Euroconsumers takes part in the EU Green Week

Euroconsumers is proud to announce its participation in the European Commission’s debate on ‘Walking tall and treading light – creating sustainable lifestyles with the environmental footprint tool’. The event took place on 3 June, in the framework of the European Green Week, which is the biggest European annual event focusing on European environmental policy. Euroconsumers took this great opportunity to advocate for placing consumers at the heart of the EU’s sustainability policy in alignment with its Approved by Tomorrow manifesto.

The European Green Week: an excellent opportunity to make consumers’ voices heard

Happening from May 31st until June 4th 2021, the European Green Week is organized annually by the Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission. It attracts high-level policymakers, leading environmentalists, civil society and citizens from all over Europe. This year’s edition strongly focused on the European Green Deal, the adoption of the EU’s Action Plan “Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for Air, Water and Soil”, and other green initiatives. The events mainly featured online sessions and workshops with key stakeholders discussing various subjects. Among the four categories in which these online sessions are divided, there is a whole section dedicated to Production & Consumption. Euroconsumers helped shape the narrative of this bloc, in order to ensure consumers are fully involved in the policy definition of solutions for a successful green transition.

A perfect opportunity to push for green consumer power

The debate which Euroconsumers joined, focused on the launch of a Consumer Footprint Calculator that was developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. The tool aims at promoting citizens’ awareness regarding their environmental footprint. The tool comprehensively addresses different types of consumption products, from food, to housing, through mobility, and relates them with a broad classification of types of pollution. This was a great opportunity for Euroconsumers to provide the Commission with  its hands-on technical expertise. Euroconsumers also conveyed its key message on consumer empowerment as laid down in its ‘Approved By Tomorrow’ manifesto. This event represented a great opportunity to share with the Commission the benefits of a consumer-driven approach to sustainability.

Euroconsumers welcomes a tool that is ‘Approved by Tomorrow’

This Consumer Footprint Calculator initiative fits with what Euroconsumers stands for: it places consumers at the core of the green transition, by providing them with the appropriate tools and information to make enlightened consumption decisions. It raises awareness and invites consumers to act upon it. But the journey doesn’t stop there. Having a clear screenshot of your footprint is a crucial part of the puzzle, but it’s equally crucial to secure the next steps. This means providing consumers with concrete guidance and hands-on advice. This means ensuring consumers get the right information about how sustainable products and services actually are, in an easy and accessible way, so they can make real choices. This means making sure that what is called ‘green’ is truly green and not greenwashed. In order for consumers to choose more sustainable options, they should first and foremost have access to green, convenient and affordable alternatives. That’s why we absolutely need to keep on pushing for the development of more sustainable products.

Euroconsumers will build upon this project to encourage and support the Commission to continue setting up ambitious standards that allow a consumer-empowering sustainability approach.