Sustainability & Energy - vdma.org

Product-related environmental regulations, many of which are known by the widely used term "Material Compliance (MC)," have been explained by VMDA in a comprehensive guide.

Under the heading "Battery legal requirements - From the BattG to the EU Battery Regulation", the VDMA held an event on March 20, 2023. Here is the most important in brief.

With the new Ecodesign Regulation and the establishment of a digital product passport, the EU Commission has set an important milestone under the Green Deal. The mechanical engineering sector will already be affected by the new requirements in the short term.

Here you will find supporting documents to assist you in implementing the contents described in the ZVEI-VDMA Code of Conduct (compliance and sustainability topics) in your company.

On November 22, 2023, the European Parliament voted on its position on the Commission's proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR)

The EU Commission proposes postponement of the Deforestation Regulation by one year following massive criticism.

The entry into force of the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is to be postponed by one year - this is a first step. The regulation now needs to be fundamentally revised.

The EU Deforestation Regulation is a prime example of well-intentioned but poorly implemented regulation. It must be postponed and fundamentally revised.

On June 30, a new EU regulation came into force, which was adopted in response to the urgent challenges of climate change and species protection.

The deforestation regulation forces us to act.

Under the leadership of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, 1500 policies worldwide were examined for their success in reducing emissions. The results point to possible best-practice approaches for future climate protection.

A legal opinion commissioned by several associations on the legality of Article 29 (1-3) of the PPWR revealed several concerns.

Transformation will only succeed if the framework conditions for Germany as an industrial location are improved. Reforms must not be put on the back burner any longer.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) published the new funding guideline "Federal Funding for Industry and Climate Protection (BIK)" on August 23.

Bureaucracy holds back innovation and investment in the machinery and plant engineering sector. 

The time-limited funding for the decarbonization of SMEs is the right thing to do. It will enable innovations to be brought to market more quickly.

Mechanical engineering is indispensable for a European circular economy. The Circular Economy Act is an important building block, but it must not end in the minutiae of regulation.

Together with experts from the member companies concerned, the VDMA has written a guide to the new EU Battery Regulation. It is regarded as the new standard for product-related environmental protection regulations.

The German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) provides information on the possibility for companies to provide evidence of their efforts to obtain data on CBAM goods and the use of its discretionary powers in the assessment of CBAM reports

The EU's upcoming Clean Industrial Deal addresses the right issues from the perspective of the mechanical engineering industry. Implementation must now be a priority, involving the relevant stakeholders.

Development of a product category rule for determining the CO2 footprint of thermo processing equipment - call for cooperation in the development of a VDMA standard sheet.

The cabinet agreement on CSRD is to be welcomed. However, there are downsides: these include the limited group of authorized auditors. The additional costs for affected companies are also significantly underestimated in the draft legislation.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy's hydrogen import strategy falls short of expectations. The analysis of the current situation is correct, but concrete new measures and milestones are missing.

VDMA member companies discussed with political representatives at the Week of the Environment.

The International Energy Agency's Energy Efficiency Toolkit is a collection of policies to increase energy efficiency. It is intended to help decision-makers find new opportunities for their own countries.

The energy research report shows that Germany has a strong research landscape. However, energy research must respond more strongly to market offensives by competitors such as China.

In the ESRS project group, members exchange views on questions relating to the reporting requirements under CSRD. The VDMA provides its members with the interim status of the discussion as a Q&A.

CSRD, Supply Chain Sustainability Obligations Act & Co.: The seminars of the Mechanical Engineering Institute provide you with practical knowledge and solutions to the current requirements for more sustainability and climate protection in mechanical and plant engineering.

The Energy Services Act is intended to make companies more efficient in their use of energy. To achieve this, companies now need planning certainty quickly in order to implement the numerous regulations!

Innovative mechanical engineering must be able to classify itself as sustainable in the EU taxonomy. This requires clarity and legal certainty, which has not yet been provided.

Around 50 participants from Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark met at ANDRITZ AG in Graz on 28 May to exchange experiences on the opportunities of digitalization for sustainable products in mechanical engineering.

The VDMA publishes the first benchmark for industry-wide materiality in accordance with the European Sustainable Reporting Standard (ESRS) of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Unfortunately, no substantial progress was made on climate financing at the Bonn Climate Change Conference. Difficult negotiations now lie ahead at COP29 in Baku.

With its new building in Waldkraiburg, NETZSCH Pumpen & Systeme GmbH is setting new standards in terms of climate protection and sustainability. The global specialist for complex fluid management aims to achieve complete climate neutrality by 2045.

Federal Economics Minister Habeck wants to suspend the German Supply Chain Act for two years. It would be a first sign that the concerns and alarm signals of the business community are finally being heard.

The use of recyclable or reusable packaging not only makes ecological sense, but also saves direct costs. Reducing packaging sizes offers additional efficiency potential for companies.

Losses in the compressed air systems of manufacturing companies often lead to unnecessarily high energy costs. More energy-efficient systems and preventive diagnostic and maintenance measures save money.

Creating a heating and ventilation concept in conjunction with an autonomous control system can reduce CO2 emissions throughout the company.

Promoting the leasing of electric vehicles for employees not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions caused by commuting to and from work, but even more.

Short supply chains, with suppliers in the region of the production site, save greenhouse gas emissions.

On 1st October 2023 the transitional phase and first reporting period of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) began.

The PIK article published in the magazine "nature" calculates the economic losses of climate change up to the year 2100.

Training employees to become energy scouts can help to identify hidden efficiency potential in companies and thus reduce costs.

Heat losses in company buildings contribute to higher energy bills and thus also to a higher greenhouse gas emissions balance for the company.

This measure contributes to the optimization of building efficiency by reducing the building area to be managed.

The continuous replacement of existing conventional light sources is a low-threshold measure to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.

In a study, the Federal Environment Agency examined the potential and obstacles to carpooling in Germany. It was found that these solutions "are an essential component of environmentally-oriented mobility management.

Together with member companies, the VDMA has developed training documents from October 2023 to spring 2024 that can be used to raise awareness of human rights risks in your own company and supply chain.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment has presented a draft bill to amend the German GewAbfV. The draft can now be commented on. We are happy to receive your feedback until 09.05.2024.

In this article we want to inform you at irregular intervals about important developments in the CO2/CO market on carbon capture, transportation, storage, CCUS.