Category: Sustainability
Carbon-neutral food? Too good to be true
‘Carbon neutral’, ‘CO2 neutral’, ‘carbon positive’, ‘carbon neutral certified’. These days it’s difficult to miss these powerful claims on products and services when we’re shopping. The supermarket shelves are no exception: from bananas to pork, blueberries to milk, the variety...
The EU has become an environmental policy champion – time to go the last mile
In the span of just four years, environmentally friendly measures went from seen as hampering economic progress to part of economic policymaking. In our retrospective about BEUC’s 60 years of existence, we coined the current decade the ‘transformational 2020s’. And...
Rules for sustainable products are one side of the coin. Enforcing them is the other.
It is encouraging for consumers that the EU is working on rules to make products sustainable by design. But if policymakers are serious about delivering, they should not forget about the “on the ground” aspect, argues BEUC’s Monique Goyens. This...
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...