| 1. EKOenergy helps contribute to multiple SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) |
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Last week, the UN organised a Climate Action Summit and an SDG Summit. It was also the Global Week to Act for the Sustainable Development Goals (#Act4SDGs).
In a rapidly warming and destabilised world, the implementation of the SDGs is increasingly off-track. Renewables can and must play an important role in changing course. By speeding up the energy transition, we can overcome the climate crisis and support many of the UN’s Global Goals.
Contribution to the realisation of these goals is one of the key aspects of EKOenergy's mission. The EKOenergy label specifically aligns with SDGs 7 (Clean and affordable energy), 12 (Sustainable production and consumption), 13 (Climate action), 15 (Life on land) and 17 (Partnerships for the goals).
EKOenergy’s objectives are officially recognised as an Energy Compact under the UN-Energy programme. In addition, the EKOenergy ecolabel is explicitly cited as a good practice in UN DESA's publication "SDG Good Practices: A Compilation of Success Stories and Lessons Learned in SDG Implementation".
Learn more about our recent work relating to the SDGs in the relevant chapter of our 2022 Annual Report.
Interested in joining our efforts this year? Switch to EKOenergy and encourage others to do the same. |
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| 2. We welcomed Johannes to the team |
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EKOenergy is growing, and so is our team. We are pleased to welcome Johannes Pättiniemi as our Marketing Coordinator for Nordic countries.
Johannes holds an MBA in Leading Sustainable Growth, possesses extensive and hands-on experience in marketing and customer acquisition across various sectors and has a strong background in business strategy and leadership. His passion for sustainability and preserving nature for future generations has led him to join the EKOenergy team.
“I am a problem solver at heart, and I view climate change as a challenge that has to be tackled. Recognising that the energy sector is responsible for three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, it became clear to me where I should direct my efforts initially. I discovered that EKOenergy operates with values aligned with my own, and here, I feel like I am at the forefront of a meaningful battle. I firmly believe that pointing fingers doesn't solve problems; rather, it is through cooperation and concrete actions that we make a difference. I am honored to have been accepted as a part of this team, ready to contribute my skills and dedication to promoting renewable energy.”
Still doubting about why to buy or sell EKOenergy-labelled energy? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with johannes.pattiniemi@sll.fi. |
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| 3. Media partner of RE-Source and IRECIST conferences |
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We are delighted to announce that we are an event partner for the upcoming RE-Source and IRECIST conferences.
Direct purchase of renewable energy by corporate buyers is now possible in more markets than ever before. The RE-Source event 2023 is the perfect place to network, learn and do business with key players from both the buyer and supplier sides. This year’s event will take place on October 26-27 in Amsterdam. Check out the program and register here: https://resource-platform.eu/re-source-2023-event/.
The IRECIST (IREC Istanbul) conference is the ideal platform for anyone interested in understanding the reliable tracking of renewable electricity in Türkiye. The event is organised by Foton, the Turkish I-REC issuer. The inaugural edition of this conference last year garnered significant interest from energy producers and companies in export-oriented sectors. This year’s conference is scheduled for November 3rd in Istanbul. You can register here: https://irec.ist/en. |
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| "This year's campaign, launched in March 2023, is called EKOappetite. It aims to encourage the food sector to choose 100% renewable energy." - Short article about our newest campaign, on the website of Porta Nuova Europa |
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| 4. The number of EKOenergy consumers and authorised sellers keeps growing |
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EKOenergy is growing steadily. In both 2021 and 2022, our growth rate exceeded 40% and we are optimistic that we can sustain a similar growth in 2023. With the visible impacts of the climate crisis prompting more people to seek ways to make a positive impact and actively support the energy transition, our consumer base continues to expand.
Several of our most active sellers have reported strong demand for EKOenergy, prompting us to assess over 400 renewable installations in the past three months.
Furthermore, over the past few weeks, we continued to welcome new authorised sellers from various continents, and we anticipate more will sign our EKOenergy Agreement in the coming weeks.
As a reminder, you can find 10 reasons to choose EKOenergy here. Please keep in mind that our logo is internationally protected and can only be used by consumers of EKOenergy-labelled energy, and by authorised sellers when they offer EKOenergy to their clients. |
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| "Did you know that Elegant’s BE Nature product is the only one in Belgium to carry the @ekoenergy label? 🌱" - Elegant, on their Instagram |
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| 5. Ten years of EKOenergy - Ten years of climate action |
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In 2023, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our ecolabel. From March to June, we published 20 fact sheets, each highlighting a different facet of our work and commemorating remarkable achievements over the past decade.
You can now access all 20 sheets conveniently bundled into one PDF: "10 years of diverse and impactful climate action".
10 years of...
- Transparent decision-making,
- Productive cooperation,
- Renewable energy campaigns,
- Multilingual communication,
- Working with energy consumers of all sizes,
- Nature protection,
- Pioneering and leadership,
- Inspiring communication,
- Involving volunteers and trainees,
- Consistency and persistence,
- Internationalisation,
- Working with the EKOenergy logo,
- Fighting energy poverty,
- Growth and development,
- Advocating for climate legislation,
- Realising the Sustainable Development Goals,
- Growing recognition,
- Conferences and events,
- Working in a financially healthy position, and
- Improving our own environmental impact.
We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has supported us along this journey. We're enthusiastic and ready for more progress in the months and years to come! |
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| 6. We joined the global mobilisation to end fossil fuels |
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From September 15 to 17, people around the world took to the streets to demand a swift, just, and equitable end to fossil fuels. EKOenergy formally endorsed the global call for action and our team joined the demonstration in Helsinki.
- Fossil fuels - encompassing coal, oil, and gas - stand as the leading contributors to global warming, responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions. Our stance is clear - we don't want new fossil fuel projects, whether through public or private financing, subsidies, or any form of approvals, licenses, permits, or extensions.
- We support a rapid, fair, and equitable phase-out of existing fossil fuel infrastructure in line with the 1.5°C temperature limit. To achieve this, a comprehensive global plan is imperative to ensure that every nation fulfils its fair share of responsibilities.
- We call upon our leaders to significantly enhance financial and technological assistance to enable universal access to renewable energy, implement economic diversification plans, and facilitate Just Transition processes, empowering every country and community to successfully transition away from fossil fuels. |
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| 7. Making green claims more reliable through EKOenergy |
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Recently, there has been a growing concern about the reliability of green claims. In the EU, the Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement on new regulations aimed at prohibiting deceptive advertisements and providing consumers with more accurate product information. Similarly, across the globe, sustainability communication is coming under increased scrutiny.
Against this background, it's encouraging to observe that tracking systems such as I-RECs and Guarantees of Origin are gaining ground as dependable and fundamental for renewable energy reporting and communication. Corporate demand for I-RECs is rapidly increasing in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and in the EU, the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) require that “the undertaking shall only consider these energy consumptions as deriving from renewable sources if the origin of the purchased energy is clearly defined in the contractual arrangements with its suppliers ( [...] market instruments like Guarantee of Origin from renewable sources, [...] etc.)”
EKOenergy adds an additional layer of reliability and trustworthiness to already reliable energy attribute tracking systems. We are committed to adhering to standards like the ISEAL Standard Setting Code and ISO 14024 for Environmental Labels and Declarations. We conduct annual audits of all volumes sold with our label and provide guidance and support to EKOenergy users who wish to communicate their choice of EKOenergy. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more. |
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| 8. EKOenergy on social media |
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Follow EKOenergy on social media to get relevant updates about the climate crisis, renewable energy and climate action worldwide.
Here are some of our recent posts:
- In 2022, EKOenergy provided a €30,000 grant to the NGO Green Empowerment for the installation of a 9.6 kW solar PV system (including batteries) in the Ayiri health center in Uganda. Green Empowerment and its partners have just released a two-page document detailing the concrete results. (from our LinkedIn)
- What do we want? #ClimateActionNow. We know how to solve the #climatecrisis, let's just do it. #FridaysForFuture, Helsinki. (from our X)
- Today is Nature Day in Finland. Some of our team members participated in a river restoration activity in Helsinki, organised by @virho_ry. By adding stones and gravel to the river, we recreated suitable habitats for fish and crayfish. (from our Instagram)
- Greetings from the Ukraine Day in Helsinki. Thousands marched in support of democracy and solidarity, and so did we. #SupportUkraine. (from our LinkedIn)
- 🇵🇱 EKO-Karolina has completely updated the Polish version of our website! 🎉 Thanks a lot! EKOenergy for Poland! EKOenergy for all! (from our X)
- Over the past 7 weeks, we have welcomed seven new team members! Welcome Kateryna, Ilaria, Karolina, Josepha, and Fay (#EUsolidaritycorps volunteers), Johannes (Market Coordinator Nordic Markets), and Jasmin (Trainee), (from our X) |
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| 9. #3xRenewables - Double down, triple up |
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EKOenergy is one of the supporters of the #3xrenewables campaign.
Ahead of the COP28 climate summit, the campaign urges world leaders to set an ambitious target of tripling renewable energy capacity to 11,000 GW by 2030.
The call for action comes from a diverse cross-section of stakeholders from all six populated continents. It includes international governmental organisations, producers, buyers, supply chain actors and civil society organisations.
“Renewable energy is already transforming communities around the world: powering homes, cars and factories with clean electricity; generating millions of green jobs; and attracting public and private capital to propel economic growth. Tripling this activity represents an enormous opportunity to reduce the loss and damage for nature and people wrought by harmful climate change, and set the world on a path to sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient growth.” |
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We at EKOenergy are always enthusiastic to collaborate with new partners.
For further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. |
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