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EKOenergy

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EKOenergy
Formation2013
TypeNonprofit organization
PurposePromotion of renewable energy, climate action, nature conservation
HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
Coordinates60.15315307591925, 24.87901093177771
Area served
Worldwide
Official language
English (+ provides services in more than 15 languages)
Main organ
EKOenergy's steering group, which reports to the Board of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation
Parent organization
Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto ry)
Staff4
Websitewww.ekoenergy.org

EKOenergy is a globally active nonprofit ecolabel for renewable energy (electricity, gas, and heat and cold).[1] It is owned by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation[2][3] and managed in cooperation with other environmental NGOs.

EKOenergy started in 2013 in Europe. Nowadays, EKOenergy-labelled energy is available worldwide. In 2022, the label was used in more than 70 countries.[4] Its materials are available in more than 30 languages.[5][6]

Awards and recognition

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  • European Citizen's Prize 2020, awarded by the European Parliament in 2021.[7]
  • Mentioned as a good SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) Practice by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2020.[8]
  • Nordic Council Environment Award 2019 nomination.[9]
  • EU Sustainable Energy Awards, nomination in the Young Energy Leaders category.[10]
  • Mentioned as a good way to create additional impact in various publications of CDP[11] and the RE100.[12]

Label

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Other language version of the label can be found in various countries. E.g. EKOénergie in France,[13] EKOenergie in Germany or EKOenergia in Finland.[14]

Criteria of the ecolabel

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EKOenergy's criteria are approved and updated following the rules of the ISEAL Standard Setting Code. All criteria texts are publicly available on EKOenergy's website.

The criteria take following aspects into account.

  • Reliable tracking and avoidance of double counting.[15][16]
  • Sustainability: EKOenergy takes into account the impacts of electricity production on ecosystem services, habitats and the biodiversity of species.[17]
  • Additional impact: Consumers of EKOenergy contribute to the additional promotion of renewable energy in various ways. For every MWh sold, 0.10€ goes to EKOenergy's Climate Fund. These resources are used to finance renewable energy projects in developing countries.[18][19] Consumers also pay 0.08€ per MWh to support EKOenergy's work to promote renewable energy worldwide and set up renewable energy campaigns.[20] EKOenergy's work to promote renewable energy is recognised as an Energy Compact under the UN-Energy Programme.[21]
  • Auditing and verification.
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EKOenergy logo on diapers made by P&G (Pampers)

The EKOenergy logo depicts a green plug sprouting from a plant flanked by two leaves. The logo can only be used by authorised sellers, when they are selling EKOenergy-labelled energy, and by consumers of EKOenergy-labelled energy. The conditions are explained in EKOenergy's brand book.[22]

The logo can be found on products made using EKOenergy-labelled electricity/energy.

Users of EKOenergy

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Well-known users of EKOenergy-ecolabelled electricity include the European telecom operator Iliad Group,[23] Microsoft,[24] the German glass manufacturer SCHOTT,[25] SAP[26] and Pampers[27] (Procter & Gamble).

Concrete results

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Solar project in Tanzania

Climate Fund

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For each MWh of EKOenergy sold, a contribution of 0.10€ goes to EKOenergy's Climate Fund. This money is used to finance renewable energy projects that would not have happened without the contributions. These projects are managed by experienced organisations. All projects are selected in an open process, with sellers, buyers and independent experts actively involved.[28][29]

Examples of funded projects include:

  • Solar power for off-grid villages in Pakistan[30]
  • Solar power for a health post in Nepal[31]
  • Solar-powered sewing machines for 40 seamstresses in Cameroon.[32]
River restorations

EKOenergy's Environmental Fund and nature conservation

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Whenever hydropower is sold with the EKOenergy label, €0.10/ MWh go to the Environmental Fund, to finance river restoration projects.[33] Examples of earlier funded projects:

  • Murronjoki river restoration (Finland)[34]
  • Norina river restoration (Latvia)[35]

EKOenergy mentioned by other environmental standards

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LEED

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The LEED Standard explicitly recommends the use of EKOenergy labelled electricity.[36] Buildings aiming at LEED certification can get extra points if the electricity used in that building is EKOenergy certified. The text “LEED 2009 BD+C Supplemental Reference Guide with Alternative Compliance Paths for Europe”[37] gives EKOenergy the same status as Green-e certified RECs in the US. They write: "The EKOenergy electricity certification scheme represents the best available pan-European option for the sustainable and additional consumption of renewable electricity within Europe. EKOenergy certifies renewable electricity that goes beyond the regulations of European directives and national governments of Europe."

Greenhouse Gas Protocol

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The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a worldwide standard for carbon accounting. It is a joint product of the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. In January 2015, the Secretariat of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol published the Scope 2 Guidance, which gave advice about carbon accounting. The Guidance refers to EKOenergy several times. Chapter 11, which encourages companies to go one step further, refers to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund.[38][39]

Nordic Ecolabel

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The Nordic swan covers 59 product groups, including more than 200 product types.

Several of criteria give extra points for the use of EKOenergy-labelled electricity, such as the criteria for Printing Companies and Printed Matter[40] and the criteria for Food Services and Conference Facilities.[41]

References

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  1. ^ "EKOenergy | AIB". www.aib-net.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  2. ^ "The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation".
  3. ^ Chandran, Ashwin Rama (2023-04-17). "SAP and EKOenergy Partner for a Renewable Future". SAP News Center. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  4. ^ "EKOenergy | RECCPEDIA". Reccessary. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  5. ^ https://www.cdp.net/Documents/Guidance/2016/CDP-technical-note-Accounting-of-Scope-2-Emissions-2016.pdf Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine p.16, Retrieved 31 October 2016
  6. ^ https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/SDG%20Good%20Practices%20Publication%202020.pdf, page 50.
  7. ^ https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/prizes/en-ecp-winners-2020.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  8. ^ https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/SDG%20Good%20Practices%20Publication%202020.pdf, page 50-52.
  9. ^ "Nominees for the Nordic Council Environment Prize 2019". www.norden.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  10. ^ "Event report: PEAKapp as finalist at EU Sustainable Energy Awards 2018". PeakApp.eu. 2018-06-08. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  11. ^ https://www.cdp.net/Documents/Guidance/2016/CDP-technical-note-Accounting-of-Scope-2-Emissions-2016.pdf Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine p.16, Retrieved 31 October 2016
  12. ^ https://www.there100.org/sites/re100/files/2020-09/RE100%20Leadership%20report.pdf, p. 19
  13. ^ "Nos sources d'énergie renouvelable - Électricité verte garantie - Planète OUI". 2019-12-30. Archived from the original on 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  14. ^ "EKOenergia-merkki — Luonnonsuojeluliitto". 2016-05-31. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  15. ^ "EKOenergy | RECCPEDIA". Reccessary. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  16. ^ Güngör, Merve (27 July 2023). "Simplifying Additional Impact Via Choice Of Renewable Energy".
  17. ^ "EKOenergy - the ecolabel for energy | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  18. ^ O'Connor, James (2023-07-26). "Sunny Shorts: (Em)powering a sustainable future for local communities in countries of the Global South". CAN Europe. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  19. ^ https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/SDG%20Good%20Practices%20Publication%202020.pdf, page 50-52
  20. ^ "Advocacy and promotion of renewables". EKOenergy. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  21. ^ https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/2021/12/211007-energy-compact-ekoenergy-ecolabel.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  22. ^ https://www.ekoenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/EKOenergy_Brand_book_english.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  23. ^ "Iliad". www.iliad.fr. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  24. ^ Vanholme, Steven (2023-06-27). "Microsoft's purchase of EKOenergy-labelled energy attribute certificates helps support off-grid communities in Kenya". EKOenergy. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  25. ^ "ENGIE and SCHOTT sign two novel Corporate Power Purchase Agreements". gems.engie.com. 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  26. ^ Alibangbang, Leah (2023-04-18). "SAP Partners with EKOenergy for Net-Zero Emissions Pledge". InsideSAP. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  27. ^ "Pampers® Harmonie Nappies | Pampers UK". Pampers-GB-EN. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  28. ^ https://www.cdp.net/Documents/Guidance/2016/CDP-technical-note-Accounting-of-Scope-2-Emissions-2016.pdf Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine p.16, Retrieved 31 October 2016
  29. ^ https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/SDG%20Good%20Practices%20Publication%202020.pdf, page 50-52.
  30. ^ admin (2022-12-31). ""A step of EKOenergy Ecolebel, towards protecting ecology, lighting the lives and ending poverty in Balochistan, Pakistan" – Balochistan Point". Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  31. ^ "September 14-16, 2020: Bringing Solar to the Pandu Gupha Health Post, Jumla, Nepal | GRID Alternatives". gridalternatives.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  32. ^ "Cameroon: Solar-powered sewing machines help poor women – DW – 05/15/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  33. ^ https://www.cdp.net/Documents/Guidance/2016/CDP-technical-note-Accounting-of-Scope-2-Emissions-2016.pdf Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine p.16, Retrieved 31 October 2016
  34. ^ "Ajankohtaista". www.sll.fi. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  35. ^ "Restoration of Norina river in Northern part of Latvia | LDF". ldf.lv. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Green Power: How to buy renewable electricity for LEED and carbon accounting | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  37. ^ "LEED 2009 BD+C Supplemental Reference Guide with Alternative Compliance Paths for Europe | U.S. Green Building Council". www.usgbc.org. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  38. ^ "Scope 2 Guidance | Greenhouse Gas Protocol". ghgprotocol.org. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  39. ^ "Green energy: First Climate is licensed EKOenergy partner". firstclimate.com. 2016-11-01. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  40. ^ "Printing companies and printed matter 041". www.nordic-swan-ecolabel.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
  41. ^ "Food services and conference facilities (without accommodation) 110". www.nordic-swan-ecolabel.org. Retrieved 2023-07-29.
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