ECOS | Environmental Coalition on Standards

News & events

  • 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.

  • 26 February 2025

    EU Clean Industrial Deal: Some opportunities with few guarantees

    Press release | The Clean Industrial Deal presents a vision that could help to decarbonise Europe’s industry, but there are still too many unknowns, environmental group ECOS warns. For the EU to stay competitive in the long-term, and be a clean industrial leader, the wellbeing of people and planet must be woven into every aspect of how this strategy is implemented, ECOS says, otherwise it will not deliver what has been promised.

  • 07 November 2024

    Green public procurement a ‘no-brainer’ that could cut construction product emissions almost by half with a minimal price tag, new data shows

    Press release | The EU could slash emissions from concrete and steel by 19 million tonnes—almost half—by ensuring public authorities make better public purchases, a new study reveals [1]. The data also shows that products with lower emissions are cost-effective. The EU should not miss this opportunity to unlock public procurement’s green and economic potential, says environmental NGO ECOS, who commissioned the study [2].

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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