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Printers have grown to become an archetype of today’s throwaway culture, in spite of over a decade of EU-endorsed industry commitments to make them more sustainable. If the European Commission is to stand by its promise to curb the built-in obsolescence of our everyday tech, it must fall out of love with manufacturers’ promises.
We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Programme Manager to join our Circular Economy team to lead our engagement in the development of policies and standards towards a decarbonised, sustainable and circular built environment and industry.
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On 9 November, CEN and CENELEC accepted the European Commission's Standardisation Request on sustainable batteries. It will set the technical specifications that underpin the legal requirements for battery performance, safety, and sustainability norms. A positive step all in all, but the work will not be finalised for years to come.
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ECOS and the Rethink Plastic alliance ask the EU Commission and its consultants to set limits to the use of the ‘mass balance’ method when measuring recycled content in plastic products.
The effective participation of environmental NGOs in standards-making is key to making sure our planet is protected by robust rules. Our upcoming online workshop co-organised with our member GLOBAL 2000 will look into how to make this engagement possible in Austria.
ECOS and Coolproducts experts analyse the state of EU policies targeting the environmental footprint of data centres, a sector with a growing impact on our planet.
On 14 October, we celebrate World Standards Day – a great opportunity to reflect on the important role that standards play in shaping the common rules, formats, formulas and test methods that manage our world.
The effective participation of environmental NGOs in standards-making is key to making sure our planet is protected by robust rules. Our upcoming online workshop co-organised with our member GLOBAL 2000 will look into how to make this engagement possible in Austria.
Join the discussion and have your say on the environmental impact of data centres!
Join us for an event that will bring together perspectives from policymakers, experts, local authorities and NGOs, as well as questions from an audience representing a broad range of stakeholders.
Celebrate World Standards Day with us! What better way than to learn about defending the environment in standardisation? Register for an exclusive opportunity to find out all about civil society in standardisation.
The list of 'green' claims found on plastic products is longer than ever but often they are as misleading as they sound promising. Too good to be true? Join our webinar for a review of reliable green claims on plastic products!
This conference marked our 20th anniversary and was an occasion to debate the European Commission’s highly anticipated Sustainable Products Initiative looking into how we can make sustainable products the norm in the EU and beyond.
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.
What's the battery health of this car? In a world where electric cars become commonplace, this will be the first question to ask when buying a second-hand car. However, without reliable and comparable indicators, getting a reliable answer on the 'state of health' of used batteries will be difficult. A crucial milestone on the road to European standards for sustainable batteries has been achieved: CEN and CENELEC accepted the European Commission's standardisation request for new definitions and technical specifications - one small step towards decarbonised mobility.
The Sustainable Products Initiative disappeared from the Commission’s planned agenda for 14 December. Instead, this crucial initiative will be pushed to 2022 - this is not a surprise. Our recent report shows that the Commission has been actively defunding ecodesign and energy labelling, two incredibly successful policies which lie at the heart of the SPI. Delays in ecodesign and energy labelling updates are estimated to account for a total 10 million tonnes (CO2eq) of additional emissions by 2030 – as Coolproducts calculations show. Au revoir to SPI in 2021.
September will be the moment of truth for the future in heating. At the end of this month, EU member states will gather to discuss the future of boilers on 27 and 28 September, during a consultation forum on ecodesign and energy labelling regulations for water and space heaters. On the table, a Commission proposal that could offer a golden ticket for fossil-fuel boilers, keeping them in our homes well beyond 2050. We can’t let that happen – there is no room for fossil-fuel heating in a net-zero world.
ECOS is officially 20 – and we are in better shape than ever! To mark our anniversary, we got into a time machine… and travelled both to the past and the future. First, we revisited some of our milestones and success stories in an interactive timeline. Looking ahead, we envisioned an international standardisation system that works for the environment and wondered how sustainable products could become the norm if policymakers gave them a true push today.
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.
Press contact : Ivo Cabral – ivo.cabral@ecostandard.org
ECOS and Rethink Plastic alliance campaigners send a letter to European Commission and consultancy firm Eunomia asking for limits in ‘artificial’ mass balance accounting method used to count recycled plastic content in beverage bottles.
Two recent milestones show a stronger commitment for standards to support an environmentally sustainable economy worldwide. Two weeks ago, the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) adopted the London Declaration, committing to ‘embed’ climate considerations in new standards. At regional level, the European Commission is preparing a new Standardisation Strategy to improve European standardisation.
The H2020 HARP project releases its updated online tool. It will enable consumers in 5 EU countries to assess the energy efficiency of their installed heating appliance and support them in finding a more efficient alternative.
Today, the European Commission presented their proposal on a common charging solution for electronic devices [1].
The regulatory requirements on the energy consumption and performance of electrical appliances can be circumvented by manipulating the laboratory tests. This can be done not only by using hidden software that recognises the test situation and automatically optimises the appliance but also by misusing the manufacturer’s specific instructions. The definition of circumvention therefore needs to be extended. Because harmonised standard tests cannot usually reveal circumventions, ad-hoc measurement methods have been developed for 18 suspicious cases in 8 different product groups.
Expected to be adopted today, ‘Fit for 55’ will include a wide array of climate-related proposals, ranging from carbon-border adjustments to updates in energy and transport policies. ECOS dives into some of the key details for hydrogen, transport and heating.
In a position paper published today [1], ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards asked the European Commission to create EU legislation and standards to establish common reusable packaging formats and systems to make reuse and refill the norm.
