ECOS | Environmental Coalition on Standards

Climate Change & Clean Energy

Energy Intensive Industries

We aim to contribute to the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, by creating opportunities for innovative, low-carbon materials and products, specifically in the cement, concrete and steel value chains. To this end, ECOS will contribute to continued development of standards supporting a circular and performance-based approach to cement, cementitious materials, and concrete, as well as steel and steel-based products, largely used for construction.

What we are working on

  • Drive a performance-based approach to standards to make space for new, low-carbon alternatives to traditional materials such as Portland cement-based products or coal powered virgin steel production;
  • Remove the barriers created by standards to shift to low-carbon alternatives, by ensuring alternative or secondary materials are able to drive decarbonisation and circularity;
  • Support stringent environmental requirements within forthcoming product standards to help market creation for low-carbon steel;
  • Help develop steel product standards (CEN/TC 459 Sub-Committees) to maximise its sustainability and functionality, including horizontal standards relating to steel grades, certificates and delivery conditions, standards for steel circular economy, and specifically construction products through:
    • Revision of steel Construction Product Regulation mandates (CPR Acquis) and
    • Development of construction Product Category Rules for steel construction Environmental Product Declarations (CEN/TC 135/WG 17);
  • Standards for cement and building limes (CEN/TC 51) working on cement classes and specifications and establishing harmonised test methods for cement;
  • Standards for concrete and related products (CEN/TC 104), working on properties, requirements and test methods for concrete;
  • Air quality impacts: Contribute to the development of standards for improved air quality management (CEN TC264), including for measuring mercury (WG8), for air quality sensors for ambient air (WG42), and standards for ambient air modelling quality (WG43).

Related news

  • New EU carbon border tax to make biggest polluters pay – but not fast enough

    The EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), now entering its trial phase, is a step towards global industry decarbonisation. But until it is fully rolled out with a wider scope to mitigate the most carbon-intensive emissions faster, the environment will pay the real price for polluting products.

  • New Science-Based Targets for steel will speed up decarbonisation, but more is needed

    The steel sector is the most carbon-intensive in the world, responsible for 7% of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To decarbonise, individual companies need to commit to climate targets – and these need to be ambitious enough. The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently updated its guidelines and targets for the steel sector, which now has a much stronger foundation for lowering emissions – but improvements must not stop there.

  • Online workshop! Why standards matter for environmental protection – zooming in on cement

    Together with our members Green Transition Denmark, we are organising an online workshop focusing on why (and how!) civil society should get involved in standardisation. The effective participation of environmental NGOs in standards-making is key to making sure our planet is protected by robust rules - and this year we are focusing on the case of cement.

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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