ecobuild.brussels’ Post

💡🌍🔐  Innovation - Sustainability - Resilience The European Commission just launched the Competitiveness Compass. This roadmap is about making Europe the go-to place for future technologies, clean products, and climate neutrality—all while tackling some long-standing challenges in productivity and competitiveness. Rest assured, digital and sustainability will be a core topic in the years to come. The way forward! 💡 Innovation is Front and Center:  From supporting start-ups to advancing AI, quantum, biotech, and robotics, the EU is creating an ecosystem where cutting-edge ideas can thrive. Initiatives like ‘AI Gigafactories’ and a Start-up & Scale-up Strategy are designed to close the innovation gap and help businesses grow. 🌍 Greener AND Stronger:  The EU will prove that sustainability and competitiveness can go hand in hand. With plans like the Clean Industrial Deal and Affordable Energy Action Plan, Europe is making clean energy more accessible while supporting industries like steel and chemicals through their green transitions. 🔐 Building Resilience:  By diversifying supply chains and forming Clean Trade Partnerships, Europe is reducing dependencies and securing access to critical materials, clean energy, and sustainable tech. 🔋 What’s powering all this?  Simplified regulations, better access to the Single Market, smarter financing, skills development, and stronger coordination between EU countries. A strong vision for Europe’s future—it’s about staying competitive while leading the way in sustainability. It’s a reminder that sustainability and business can go hand in hand. Now let's get to work! https://lnkd.in/efFEqXnJ

Looking to boost your city’s economy while driving sustainability? Here are 5 reasons to take the European Commission-funded "Local Green Deals" course: ♻️ Harness the power of green initiatives to create jobs and stimulate local economies.  👐🏾 Build strong partnerships between local governments and businesses for shared success.  💸 Learn how to secure financing for transformative sustainability projects.  📈 Drive the green and digital transitions, positioning your city as a leader in innovation.  🔊 Get real-world tips from cities that have successfully implemented Local Green Deals.    For more details about the course and how to enroll, visit the #IntelligentCitiesChallenge website 👇 https://lnkd.in/d9jYCfaR   #LocalGreenDeals #GreenEconomy #SingleMarket 

What is our role in terms of sustainability? In today’s world it’s imperative for #sustainability to be central in our lives. The Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe, as a #network of #organizations that represents the entire #European #business events industry, wants to be on the front line to #sensitize and #lead the #transition process towards a #sustainable business events industry. To guide our strategies, we look towards policies that are already in place such as the European Green Deal (Council of the European Union) and Net Zero Carbon Events, key programs that will shape the future of your industry. We have identified #four #pillars through which we can implement change: by providing expertise that can help stakeholders successfully navigate the transition to #sustainability; by advocating consistently for the  cause of sustainability; by #guiding and #coordinating sustainability #efforts across the sector; and by unlocking new potential for #cooperation, #synergy, and #innovation by connecting networks and offering platforms for conversations. #strategicalliance #thenationalconventionbureauxofeurope #sustainability

Yesterday, CLG Europe launched their business agenda for the new European institutions: The Green Deal and Beyond: A Business Agenda for a Sustainable, Competitive and Resilient Europe. It was a wonderful experience to co-author the report and present at the launch event in Brussels. Key learnings for me: - Most topics that are portrayed as trade-offs in the public debate are actually symbiotic (e.g., wellbeing AND resource protection, food security AND nature regeneration, jobs AND industrial transformation) - The Green Deal has provided an important vision, and now we need a "bigger deal" to make Europe more competitive, resilient, just, and trusted - The name "Green Deal" was great in 2019 but now leads to identity-fuelled stand-offs. Let's keep the content but use a different name going forward - We have to become much better at showcasing and communicating the tangible benefits of a sustainable transformation - and be more open about the challenges it brings (change is always uncomfortable) 🔗To learn more, read the full publication here: https://bit.ly/4b5NAyi Thanks for the collaboration to Ralf Pfitzner, Francesco Giannelli, Adeline Rochet, Krisztina Zálnoky, Ursula Woodburn, Martin Porter, Sanna Markkanen, Romain Pardo (and many more) and to the many leaders who generously shared their views and experience with us.

📩Our September newsletter has been launched! In it you will find news about: ✅ Draghi report ✅ Three calls for interregional investments ✅ STEP platform ✅ Sustainable Mobility Week ✅ Successful kick off meetings Subscribe here👇 https://lnkd.in/d9anMgG #InnovationWorks

New city, old themes?   It has been really interesting visiting Brussels (for the first time) to attend the POLITICO Europe summit on “Competitive Europe”.   The last five years have been all about the Green Deal, but the theme for the new Commission is very much Europe’s competitiveness.   I couldn’t help but notice the distinct similarities in the discourse between European competitiveness and sustainability.   I was going to try to avoid a “key takeaways” post, but here we go!   💪 Resilience IS sustainability An overarching theme, and buzzword, was resilience. There was much discussion on how to create a more resilient Europe. However, the main focus of this is resilience to geopolitical shocks. There was very little mention of the role of investment in renewables or better risk governance in long term growth.   All I kept thinking was, don’t resilience and sustainability mean the same thing? I am always surprised by how caveated and niche the discourse on sustainability has become, now seemingly only referring to the “green agenda”. But sustainability literally means “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level”. Is that not also resilience? Let’s inject “sustainability” topics into resilience discourse.   ⏰ Time horizons are under discussed From chats with fellow attendees to many of the panel discussions, the issue of time horizons came up a grand total of once. This was maybe not surprising, but important.    I am very aware that economic prosperity at any timeframe is vital for personal, social and political wellbeing. However, what “competitiveness” means is surely dependent on how far ahead you look (especially when resilience is a key theme!) We can implement policy that drives growth now and fall into a dramatic boom and bust cycle, or we can focus on the longer term upwards curve. It’s a a balance that should be discussed more explicitly.    🥴 The time for consolidation One of the least surprising insights was the call for regulatory consolidation by this European Commission. One of the best stats of the event underscored this: in the last 5 years the US passed 5,000 laws whilst the EU passed 13,000.   Calls for consolidation and streamlining of current regulation were everywhere, and this is what we can expect to spill over into the sustainability space too.

📢 Call for Change! The EU Preparatory Action 'Innovation for Place-Based Transformation' (2024-2026) is here to elevate transformative innovation in European regions. This initiative is set to empower policy practitioners, build capacity, and spark experimental approaches for sustainability challenges. ⏳ Apply by 22 November 2024! Who can join? Public authorities from EU Member States, Candidate Countries, and Horizon Europe Associated Countries are welcome. 🔗 Read more and apply: [link] #Innovation #EUAction #TransformativePolicies #Sustainability

🧭 Earlier today the European Commission launched their Competitiveness Compass https://lnkd.in/eCPkZYQj   🌱 In the run-up to the release of the Compass, key discussions were had during CLG Europe's Green Growth Summit, which are now more important than ever. CEOs, and Ministers and State Secretaries from the Green Growth Group debated how to align the competitiveness-related policies with the objectives of the EU Green Deal.     🤝 They emphasised the need for cohesive strategies that integrate sustainability with economic resilience and bring together business and political action.    💡 Alice K. Steenland, Chief of Strategy, Sustainability and Marketing, Signify shares her thoughts on what the Competitiveness Compass needs to build on: "If we are going to achieve competitiveness, we need to base it on energy independence, materials independence, and concepts of energy efficiency as well." #GreenGrowthSummit2024 #GreenGrowthPartnership #Competitiveness #CompetitivenessCompass

🇱🇺 🌱 As global challenges intensify, #Luxembourg's financial sector is crucial in driving the #sustainability transition. #Sustainablefinance not only mitigates environmental & social risks but also offers business opportunities, writes Nicoletta Centofanti (Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative) in this guest contribution. https://lnkd.in/eQ7hFA2W

🌍 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 As Europe strives to lead the global #sustainability agenda, aligning environmental goals with economic competitiveness is crucial. The 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐒𝐎’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 latest Discussion Paper explores how #businesses, #policymakers, and #civil society can collaborate to tackle challenges and unlock opportunities, paving the way for a sustainable and thriving industrial future. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 1️⃣ 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: Include real-world insights through consultations and “practice checks.” 2️⃣ 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: Ensure policies are actionable, phased, and foster shared learning. 3️⃣ 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞: Build sectoral platforms and collaborations for impactful solutions. 4️⃣ 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲: Align EU policies with international frameworks for competitiveness. 5️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Support businesses with investment frameworks and rewards for sustainable practices. Together, we can shape a sustainable and competitive future for European industries. 🔗 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? https://lnkd.in/dpSwrKj4 #CSR #GreenTransition #Innovation #CSREurope #Engaged4Change #CSONetwork