Sustainability

Follow related News and events or Publications Contact us

Latest News

Passenger rights under threat: Member States must urgently fix EU proposals

As negotiations on the reform of passenger rights move full steam ahead, BEUC warns that this legislative train is dangerously off track. The...

Sustainable mobility Transport and passenger rights
Airlines greenwashing: what solutions?

If you’ve been browsing for plane tickets recently, you surely have come across a flurry of claims praising how sustainable flying is. “Compensate...

Unfair commercial practices Consumer information Enforcement
EU tariffs on Chinese electric cars must ultimately lead to more competitive and affordable market for consumers

Today the European Commission has imposed tariffs of up to 38% on imports of Chinese electric vehicles into the EU. For the European Consumer...

Sustainable mobility Competition and sustainability Customs
Dieselgate: Volkswagen agrees to compensate Italian consumers

Italian owners of Volkswagen cars fitted with defeat devices will finally get compensation. This is the outcome of a settlement agreed between BEUC’s...

Sustainable mobility Enforcement
European authorities acknowledge airlines’ greenwashing denounced by consumer groups

Today, the network of EU consumer protection authorities has announced that many airlines operating in the EU have misled consumers about the...

Sustainable mobility Enforcement Transport and passenger rights
Topics
Ecodesign & Energy label
EU Ecolabel
European Green Deal
Sustainable mobility
EU climate proposals promise consumers a fossil fuel-free, healthy, and affordable future
EU climate proposals promise consumers a fossil fuel-free, healthy, and affordable future
- PDF Document - 116.8 KB

Energy markets
Energy consumer rights
Sustainable mobility
Renewable energy
European Green Deal
Available in English
Consumers are set to benefit directly from a series of EU measures presented today by the European Commission to fight climate change. The proposals are part of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55 Package,’ the first major milestone in the delivery of the EU’s Green Deal.
Read more
TCO brochure
Electric cars already cheapest option today for many consumers, new study finds
- PDF Document - 133.2 KB

Sustainable mobility
Available in English
A medium-sized electric car bought today is already the most financially interesting solution over the car’s lifetime, research by BEUC and nine of its national member organisations reveals. We also find that electric cars are the most ‘equitable’ engine on the market: second- and third-hand owners – who bear less of the car’s depreciation and benefit from low maintenance costs – will make savings for each electric car sold today. First owners driving many kilometres can already save money today by choosing electric.
Read more
EU green finance plans risk becoming greenwashing tool for climate-harming investments
EU green finance plans risk becoming greenwashing tool for climate-harming investments
- PDF Document - 98.93 KB

European Green Deal
Sustainable finance
Available in English
The EU Taxonomy – the bloc’s classification system to define which investments can be called ‘sustainable’ – risks becoming little more than a greenwashing tool following the inclusion of climate-harming practices in sectors like forestry and bio energy. These plans are set to undermine the EU’s Green Deal – supposed to make the EU a frontrunner in the climate fight – and prevent Europe delivering on its climate goals.
Read more

Consumers are increasingly willing to buy sustainable products, especially energy-efficient ones, in order to minimise their impact on the environment. All too often though, confusing information and a great variety of industry claims make this difficult. What makes it even more complicated is the lack of enough sustainable products in EU shops and that they are barely identifiable.

  • Improve the sustainability of products by reducing their impact on the environment
  • Give consumers the possibility to make informed and sustainable choices between different products using independent and verified labels (such as the Ecolabel). Unsustainable products to be taken off the market
  • Reduce the carbon footprint of transport in Europe while ensuring consumers benefit from improved information and cost reductions