Sustainability

The European Commission has adopted the New EU Forest Strategy for 2030, aiming to reach greenhouse gas emission reductions of at least 55% across the EU by 2030. The Strategy also hopes to achieve climate neutrality in the EU by 2050. On 16 July, the European Commission announced it had adopted the...

The fashion industry can play a big role in reaching the objective of climate neutrality by 2050. In this context, the European Commission is committed to supporting a more sustainable industry. There are huge opportunities for businesses in the fashion industry; f ive million people are directly...

The second challenge of the Basque Country Circular Economy Strategy 2030 focuses on innovation through materials, processes , and products. Innovation allows the challenges established in European policy instruments to be converted into business opportunities. 36 new innovative projects in the...

The EU’s 'Fit for 55 package’ aims to update the 2030 climate and energy laws to reflect a 55% emissions reduction target. As part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, the Commission for the Environment, Climate change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Committee of the Regions discussed the...

Horizon Europe is the new EU framework programme for research and innovation which succeeds Horizon 2020. Within the clusters of pillar II, it will incorporate research and innovation missions. The Commission wants to co-create missions with citizens and stakeholders. Broad participation from the...

The European Commission’s new Sustainable Finance Strategy sets out several initiatives to tackle climate change while increasing investment in the EU's transition towards a sustainable economy The strategy will be more inclusive for SMEs. In recent years, the Commission took action to build the...

The European Semester Spring Package aims to provide fiscal guidance to EU Member States as they reopen their economies. This guidance will help Member States to make use of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the NextGenerationEU, the EU’s largest ever stimulus package. Fiscal policy...

The European Commission has an open public consultation for clusters and SMEs on the environment and sustainability. All citizens and organisations are welcome to contribute to the consultation. In particular, input is welcome from actors along the textile value chain as well as public authorities...

DigiCirc accelerates innovation by identifying cutting-edge circular economy solutions and promoting business development. From 2020–2022, DigiCirc is organising three Accelerator Programmes, with €2.4 million in funding for SMEs in: Circular cities; Blue economy; Bioeconomy. The second open call...

In the European Alliance Against Coronavirus meeting on 23 March, Océane Peiffer-Smadja from DG GROW gave an update on the Renovation Wave and the Affordable Housing Initiative. As the construction ecosystem was hit hard by the covid crisis, renovation is one of the flagship areas for the recovery...

Business leaders and policymakers across the Single Market are starting to outline long-term economic recovery plans as the EU’s vaccine programme increases. The global crisis has caused challenges for industries across ecosystems, however in planning for a sustainable recovery, the Single Market...

Thanks to their versatility, plastics have become key materials in strategic sectors such as packaging, building and construction, transportation, renewable energy, medical devices, and even sport products. There are about 60 , 000 European companies in the plastics industry, mainly SMEs, employing...