ECOS, the Environmental Coalition on Standards, has been representing environmental interests in standardisation for 25 years. Amina Aissani, Senior Programme Manager Standardisation Policy, explains how the organisation works and what topics it is currently focusing on.
What is ECOS’ mission and how is the organisation structured?
ECOS is an environmental NGO which helps shape environmentally ambitious standards, policies, and laws. We bring environmental expertise to European and international technical standards. This expertise is crucial in areas such as the clean transition to a circular economy, industrial decarbonisation, building a renewable and efficient energy system and combatting greenwashing.
We are a network of over 60 member organisations in 30 countries. An Executive Committee elected by the General Assembly is responsible for strategic direction, while the secretariat, with its 30+ members of staff, coordinates day-to-day standardisation work. This is complemented by a pool of experts who make technical and scientific contributions and participate in standards committees.
ECOS is one of the four European stakeholder organisations recognised under Annex III of the EU Standardisation Regulation 1025/2012, and we are officially charged with representing environmental interests in the European standardisation system. The NGO is a partner organisation of CEN and CENELEC and a member of ETSI, and is active in numerous international committees at ISO, IEC and ITU. ECOS is funded by EU and EFTA grants, and also by philanthropic foundations.
What role does standardisation play in environmental protection, and how is ECOS involved in the standardisation process?
Standards are an important tool which, if well used, can contribute to a healthy and clean environment. ECOS works to raise awareness of the need for new or revised standards for crucial environmental sectors, policies or innovations, pushing for robustness and environmental ambition in policies and laws that are implemented with the support of standards.
Standards set key technical specifications, for example to measure the energy consumption of household appliances or determine the repairability, material use and recyclability of products, thereby laying the foundation for a sustainable economy. Many of these technical specifications are harmonised worldwide through ISO and IEC standards, and thus support global trade.
Standards can help foster technological developments and innovation. They act as enablers to facilitate market access for clean tech and climate-friendly products and services, e.g. natural refrigerants, low-carbon cement, repairable products, circular fishing gear, and energy and material-efficient products. Standards can also influence consumer decisions when used in labels and claims. Furthermore, in Europe, standards are used as a tool to underpin environmental legislation, such as REACH regarding chemicals and RoHS on the restriction of hazardous substances, providing presumption of conformity and therefore a route to the market.
ECOS is closely involved in standardisation processes. We have access to over 300 committees and working groups across European and international standardisation organisations, including 40 liaisons at ISO, primarily in committees on environmental management, the circular economy, buildings and construction and energy efficiency.
As a partner organisation at CEN and CENELEC, ECOS is active on technical committees and in working groups, and can contribute opinions and technical input to standards under development. In addition, ECOS initiates projects such as the work undertaken within the High-Level Forum on European Standardisation on greater inclusiveness of the standardisation system, particularly for civil society and SMEs. We are also part of influential environmental campaigns, including “Right to Repair Europe” and “Rethink Plastic alliance”.
What topics are currently at the top of the agenda?
ECOS is active in a great number of environmental areas, including industrial decarbonisation, for example in the cement and steel sectors, green public procurement, ecodesign for all sectors, critical raw materials, carbon accounting, and also emerging topics such as digitalisation and data centres. Parallel to these topics, we highlight the need for a more inclusive and transparent standardisation system at all levels, and the appropriate use of standards in support of environmental legislation and policy. This is particularly central to the revision of the EU Standardisation Regulation, which offers a critical opportunity to make the system more inclusive for environmental organisations and other societal stakeholders.
Where do environmental protection and occupational safety and health have common interests?
Considerable overlap exists between environmental protection and occupational safety and health, and also with consumer protection. These areas all benefit from consistent hazardous substance management, which protects employees and consumers from exposure and at the same time prevents environmental contamination. Technical measures, such as extraction or filter systems, improve air quality at the workplace and reduce emissions into the environment. Waste prevention also creates synergies: less waste means less environmental impact and fewer health risks during recycling and handling of residual waste. Sustainable procurement is another example, as environmentally friendly products are often also safer for health.
A very telling example of slightly different but nevertheless similar interests is personal protective equipment. PPE is not always suitable for repair or reuse, and may be made of materials that are difficult to recycle; intensive cleaning or disinfection measures may also pollute the environment. We acknowledge that the safety of users and consumers should come first, but this should not prevent the roll-out of much-needed sustainable solutions, such as repairable and recyclable PPE or environmentally friendly cleaning agents. Close cooperation in areas such as hazardous substance management, product development and sustainability in companies is particularly important in order to find solutions that benefit all stakeholders.