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European Member Conference
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Welcome to the latest edition of the Ecopreneur.eu Newsletter!
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Dear reader,
Companies keep running in crisis mode. While the shock from Covid is still resonating, the world economy is being struck by the fallout from Putin’s brutal war against the Ukraine: massive price increases for energy and raw materials, disrupted supply chains and soaring inflation.
Ecopreneur.eu strongly condemns Russia's act of aggression against a sovereign country. Now, everything must be done to re-establish peace and stability in Europe, so companies can recover their breath, while the EU keeps accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy.
In a series of new position papers featured in this edition, Ecopreneur.eu outlines which concrete instruments, laws and measures are necessary to achieve this transition. At the upcoming European Members Conference on June 27, our members will have the opportunity to personally discuss these issues with representatives from the European Commission and the European Parliament in a “Townhall” format.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Your Ecopreneur.eu Team
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European Member Conference 2022
The 2022 European Member Conference on June 27 brings together members from our seven national associations with high-ranking EU lawmakers, giving them an exclusive opportunity to learn - and raise questions – about new EU legislation and how it will affect their businesses.
Keynote speakers and panelists include Maive Rute (Deputy Director at DG GROW), Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea (Director at DG Environment), Thomas Waitz (MEP), Jane Olsson (Swop Shop) and Wolfgang Oels (Ecosia).
To ensure a high level of interaction, members are invited to send them their questions up-front, so they can be discussed at a “Townhall” session during the conference.
Take a look at the full agenda and speakers’ profiles of this “members only” online event HERE
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Strong policies needed against greenwashing
Green businesses suffer from unfair competition caused by unsubstantiated "green" claims. This is a serious problem because deliberate greenwashing undermines stakeholder trust and slows down implementation of the Green Deal.
To stand against the tide, we call for an ambitious regulatory framework with strict rules and sanctions that would help consumers make the right choices in favour of truly sustainable products and services.
Read our full position paper against greenwashing HERE. |
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Make diligence on human rights and the environment mandatory for all companies
In our position paper on sustainable corporate governance, Ecopreneur.eu demands that new legislation should apply to all businesses regardless of size, across the full value chain, and inform all stages of the due diligence process. We believe that the new regulation should put a focus on anti-bribery and corruption, and provide for strong enough legal sanctions at the level of individual companies. Administrative burdens should be minimised as much as possible, especially for SMEs.
Read the full position paper on corporate due diligence HERE.
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A “Right-to-Repair” must apply for the broadest range of products
The European Commission’s new “Right to Repair” directive aims to extend the lifetime of consumer products through improved quality and ease of repair while promoting the purchase of second-hand and refurbished goods.
If built on minimum requirements for sustainable product design, the initiative would prompt producers to design goods that last longer and are easily repairable.
For this reason, Ecopreneur.eu calls on the European Commission to cover the broadest range of products possible with the new Directive.
Read our full position paper on Right to Repair HERE.
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Make sustainability reporting mandatory from 2024
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) aims to provide a common standard for reliable, comparable, relevant and timely information on sustainability risks, opportunities and impacts.
Ecopreneur.eu disapproves a 2-3 year delay proposed by the Council, as it would maintain transparency gaps that keep investors and other decision makers from making sustainable choices.
We therefore call on the European Commission to make sustainability reporting mandatory as of fiscal year 2024, help the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) finalize the European non-financial reporting standard and promote information campaigns for campaigns to get up to speed with the implementation as soon as possible.
Read the full position paper on the CSRD HERE.
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Carbon pricing needs to reflect the true cost of climate impacts
The lack of true pricing of environmental costs, common standards for measuring greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and effective compensation schemes slow down the transition to a carbon neutral economy.
In a position paper on carbon pricing, Ecopreneur.eu therefore demands consistent and fair policy measures, rules and minimum standards for measuring, calculating and compensating GHG emissions.
Measures include an extension of the EU ETS to all products facing international competition, the cancellation of carbon allowances, the introduction of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) along with eco-modulated EPR schemes that take into account GHG emissions.
Read our full position paper on carbon pricing HERE
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6 Conditions for Chemical Recycling
Chemical recycling of plastic waste is being discussed as an alternative to incineration. In this position paper, we explain our concerns about linear economy lock-ins, high CO2 emissions, competition with mechanical recycling, lack of scale to replace virgin materials, low quality, toxic residues, and large investments being drawn away from SMEs going circular.
In our opinion, chemical recycling can only be considered "sustainable" if it is net-carbon-positive and used for unrecyclable waste material only, considering the principles of the EU waste hierarchy and circular design.
Read our full position on the six conditions for chemical recycling HERE.
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Updated EU rules for VAT rates step in the right direction
An agreement by EU lawmakers on new VAT rates rules opens the door for Member States to lower national VAT rates for solar panels, bicycles and waste treatment.
While this is a good start, Ecopreneur.eu urges the Commission to extend this list to second-hand goods, repair and maintenance services, cradle-to-cradle products and those with recycled content, leasing and rental services that provide product-return and recycling and renewable energy.
Knowing that even a slight difference in the VAT rate can nudge consumers to purchase a sustainable product and change their buying behaviour over time, we regard this as one of the key instruments to support the circular economy.
Read our full position on VAT differentiation HERE.
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#EntrepreneursForFuture are taking it to the streets
Climate protection and peace go hand in hand. In view of the Russian aggression, our dependence on fossil fuels must end as soon as possible. For this reason, a speedy implementation of the energy transition, the Paris Agreement and the EU Green Deal are paramount.
From this perspective, our federation therefore gladly followed the example of our German member BNW in signing the petition of #EntrepreneursForFuture to take to the streets on March 25. More than 5.000 Entrepreneurs already joined #EntrepreneursForFuture, demanding for policies that support the transition to a sustainable and circular economy.
To read the #EntrepreneursForFuture statement click HERE
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The "Fashion For Change" Open Call is closed - What's next?
A leading partner of the "Fashion For Change" EU-funded project, Ecopreneur.eu has been taking an active role in identifying 35 sustainable fashion startups and SMEs from more than 170 applications from 32 countries for an Accelerator programme later this year. The goal of the programme is to help them succeed with their circular business models and sustainable fashion projects.
At a 2-day “Fashion Sprint Hackathon” event this month in Vilnius, shortlisted candidates have a chance to pitch their project to a jury of experts, who will select 25 finalists for the Accelerator Programme, including professional mentoring, an opportunity to pitch to potential investors, and a grant of up to 15,000 Euros per team.
Find out what's next in an article from the Fashion for Change website HERE.
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Webinar: Orienting stakeholder consultation
As consortium partner in the EU-funded ORIENTING project, Ecopreneur.eu helps develop a robust, operational and transparent Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodology that will be free of charge and useable by different types of users, including SMEs.
The purpose of an LCSA is to help assess the sustainability performance of a company or product in a comprehensive, consistent and practical manner. It takes into account the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental and economic impacts.
Following a public consultation, stakeholders are invited to express their views on a draft version of the methodology during an online workshop on June 30.
The participation is free and open for registered stakeholders HERE.
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Ecopreneur.eu, the European Sustainable Business Federation, sets a course towards sustainable economic policies on the European level to support the economic and societal transformation across Europe and beyond. Ecopreneur.eu is a non-profit non-governmental organisation under Belgian law. The Federation unites business associations from different EU member states. Through Ecopreneur.eu these associations strengthen the voice of sustainable business in Brussels. Under the roof of Ecopreneur over 3000 businesses are represented, mostly SMEs, that strive to deliver sustainable products and services.
The organisation now holds seven member associations: Germany, Austria, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Estonia, and Sweden.
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