On 28 September 2023, politicians, industry and consumer organisations gathered at the BeXt awards in Brussels to celebrate the innovators who are showing consumers there is another way to do business.
BeXt: To be or not to be green?
The awards were interspersed with conversations with leading Belgian politicians and the European Commission on the progress and future of the Green Deal. The speakers focused on one big question for the 2024 national and European Parliament elections – to be or not to be green.
With new policies on accurate green claims, durable products and rights to repair, the Green Deal provides a framework for a consumer green transition to happen. But politics are in play and some leaders are painting the Green Deal as an expensive regulatory burden that will cost consumers more than business as usual.
For the leading companies up for awards, to be green is the only option. The companies recognised at the BeXt awards are facing up to the challenge of a warming planet, pollution, intensive resource extraction and a waste crisis by bringing quality, durable and affordable items to consumers is a top priority.
Euroconsumers organisations Altroconsumo, Testachats, Deco Proteste and OCU are made up of hundreds of scientists and analysts who tested over 3,000 products in the search for the BeXt award winners and interviewed around 100,000 consumers.
The nominees and winners of the 2023 BeXt awards are:
Approved by Tomorrow award – Recognising trailblazing products that are changing the game
Ecofriendly – rewarding high quality products with a low environmental impact
- Large appliances: Samsung, Miele, Whirlpool
- Home detergents: Ecover, Bolton Manitoba, Unilever
- Tyres: Michelin, Goodyear, Continental
- Air conditioning: Samsung, Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin
Reliability – brands who deliver the most reliable products
- Hi tech: Sony and Google (tie) Samsung
- Large appliances: Miele, Siemens, Samsung
- Small appliances: Miele, AEG, Electrolux
Value for money – products with the best quality for their price
- Hi tech: Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple
- Large appliances: Electrolux, Bosch, Beko
Empower consumers, improve the market
Euroconsumers believes that important change also happens through empowering consumers and improving the market. By empowering people to shop sustainably, with advice based on independent testing, consumers can signal to markets they’re ready to shift to companies that meet their expectations of sustainability, quality and affordability.
You can rewatch at BEXT Awards – To be green or not to be green and see the winners pick up their awards.
You’ll hear Alexia Bretrand, Belgium’s State Secretary for Budget and Consumer Protection talk about how national sustainability initiatives are benefiting consumers. You can also hear Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, European Commission taking stock of how the Green Deal is progressing and what we can expect in the next five years and politicians from Belgium discussing whether sustainability is THE top contender in the country’s 2024 elections.
