News from EKOenergy

Edition 71  -  22 September 2016

We are proud and happy to announce that another world famous company has made the switch to EKOenergy.

The Germany based international company Schüco switches to EKOenergy.

Schüco is one of the leading suppliers of high-quality window, door and façade systems. Millions of Schüco products are used all over the world. In the past years, Schüco is actively implementing measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. A building monitoring system across all of the sites and new, uniform system management tools for optimising transport logistics were introduced. The heating in large areas of the headquarters in Bielefeld was switched to low emission district heating.

Furthermore, since 1 January 2012, all Schüco sites in Germany have been purchasing green energy. With the switch to EKOenergy the company is taking an extra step. We are looking forward to joining strengths with Schüco in communicating in a positive way about the potential of a 100% renewable economy, not only in Germany, but also abroad.

Welcome on board Schüco!

Another hotel has switched to EKOenergy! Hotel Blue Coruña is a 4 star hotel in the centre of A Coruña (Galicia, Spain). The hotel is continuously top ranked in customers ratings and has now even more to offer: EKOenergy certified electricity, provided by ecovatios.

Welcome on board!

Hotels interested in following this example can contact us at info@ekoenergy.org.

We also remind that the new version of the European Ecolabel for Tourist Accomodation now explicitly refers to ecolabeled electricity! Hotels get extra points if their electricity contract is ecolabeled by an independent entity and if the ecolabel promotes the investment in new renewable power capacities. (See criterion 38 of the Annex Framework of the decision). EKOenergy fulfils these requirements and we are really looking forward to working together with hotels aiming at getting the EU Ecolabel.

"EKOenergy and I have a lot in common. We both like nature and we are moved by renewable energy. I'm also happy that we have now a joint common target. EKOenergy wants to be at the Olympic Games in 2020, and so do I. Let's go for it together!"

EKOenergy ambassador Aleksandra Blinnikka

As more and more companies commit to 100% renewable energy, market players are developing tools to enable consumers to prove their green energy consumption anywhere.

The Statkraft Group, one of world’s largest generator of renewable energy and licensed seller of EKOenergy is playing a leading role in this process.

Recently, Statkraft has registered its Macaúbas (Bahia) wind farm in the Brazilian I-REC registry. This enables Statkraft to guarantee Brazilian consumers the origin of the electricity they purchase. 

I-REC certificates fulfil EKOenergy tracking requirements, the Macáubas wind farm fulfils our sustainability criteria and Statkraft has signed our License agreement. This means EKOenergy is now available in Brazil too! Contact us for more information.

One of the advantages of an international label, is obviously that it works worldwide.

Jalotofu was one of the first companies to add the EKOenergy logo to their products on the Finnish market. Recently they have started to export to Estonia, in cooperation with the Estonian company Loodusvägi.

We're very happy to see our logo on  their Estonian products too.

These are the first products with an EKOenergy logo on the Estonian market. More of this!

"We wanted to enter the market with an electricity product which is natürlich grün, i.e. really green. With EKOenergy, we found the perfect partner to achieve this. We are also proud to be the first 100% EKOenergy supplier in Germany."

Bernhard Mike Petrovic, natürlich grün

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and EKOenergy are intensively cooperating to remove obstacles to fish migration.

Last year we invested time in successfully persuading the new Finnish government to invest in more and better fish passages at Finnish power plants. As a result, the implementation of the National Fish Passage Strategy is now one of the government's 26 key projects.

We continue to spend a lot of time to advise the Finnish Government in how to implement the strategy. We are also strengthening the links between the strategy and the ongoing LIFE Freshabit project (in which EKOenergy is actively involved).

Our Indian member Vindhya Bachao is active on many fronts. They are heavily involved in complaints and lawsuits against Welspun Energy's Mirzapur coal power plant. They are also helping local farmers of Allahabad in their case against a new coal power plant in Karchhana, Allahabad district, Uttar Pradesh.

On top, they challenged the new national emission standards for coal based thermal power plants and brought the case to the National Green Tribunal.

But there is much more going on at Vindhya Bachao. They played a very crucial role in the safe rescue of a leopard trapped inside a village house for over 36 hours. After Vindhya Bachao's intervention, the forest department followed the appropriate guidelines to rescue the leopard. And they completed a study on Sloth Bears (an endemic bear species) in the district Mirzapur of Uttar Pradesh.

We are glad to see such exciting and worthwhile achievements happening in our network! 

"We won"

Jukurit ice hockey team, 17 September

EKOenergy logo is being worn loud and proud by the Mikkeli Ice Hockey team! 

We’re seeing companies go further and faster on renewable energy because they have so much to gain.

Many are also going beyond their own operations, influencing others to act on renewable power and cut carbon. Companies such as IKEA and telecommunications provider BT are encouraging their customers to embrace renewable power, through solar panels and LED lighting, and by switching to greener tariffs at home.

There is a growing movement of businesses, cities and citizens, all working together, to accelerate the clean-energy transition. They are sending a clear message to investors and utilities that the demand for renewables is there, and that it’s time to develop cleaner and more efficient portfolios. As more and more states, regions and even countries set 100 % renewable-energy goals, the market will expand even further.

As business works to do its bit to deliver on the Paris Agreement, there is still a lot to play for. Leading companies continue to find new and innovative ways to grow sustainably and adapt to climate change.

Those who fail to seize the opportunities or act on the risks will simply not thrive in the new clean economy.

Text: Emily Farnworth, RE100 campaign, (almost literally) copied from www.climate2020.org.uk