Leadership and CSR with EKOenergy

EKOenergy?

EKOenergy is the international ecolabel for electricity. Electricity sold with the EKOenergy label fulfils strict environmental criteria and raises funds for new renewable energy projects. The label is a not-for-profit initiative of the EKOenergy Network, a growing group of (currently) 40 environmental organisations from 30 countries. We started in Northern Europe in 2013 and are now spreading over the world. Involvement, transparency and ‘deeds, not words’ are important principles of our work. We are progressing day after day and would welcome you on board.

Green and more

In Europe, the EKOenergy label is based on Guarantees of Origin (as the European legislation requires). On other locations, we look for other reliable tracking instruments, in particular tracking instruments in line with the I-REC standard.

But EKOenergy is much more than tracked renewable electricity.

  • EKOenergy involves people. We actively cooperate with electricity producers, electricity sellers, consumers and consumer organisations, nature conservation organisations, development organisations, climate activists, fishermen,…  also in ‘unexpected areas’, such as Eastern Europe and Russia.
  • EKOenergy funds new renewable energy installations, through our Climate Fund.
  • We focus on positive communication: uniting tens of thousands of consumers and actively promoting the benefits of renewables.
  • The ecolabel is a tool for consumers to take into account biodiversity. We set sustainability criteria for electricity production and we fund river restoration projects.
  • We help consumers to proudly communicate about their green electricity purchase. 100% renewable is possible. Let’s just do it, and show to others that we are doing it.

EKOenergy and climate

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most used standard for carbon accounting, recommends buying renewable electricity. As EKOenergy is always based on reliable tracking instruments, EKOenergy can be used for carbon accounting. Our approach is in line with the market-based approach of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

At the same time, EKOenergy is also a tool to do more. Chapter 11 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, which lists “How Companies Can Drive Electricity Supply Changes with the Market-Based Method”, explicitly refers to EKOenergy and EKOenergy’s Climate Fund.

Climate Fund?

For each MWh of EKOenergy sold, a minimum of 10 Eurocents goes to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund. That money is used to finance climate projects that would not have happened without the contributions. EKOenergy does not set up its own projects, but finances projects managed by experienced organisations.

  • €0.10/ MWh is a minimum contribution. We are convinced that positive and concrete results will stimulate stakeholders to do more. E.g. the French supplier Planète OUI, who launched an EKOenergy product in November 2015, pays minimum 1 euro per sold MWh of EKOenergy.
  • In 2015 we financed solar panels on schools in Tanzania, Cameroon and Indonesia.

All projects have been selected in an open process, in which our sellers and buyers, as well as independent experts, have been actively involved.

EKOenergy and biodiversity

EKOenergy also takes into account the impacts of the production on ecosystem services, habitats and the biodiversity of species. In some cases that means ‘exclusion’: EKOenergy excludes the most environmentally degrading and problematic electricity production methods. But at least as important is our desire to act and change things. The clearest examples are the river restoration activities financed through our Environmental Fund. Whenever hydropower is sold with the EKOenergy label, €0.10/ MWh go to the Environmental Fund, to finance river restoration projects.

See hereafter a video about a recently financed project in Latvia.

Through our work ‘in the field’, we get a lot of new ideas. We warmly encourage companies looking for great and efficient Business & Biodiversity -projects to contact us. We can agree with your electricity seller that a part of the (renewable) electricity price will be used for nature protection in and around the power plant. One of our sellers will soon launch Fish passage electricity. We are sure others will follow with ‘Bat protection wind energy’ etc.

EKOenergy in your communication

Companies that buy EKOenergy electricity can use the EKOenergy logo in their offices, buildings and products, where appropriate. Show proudly to your employees and consumers that you use the best available renewable electricity, and encourage them to do the same. We have a wide range of consumers: about 100.000 households as well as companies ranging from the Spanish Ecorganic supermarket to HSY, which is in charge of drinking water distribution and waste treatment in the Helsinki Capital area.

Worldwide

EKOenergy is the only international ecolabel for renewable electricity. It is owned by environmental organisations from over 30 countries (and more will join). It works all over the world. And a lot of our material is available in more than 30 languages. We started as a European initiative, but in the summer of 2015, Asian stakeholders became interested. In September EKOenergy was sold for the first time in China. And now there is also interest from South-America.

More

  • LEED, the international standard for buildings recommends the use of EKOenergy-labelled electricity as “the best available option for the sustainable and additional consumption of renewable electricity (…)”.
  • We are a growing network of environmental organisations. We are also a partner of the World Bank’s Connect4climate, of IRENA’s Coalition for Action and of the international campaign Global 100% RE.
  • Last year we published a comic about our activities. The comic is available in 30 languages.
  • We have an advisory group with experts from all relevant sectors.

Contact

We can tell you much more about EKOenergy, and about how it can be used in your CSR policy (climate policy, carbon accounting, business and biodiversity, communication, involvement and cooperation). Feel free to contact us in the way that suits you best. We can help you in almost all European languages.

Posted on 1 January 2016

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