JUNE 2026

Dear ECOS subscriber,

With record-breaking heatwaves hitting Europe this month, we focus on the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels and limit climate change, zooming in on the defossiliation of plastics and petrochemical products. From production to the fossil-heavy supply chains behind them, petrochemicals are associated with around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

We also share insights on the importance of standards in biodiversity monitoring, and updates from our latest ECOS Africa work to promote sustainable ICT products and reduce the staggering volume of e-waste.

All this and more from across the ECOS network.

Petrochemicals need defossilisation as much as decarbonisation

Most of our daily lives have come to rely on petrochemical products: plastic packaging, car parts, building materials, synthetic clothing, electronics, paints, detergents, medical equipment… the list goes on. Petrochemicals brands itself as the “mother of all industries” for a reason: it sits behind countless products and value chains, but the climate footprint is massive and competitiveness cannot be an excuse for fossil carbon lock-in.

No nature, no future: Why biodiversity standards matter

Nature is the living system that makes all economic activity possible – from filtering clean water to controlling insects, nature quietly sustains us every day. We therefore have a lot to gain from understanding how their decisions impact nature - but how do we measure these impacts? And how can we use that information to improve how we steward ecosystems?

Promoting green digitalisation

ECOS Africa is sharing standardisation and policy insights on sustainable ICT products, continuing with a webinar on Thursday 2 July, 11:00 CEST / 12:00 EAT. Join us online to discuss EU best practices, like the digital product passport, that can inform sustainable procurement solutions in the Kenyan context.

Later this year, we will also host an in-person workshop in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss and exchange inclusive standards and technical policies for circular ICT. This will be an interactive session to identify the enablers of and barriers to the adoption of sustainable ICT policies and standards in the African region. Contact Marxine Waite if you are interested in attending!

Bio-based plastic packaging under PPWR: EU study sparks debate over recyclability & toxicity

Senior Programme Manager, Samy Porteron spoke to Packaging Insights: about the new EU study on bio-based plastic packing: “Bio-based plastics may play some role in reducing fossil feedstock dependence, but their use must be conceived within an ecodesign approach that supports circularity goals of preventing waste first, and then reusing and recycling products.”

The environmental voice in standardisation

Amina Aissani, Senior Programme Manager for Standardisation at ECOS spoke to Kommission Arbeitsschutz und Normung (KAN) about our important role in standardisation and how standards developed in an inclusive way can support both environmental protection and occupational health and safety.

• Speeding up environmental assessments: Risks, gaps and recommendations
• Ultra-Processed Foods – comprehensive action needed on unhealthy diets
• Keeping science in the SBTi Corporate Net Zero Standard
• A better use of wood and public funds
• Risk of market-based instruments in SBTi’s revised Corporate Net Zero Standard

Meet our new member from Nigeria - CAPws!

We spoke to Ahmed Tiamiyu, Executive Director of Community Action Against Plastic Waste (CAPws) – the latest organisation to become a member of ECOS! Based in Nigeria, CAPws is active across different regions of the Global South, working on plastic waste and policy solutions. Learn more about the organisation and their projects in our latest interview on the ECOS website

Born green Generation - Change in action

Eight hospitals across Europe have spent a year removing 7.6 tonnes of plastic from newborn care, protecting nearly 40,000 babies, saving €256,000 - proving that removing toxic plastics is clinically safe, practically straightforward, and actually saves money. The Born Green generation project is coordinated by Health Care Without Harm Europe.

What’s in store for Repair Day 2026?

The Restart Project announces the tenth edition of Repair Day 17 October 2026. Last year saw a record-breaking 3,500+ events in 50 countries! For this year’s theme - repair brings us together – groups will connect with new organisations and partners. Submit your repair event to the global map for Repair Day!

A unifying symbol for reuse

PR3 has created a new reuse symbol to unify reusable packaging systems and identify reusable packaging and infrastructure. The symbol differentiates reusable from recyclable and other single-use waste, enabling consumers to keep reusable items out of waste streams and inspire the shift towards an un-throwaway world.

Reforming European concrete standard – EN206

Concrete is the backbone of the EU's housing, infrastructure, and industrial ambitions. The Alliance for Low-Carbon Cement & Concrete wrote to the European Commission in support of using CPR Acquis to give the next generation of low-carbon concrete a harmonised, performance-based route to market.

Tyre Emissions & Sustainability Europe 2026

7-8 July – Berlin, Germany

Senior Programme Manager Emily Best will present a deep dive into potential EU ecodesign measures for tyres at this event hosted by Emissions Analytics. She will discuss how the ecodesign aims can be fulfilled via ambitious measures to improve the environmental performance of tyres.

Africa Dialogue on Cement for Green Industrialisation

6-8 July - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Hosted by the Ministry of Industry of Ethiopia and UNIDO’s Net Zero Partnership for Industrial Decarbonisation. Senior Programme Manager Marxine Waite will be on the panel sharing insights on Green Public Procurement in Africa as part of a broader discussion on policy enablers to implement strategies and policies for low carbon construction.