ECOS | Environmental Coalition on Standards

News & events

  • 21 May 2025

    Europe must ‘buy better to build better,’ says new coalition on green public procurement

    Press release | Industry, business associations, public authorities, and civil society unite in new coalition calling for green public procurement to drive sustainable construction through smarter public spending in the EU: ‘Buy Better to Build Better’.

  • 08 May 2025

    JRC’s flawed recycling study fails to support circular policy

    Press release | A new report, commissioned by the Rethink Plastic alliance, ECOS, and Zero Waste Europe, exposes serious methodological failures in a recent study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on plastics recycling technologies. 

  • 30 April 2025

    New VCMI guidance risks justifying carbon offsetting and delaying real corporate climate action, NGOs say

    Press release | In new guidance, the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI) is promoting the use of carbon credits to camouflage the fact that companies grappling with their Scope 3 emissions are off track to reach their commitments. NGOs including ECOS, NewClimate Institute, Carbon Market Watch and Milieudefensie have critiqued the guidance, saying that carbon credits must not replace direct emissions reductions.

  • 16 April 2025

    First ESPR Working Plan kick-starts a more sustainable EU single market

    Press release | The European Commission’s first Working Plan for implementing the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) has been published. It confirms the list of priority products this policy will tackle first to improve their sustainability – with almost all products on the EU market due to be covered eventually. The list includes textile apparel, furniture, mattresses, tyres, iron and steel, and aluminium.

  • 10 April 2025

    A weak deal for Europe’s soils

    Press release | At 4:30 on Thursday morning, EU institutions reached a provisional agreement on the long-awaited, and first-ever, EU legislative framework for soils: the Soil Monitoring Law. However, the deal falls short of what is urgently needed, environmental NGOs warn. 

  • 03 April 2025

    What’s next for ecodesign? A briefing ahead of the first ESPR Working Plan

    Press briefing | By 19 April, the European Commission will adopt its first Working Plan to implement the new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). It will confirm which products will be addressed first before developing performance requirements to improve their environmental sustainability – including measures on durability and repair. The Working Plan will supplement other ongoing work on ESPR implementation, such as a ban on the destruction of unsold goods. What can we expect and when? Find out in our Q&A.

  • 20 March 2025

    New report unwraps solutions for EU countries to end the packaging waste crisis

    Press release | Member States must step up efforts to ensure the EU meets its packaging waste goals, says the NGO group Rethink Plastic alliance. A new report reveals how national and local governments can make the most of the opportunities provided by the EU’s new packaging rules.

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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