GLOBE EU Events

GLOBE EU members Sirpa Pietikäinen and Martin Hojsík hosted an event on February 8 to hear from industry experts about chemical recycling and how the technology could help advance circularity in the EU and its transition to zero waste.

Specialists from the European Commission, industry, and the NGO community highlighted the importance of adopting a systemic approach to recycling and addressed regulatory, technical, and economical obstacles to a zero-waste transition.

• Welcome and Introductory remarks – Martin Hojsík MEP
• Panel Discussion (moderated by Martin Hojsík MEP):
  • Aurel Ciobanu Dordea – Director, EU Commission DG ENV
  • Chris Killian – Chief Technology Officer, Eastman
  • Peter Sandkühler – Director Sustainability EMEA, Dow
  • Lauriane Veillard – Policy Officer, Zero Waste Europe
• Short statements by companies on the use of recycled plastics in their products:
  • Tarkett (Myriam Tryjefaczka), ReturnMatras (Chico van Hemert), Nestlé (Christian Detrois)
• Q&A with participants (moderated by Sirpa Pietikäinen)

Presentation Chris Killian

Presentation Lauriane Veillard

Presentation Myriam Tryjefaczka

Presentation Christian Detrois

Eastman’s reply to online questions

Zero Waste Europe’s reply to online questions

Eastman factsheet

GLOBE EU members Pietikäinen, Hojsík, and Olekas hosted a hybrid event on regenerative farming on November 16.

Regenerative farming offers a sustainable alternative to current farming practices, which are known to cause multiple challenges to the environment.  Rather than posing a threat, regenerative farming increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services.  It involves all stakeholders and focuses on improving the whole ecosystem: soil, water, and biodiversity.

Damages to the environment caused by current farming practices were highlighted by our keynote speaker, George Monbiot, who is Guardian columnist and author of “Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet”.

Speakers from Nestlé, Unilever, the WBCSD, and WRI addressed the adverse environmental consequences of current farming practices and explored how policies must change to encourage farmers to deploy more sustainable techniques.

Program:

16h00 Welcome – Sirpa Pietikäinen MEP, President GLOBE EU

16h10 Keynote Address – George Monbiot, author of “Regenesis: Feeding the world without devouring the planet

16h30 Expert Introductions:

• Katja Seidenschnur, Sustainability Director Europe, Nestlé
• Dorothy Shaver, Sustainability Director, Nutrition & Ice Cream, Unilever
• Dana Rakha-Michalon, Manager, One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
• Morgan Gillespy, Director Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), World Resources Institute

17h10 Discussion – moderated by Martin Hojsík MEP, Vice-President GLOBE EU

17h50 Conclusion –  Juozas Olekas MEP, member GLOBE EU

Speakers’ bios

Presentation Katja Seidenschnur

Presentation Dana Rakha-Michalon

Presentation Morgan Gillespy

Recommendations

Construction materials have an important carbon footprint.  In the EU alone, they are responsible for 250 million tons of CO2 annually.  While the EU is already home to many of the sustainable frontrunners developing the next generation of low-carbon materials, the sector as a whole has failed to sufficiently decarbonize to date and is bound to miss the EU’s 2030 goals.

As global demand for shelter and infrastructure continues to rise, making building materials more sustainable should be a priority.  Can technology play a role in driving down resource and energy consumption in the sector?

European innovation in building materials is growing: from zero-carbon concrete to alternative building materials, from prefabricated modular buildings to 3D-printed ones.  The buildings of tomorrow should require fewer resources – and consume less energy. For this vision to emerge, a forward-thinking policy framework needs to be put in place, supporting the deployment of these innovations with clear targets and incentives.

During the joint GLOBE EU/Cleantech for Europe event on September 6, experts from the European Commission, Bee Group member Tarkett, Ecocem, Stora Enso, Aeditive, and Neolithe (see program below) considered how sustainable construction materials can enhance the EU’s industrial competitiveness, determine targets for the industry that are ambitious yet feasible; explored current roadblocks to their scale-up, and discussed how EU policies can create the conditions for this new industry to prosper.

Program

A paper with recommendations as well as speakers’ presentations are available for viewing/downloading below.

Call to Action – Cleantech for Europe and GLOBE EU

Presentation Jules Besnainou – Cleantech for Europe

Presentation Myriam Tryjefaczka – Tarkett

On May 11, 2022, GLOBE EU welcomed senior students from the European Schools in Brussels in the VoxBox to mark EU Overshoot Day, which this year occurred on May 2.

Sirpa Pietikäinen joined with Bas Eickhout and Catherine Chabaud to take questions from Darina Alexandrova, Anne Cécile Duponteil, and Maya Leire on limiting resource consumption in the EU, more ambitious recycling targets, and investments in renewable energy.

During the second half, Sirpa received Margrete Auken and Martin Hojsík to answer questions from Raino Kleijsen Laas,  Oscar Adserbale, and Thomas Winship on environmental education, green agriculture, and meeting the EU’s carbon budget.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, paid a surprise visit to the VoxBox to meet with the students and their teachers.

Martin Hojsík, MEP and GLOBE EU Vice-President, hosted an event on February 28 to discuss the Commission’s forthcoming Sustainable Products Initiative within a supportive policy framework.  The event was organized jointly with CLG Europe.

Speakers from the Commission’s DG ENV, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the European Environment Agency, Cambridge University, and members of GLOBE EU’s Bee Group Tarkett and Nestlé underscored the need for a systemic approach to developing product circularity and sustainability.

Event Summary

Program and Speakers’ bios

Presentation Carsten Wachholz

Presentation Ioannis Bakas

Presentation Lucia Reisch

Presentation Johannes Weber