Against a backdrop of political shifts, competing interests, and the stark realities of a changing climate, 2024 was challenging in many ways – but still a year full of important milestones and steps forward for ambitious environmental protection.
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Companies have a key role in tackling climate change by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Ensuring credible and accurate Chain of Custody models in Environmental Attribute Certificates is key to this.
Continue readingIn this briefing, we review recent and upcoming developments in EU policy and standards that are relevant to forestry, timber, and construction and explore the untapped potential of public procurement to drive demand for sustainable construction materials.
Continue readingThis report provides a blueprint for assessing the life-cycle environmental footprints of physical and chemical plastic recycling technologies, as well as a technical critique of a JRC study that uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare environmental impacts of plastic recycling technologies. Based on this critique, recommendations are provided for decision makers as to the value of the JRC study’s findings.
Continue readingAgainst a backdrop of political shifts, competing interests, and the stark realities of a changing climate, 2024 was challenging in many ways – but still a year full of important milestones and steps forward for ambitious environmental protection.
Continue readingNational and local governments could slash record levels of packaging waste if they follow this roadmap. By the Rethink Plastic alliance with Break Free From Plastic, Zero Waste Europe, ClientEarth Europe, Environmental Coalition on Standards, Fair Resource Foundation, and the European Environmental Bureau.
Continue readingThe textiles industry is too big to be sustainable. In our report we unpick the unsustainable and unfair status quo and reimagine a sector that uses fewer resources but promotes more creativity and collaboration, ensuring dignity and social justice for all.
Continue readingHow to decarbonise heating and cooling by 2030: The path to renewable, healthy, and efficient buildings in the EU. Discover the many heating and cooling solutions that are already available - and the EU policy toolbox that can help get them into every building.
Continue readingIf the entire world population lived like the average EU citizen, we would need 2.8 planet Earths to provide a stable supply of natural resources. There is another way: a well-designed and implemented circular economy can address these crises by moving the market away from an extractive economic model and towards an approach which will allow us to stay within the Earth’s carrying capacity.
Continue readingThe EU needs to overhaul e-waste rules so that they effectively recover valuable resources from electronic equipment, as well as prevent, mitigate, and reverse the environmental harm caused by resource consumption and electronic waste. European standards, once revised and made legally binding, can offer detailed guidance for meeting minimum requirements for sustainable, circular e-waste recovery
Continue readingA lack of legal guidelines and harmonised standards for reusable packaging has created a fragmented landscape. Systems are not interoperable and businesses are left grappling with uncertainty and struggling to compete with single-use alternatives. Minimum durability requirements and European harmonised standards for testing, measurements, and calculations would ensure that the EU's new packaging rules are robust, effective, and truly transformative.
Continue readingIn our response to the call for evidence on the revision of the EU's Standardisation Regulation, ECOS provides valuable insight on the main challenges within the European Standardisation System, both directly experienced as a stakeholder and those identified in the EC’s evaluation report. We also propose improvements to address these challenges.
Continue readingBuy Better to Build Better welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback and targeted evidence over the importance of effectively designing the upcoming Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act.
Continue readingEurope's competitiveness in the global bioeconomy must be realistic about resource constraints and driven by strategic innovation. The bioeconomy is a cornerstone of the EU's future socio-economic prosperity, but the scale and sustainability of this transition will rely on our ability to operate within planetary boundaries.
Continue readingWe've published new guidance on how to make electric vehicle chargers more reliable. With different options out there to help support the growing need for charging stations, what is the best way to manage these large networks? How can different types of charging stations be compatible and smart? Read the details here.
Continue readingThe EU Bioeconomy Strategy is under revision and ECOS joins 50+ organisations calling for a future bioeconomy that is socially just, ecologically sustainable and economically efficient. We need a strategy that tackles the EU’s growing biomass gap and puts justice at the centre of the bioeconomy.
Continue readingThe proposed ban on the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear is a critical step to address overproduction and environmental harm caused by the textile sector. In our joint paper, we urge the European Commission to significantly tighten and clarify the conditions for derogations to the ban. The current draft proposal risks creating loopholes that undermine the regulation’s intent and allow continued wasteful practices by fast fashion operators.
Continue readingOver 30 civil society organisations and businesses urge EU Member States to maintain strong support for the Green Claims Directive (GCD).
Continue readingIn a joint letter, we express concerns regarding the so-called Sixth Omnibus on chemicals. This proposal does not serve its alleged aim to enhance competitiveness without compromising a high level of protection. Instead it signals regulatory instability that will ultimately weaken EU industry - by harming investor confidence and penalising companies that have invested in compliance.
Continue readingECOS has co-signed a letter with other global civil society organisations, labour organisations, investors, and businesses calling for no further weakening of the EU Batteries Regulation Due Diligence Rules as part of the Omnibus IV proposal.
Continue readingECOS is among the many voices urging the EU to deliver a truly domestic and ambitious 2040 climate target. Read our open letter - signed alongside a broad coalition of civil society organisations, academics, and businesses - against integrating international credits into the EU 2040 climate target and NDC.
Continue reading30 civil society organisations - including ECOS - have signed this open letter with a shared vision of achieving a decarbonised global steel industry as part of a thriving zero emissions society.
Continue readingAlongside many other organisations and networks, we call on the UN Secretary General to establish the promised multi stakeholder High Level Expert Advisory Group (HLEAG) to carry forward the UN's work on critical energy transition materials.
Continue readingThe continued uncertainty around the Waste Framework Directive means postponed investments, stalled partnerships, and a lack of operational clarity – at a time when volumes of textile waste is increasing, but managing capacity has not. Without rapid implementation, valuable reusable and recyclable materials will be lost and a whole industrial ecosystem, crucial to the circular transition, will collapse.
Continue readingMore than 15 organisations call on the European Commission to ensure that the EU budget and the design of the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) builds on best practices and the roadmap to clean industrial competitiveness. This includes using existing instruments and climate mainstreaming as ways to deliver the EU’s 2030 targets.
Continue readingECOS 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.