Work from Home Safety Act’ passed by the United States congress and signed into law on December 27, 2020, requiring that all upholstered seating for furniture imported or sold in the US comply with the flammability test specified by the California Technical Bulletin 117-2013 (TB 117 – 2013), a smoulder test.
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Earlier this year, eight cities in the Belgian region of Flanders signed a manifesto committing to fossil-free heating in all homes by 2050. Citizens will be encouraged to join heat networks or install heat pumps, among other zero-emission solutions, contributing to the phase-out of natural gas and fossil fuels. Angelos Koutsis, energy policy officer at the Belgian NGO Bond Beter Leefmilieu, explains how this action came to life.
We are looking for a highly motivated Programme Manager to join our Circular Economy team and help reinforce our activities aiming to reduce the environmental footprint of buildings and construction products.
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In May 2021, ECOS, Zero Waste Europe and the Rethink Plastic alliance sent a letter calling on the European Commission to put on hold the development of overarching standards on plastics recyclability until related EU laws are adopted. Going ahead with this standardisation process now would give companies the opportunity to set the ambition of definitions of recyclability-related terms, potentially weakening effective recyclability rates in Europe for the years to come.
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The European Commission committed to higher transparency in the creation of a sustainable finance taxonomy following calls by the Platform on Sustainable Finance, prompted by protests of ECOS and four other NGOs. Over a month ago, nonprofits suspended their participation in the Platform on Sustainable Finance as a response to the adoption of a taxonomy proposal which ignored scientific advice.
Today, ECOS, Zero Waste Europe, and the Rethink Plastic alliance have sent a letter calling on the European Commission to put on hold the development of overarching standards on plastics recyclability until related EU laws are adopted. Going ahead with this standardisation process now would give companies the opportunity to set the ambition of definitions of recyclability-related terms, potentially weakening effective recyclability rates in Europe for years to come.
Ahead of the European Council’s discussion on 25 May about the new climate and energy legislation (so called Fit for 55 Package), European businesses, investor groups, local and regional authorities and NGOs published a joint letter to list their expectations. They called upon EU decision makers to ensure that the upgraded climate and energy legislation increases the EU’s climate ambition to the highest possible level, while supporting a green, territorially balanced and socially fair transition in all regions.
2021 marks our 20th anniversary, celebrate with us! Join our online conference on 17 June and take the opportunity to debate the European Commission’s highly anticipated Sustainable Products Initiative.
Did you know that ecodesign requirements for circular textiles can be the key driving factor towards a more environmentally friendly textiles production? Watch our webinar and learn about the textiles policies and standards needed to protect our planet - before it turns into the ultimate fashion victim.
Setting standards that work for the environment is key to shaping a greener future. Did you know that there are many ways for civil society to get involved?
Decarbonising heating is both necessary and entirely possible. Would you like to find out how we can use ecodesign and energy labelling policies to drastically cut CO2 emissions? Watch our webinar!
Would you like to learn more about smart charging of electric vehicles? Did you know that standards play an important role in making green e-mobility work? Watch our webinar to find out more!
Our annual conference, held online on 29 September 2020, gathered over 140 participants and a wide range of stakeholders. Whether you missed it or would like to dip back into the topic - our conference summary is ready for you to be explored!
This year the annual ECOS Members & Experts Training goes online! Join us for an exclusive opportunity to find out all about defending the environment in standardisation.
Standards can significantly influence how laws are applied in practice – and environmental legislation is no different. This month, we bring you a crystal-clear example: plastics. In addition, Bond Beter Leefmilieu's Angelos Koutsis explains how his organisation led 8 of the biggest Flemish cities to sign a manifesto for fossil-free home heating.
In this issue, find insightful stories analysing two EU policies with an important impact on the environment: the EU climate taxonomy, and the Battery Regulation proposal. In addition, read our report: an-depth analysis of how the EU should implement ecodesign policies in textiles to boost the transition towards a circular economic model for fashion.
ECOS has just rebranded, meet the new us! In this issue, discover the new ECOS, with a new name behind the acronym. Learn about the two smart charging standards that could change our daily lives, and find out more about the missing EU strategy on sustainable buildings.
On 1 March, we welcome a new set of energy labels for four product groups: washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and TVs & monitors. Nonetheless, we ask the EU to ramp up ambition to unlock game-changing savings. In this newsletter, find also links to our Annual Work Programme 2021 Annual Review 2021... and much more!
The year 2021 just kicked off - a perfect moment to plan ahead and think of the policy trends to follow for the next 365 days. Sustainable batteries for electric cars, strategies to reduce our energy consumption, a renovation wave for buildings… the year will be packed with political decisions with huge potential to help us (or not) achieve a successful transition to a climate-neutral world.
Warming our homes should not come at the expense of our planet. In this issue, find our latest reports on phasing out fossil-fuel heating and our vision for a clean mobility, focusing on requirements for batteries, tyre degradation and smart charging systems. On top, find out why 100% recycled-plastic claims are almost never true and read our views on sustainable product rules, textiles in protective equipment and the EU taxonomy on green investments.
In this issue: 'fight' starts in Brussels to set official green finance list, new energy labels coming up for TVs and kitchen appliances, new ECOS video explaining our work and why standards are important for our planet... and much more!
Press contact : Ivo Cabral – ivo.cabral@ecostandard.org
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The European Commission committed to higher transparency in the creation of a sustainable finance taxonomy following calls by the Platform on Sustainable Finance, prompted by protests of ECOS and four other NGOs. Over a month ago, nonprofits suspended their participation in the Platform on Sustainable Finance as a response to the adoption of a taxonomy proposal which ignored scientific advice.
Today, ECOS, Zero Waste Europe, and the Rethink Plastic alliance have sent a letter calling on the European Commission to put on hold the development of overarching standards on plastics recyclability until related EU laws are adopted. Going ahead with this standardisation process now would give companies the opportunity to set the ambition of definitions of recyclability-related terms, potentially weakening effective recyclability rates in Europe for years to come.
Ahead of the European Council’s discussion on 25 May about the new climate and energy legislation (so called Fit for 55 Package), European businesses, investor groups, local and regional authorities and NGOs published a joint letter to list their expectations. They called upon EU decision makers to ensure that the upgraded climate and energy legislation increases the EU’s climate ambition to the highest possible level, while supporting a green, territorially balanced and socially fair transition in all regions.
ECOS and four other NGOs request the opening of a negotiation with the Commission to establish rules of governance in the Platform on Sustainable Finance. Official talks are needed to make sure political and individual interests do not overrule the scientific integrity of the EU taxonomy criteria.
The text presented today by the European Commission wrongly identifies harmful logging practices and the burning of trees and crops for energy as sustainable, as a result of heavy pressure from industry lobbies. This undermines the whole taxonomy, turning it into a greenwashing tool.
In a joint letter signed by ECOS and 10 more European NGOs sent to the European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, we have called on the EU leadership to modify the current draft climate taxonomy as it labels as 'sustainable' any investment made in energy infrastructure converted into hydrogen- or low carbon gas-ready.
31 signatories, representing a diverse range of stakeholders, call for delivery of EU Strategy for a Sustainable Built Environment in a letter [1] addressed to European Commission’s executive vice president Frans Timmermans, and commissioners Thierry Breton and Virginijus Sinkevičius.
