Category: Sustainability
Will the EU’s new environmental calculating method block or boost greenwashing?
There is no doubt European consumers want to buy products that are more sustainable. But currently this is no easy task. Shops are flooded with various claims praising the environmental aspects of products. The EU is working on a solution...
End of internal combustion engine car sales: good for the climate and your wallet
The EU is on the verge of making a historic decision to reduce CO2 emissions from cars. A 2026 review of that goal, now proposed by Member States, should not cause gridlock.
The car data hype – no need to worry? Think twice
BEUC’s mobility expert Robin Loos brings us a story from his future self to explain why regulating access to car data is important.
Driving electric: fun, cheap(ish) and full of benefits – First experiences of an EV-driving granny
What is it like to buy and drive an electric car? BEUC's Monique Goyens tells us about her first experiences of being an 'EV' owner.
Greener than green: high time to stop greenwashing
Concerns about the environment and the future of our planet are increasingly growing. In the latest Eurobarometer survey, the climate crisis is listed by EU citizens as the most serious problem the world is currently facing, and this in spite...
Electric cars and climate action: it’s also about payment and pricing
Electric cars can play a major role in decarbonising road transport, but only with easy payment and comparable pricing to make them more convenient to charge, BEUC Director General Monique Goyens writes.
Post-Covid world: new consumer realities policy makers must address
This blog reflects the speech delivered by Monique Goyens at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Consumers and Environment category of the European Economic and Social Committee, on 1 October 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has been for many...
‘All roads lead to Rome’ in the green transition; but we may need to build new ones
A well-known proverb says, ‘all roads lead to Rome,’ meaning an outcome can be reached by many methods or ideas. In European policy making, sustainable lifestyles must become our Rome: the aspired-to destination to which all roads must go. While...
Air pollution hot spots revealed by consumer groups in Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia
Long-term exposure to nitrogen oxide (NO2) in certain areas raises numerous questions, a citizen science project by BEUC members in Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland shows. At a time when the European Commission is about to present its Zero Pollution Action...
Use price to change our transport habits
We can clean up our mobility system without it feeling like an uncomfortable sacrifice. This requires fair price signals and incentives that make sustainable transport options affordable and attractive.