ECOS

⚠️Chemicals can make the EU economy more competitive - but the production and use of toxic substances comes at a big environmental, health, and economic cost. Yet the Draghi report omits this, and many other critical points around chemicals regulation. With 18 other organisations, including European Environmental Bureau, ChemSec and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), we published a joint open letter on the Draghi report considerations regarding chemicals. Read more at https://lnkd.in/eF_mK4NX   Among other things, Draghi's assessment of the chemicals sector doesn't consider that some chemicals may bring higher, long term costs to the European economy than the benefits they provide - from remediation and water clean up costs, to social costs potentially accounting for over 10% of global GDP.   And what about the toxic chemicals that will keep circulating and accumulating within products and pollute our water and bodies for many years after they first got used? There's no comment on that where the report mentions the need for a shift to circular economy. We urge the EU Council and EU Commission to stick to the commitments made, not only on the regulation of toxic chemicals, but on many other key laws. These shouldn't be seen as a constraint, but as tools to help companies comply in the face of increasing sustainability challenges.

Today is #WorldStandardsDay! 🔎 Just like cement and concrete, #standards are everywhere in our everyday lives – but they are often overlooked. And the importance of standards for cement and concrete decarbonisation cannot be emphasised enough. 🏢 Safe, proven, and scalable low-carbon solutions exist, but updated standards are urgently needed to make them the norm. Our latest report highlights how European concrete standards can make that shift a reality. Current European concrete standards maintain a decades-old prescriptive approach, slowing down what should be a rapid deployment of innovative technologies across Europe. Through the Construction Products Regulation acquis process, policymakers have a unique opportunity to fix this. This opportunity could not have come soon enough! It’s high time harmonise concrete standards across Europe with a performance-based approach. ➡️ Learn more and find the full report: https://lnkd.in/e_ZiTQ85

From the ground we walk on and the appliances in our homes to the food on our plates – standards are everywhere! #WorldStandardsDay   🌳 ECOS is the only environmental NGO dedicated to #standards, working to make them more inclusive and better for the environment.   Meet some of 2024’s main characters! These standards hold the power/potential to: 👇 🛠️ Extend the life of washing machines 🎣 Make fishing gear more circular 🌱 Define the functions of soil 🐦 Monitor biodiversity 🧱 Decarbonise the cement industry 🤖 Allow us to use energy smartly 😷 Make face masks safely reusable and more sustainable   Learn more from our blog – link in the comments ⤵️

⚡ Big tech companies’ energy demand is skyrocketing, driven by data centres and AI. The International Agency estimates a doubling of the power demand by 2026. 🤔 So how can these companies live up to their climate pledges to become ‘carbon neutral’ or even 'climate positive'? Mainly thanks to a creative accounting trick: currently many companies rely on renewable energy certificates to artificially lower their climate footprint. 😱 According to the Guardian, if emissions were estimated based on the carbon intensity of the grid where data centres are operating, their reported climate impacts would be 7,5 times higher than what is currently claimed. As part of the Emissions First Partnership, some big tech giants are lobbying to further loosen carbon accounting rules and understate their impact even more. 💡 Together with NewClimate Institute, we call for rules that truly account for the physical reality of the electricity grid. Only the matching of electricity demand with its actual production can stimulate grid decarbonization, where it is actually needed.

🛣️ The EU is still at the beginning of a real transition to a #CircularEconomy. To truly put a stop to the take/make/use/dispose economy we need robust policies that will help to #reuse resources, reduce their use, and extend their lifetime - shifting the focus from extraction to regeneration. 🌳 #Recycling on its own will not be enough. We need to substantially limit our production and consumption and change the established patterns if we are to reduce the mounting pressure on natural ecosystems. 🔄 By designing systems that reduce resource use, prolong product lifespans, and promote reuse and #repair, the circular economy (with solid targets), offers part of the solution for reducing material footprints. 📄 In our paper we outline the steps needed for the new Circular Economy Act to deliver: https://lnkd.in/eSfg-9xb

📆 One month to go! 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 | 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 The EU has made some progress in tackling the #construction sector’s growing impacts, but much is left to implementation.   During this panel discussion – bringing together representatives from industry, civil society, and the European Commission – we will dive into the role of policies and #standards in setting the sector on track to carbon neutrality.   ➡️ Register now to join our conference, in-person or online: https://lnkd.in/eanvMnyu 🎙️ Panellists: Valentina Bisinella, Head of Product Sustainability at ROCKWOOL Group Katharina Knapton-Vierlich, Head of Unit, Construction at DG GROW Susan McGarry, Head of Public Affairs at Ecocem Global Laura Pallares, Head of European Regional Network at World Green Building Council

Critical raw materials can either underpin or undermine our future – which will it be ❓ #CRMs are the lifeblood of modern industries, powering everything from renewables, telecommunications, and defence to electronics. ⛏️ But growing demand exacerbates the heavy environmental and social burdens. Standards can help, but only if they prioritise environmental protection and include the voices of civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ groups – and that is not straightforward. ✊ That’s why we’re leading the charge for #standards to improve #CRM supply chains! 📢 Join our new coalition to contribute. ✍️ Read our new blog to find out more – link in the comments 👇

We’re happy to announce another new member of our coalition: ECOS! Joining our strong roster of international members, ECOS is an NGO with a network of members and experts who develop environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. “Times are changing and people are waking up to the pollution, dirt and inefficiency of gas compared to modern induction cookers,” ECOS Programme Manager Marco Grippa says. “In recent years, the production of newer induction technology has grown and prices have fallen. With cash savings to be made across much of Europe now or in the coming years, the end is clearly in sight for gas cookers.” Welcome to the Coalition, ECOS! #thefutureiselectric

📢 Sign up to our newsletter and get the latest news from ECOS and updates from our international network of members and partners. 🌟 Highlights from our latest edition: - Registration is now open for our annual conference. - We're celebrating a new standard for the #CircularDesign of fishing gear. - Learn about our project to address #plastic pollution in East and West Africa through policies and #standards. - Open calls for experts. All this and more in our September #newsletter: 📰 https://lnkd.in/efAEiHKQ

✅ Registration is open! Don't miss out. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eanvMnyu Against the background of a new policy cycle, our conference will dive into what 2024 to 2030 could look like for building ambitious #construction policies and industry #standards.