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.
How 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.
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.
Many of the devices we use—from electric toothbrushes and shavers to laptops, mobile phones, and tablets—have built-in batteries that must be fed electricity by an external source. Known as ‘External Power Supplies’, these products are covered by ecodesign regulations that are about to be updated. The European Commission has just published a draft revision of this legislation. What does the draft get right, and what must still be improved?
Our homes, workplaces, and schools should offer shelter from – not worsen – the climate crisis. Find out how a new EU Commissioner for Housing and the Built Environment could make that happen in our manifesto.
A better Detergents Regulation is possible, with the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee voting today for a stronger revised law than the European Commission had proposed back in April 2023. However, more efforts are needed to limit the use of chemicals that are harmful to health.
F-gases – some of the most used gases you’ve never heard of – threaten our planet and our health. Commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning, insulation, electronics manufacturing, and switchgear, F-gases have significant global warming potential. Some also break down into forever chemicals (PFAS), posing risks when they leak into the environment. The good news: F-gases will be phased out in the EU by 2050! How will they be phased out? Find out in our new factsheet.
We, sector organisations, NGOs and think tanks warn the European Commission that its flawed decision to postpone the Heat Pump Action Plan will put the energy transition for heating at risk.
The new Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive will put the brakes on unchecked environmental claims in the EU and could usher in a new era for consumers, who may no longer be exposed to a barrage of greenwashing. But major gaps linked to enforcement and verification remain.
The European Parliament gave in to throwaway culture today in its position on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposal, issued by the European Commission one year ago [1]. MEPs voted on hundreds of amendments, many of which aimed to undermine the environmental ambition of the legislative text. The abundance of options provoked a barrage of false claims, scaremongering, and intense lobbying from industry players in the run-up to the vote.
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.
