Sustainability & Energy - vdma.org

The European Commission has published a proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste on November 30, 2022. The VDMA will participate in a public consultation.

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 publication (March 30, 2022) of the new Ecodesign Regulation and the establishment of a digital product passport (DPP), the EU Commission has set an important milestone under the Green Deal. When is the final agreement expected? And what is the current status?

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

Get active! Young teams from VDMA member companies can develop creative concepts for reducing emissions and, with a little luck, win the second VDMA "Carbon Busters 2.0" award.

Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, plans to commission a study on the economic impact of the planned PFAS restriction. Input from VDMA member companies is also sought.

Maintaining products, components and materials at their highest utility and value, extending life cycles and thus reducing waste and resource consumption, that is the goal of the circular economy. The way to achieve this is to apply the 10 "R strategies" of the circular economy.

Board and technology working groups have prioritized the topic of sustainability in the context of AM. What is really sustainable about AM? Which system boundaries are considered? Facts & data on BestPractice examples will provide an overview.

Due to environmental and potential health hazards, the EU intends to restrict the broad group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the REACH regulation.

When things get "hot" in industrial production, PFAS are indispensable. The chemical substances can withstand high temperatures just as well as aggressive production environments. For seals, valves, hoses or compressors, there is often no substitute for PFAS. The EU's planned comprehensive ban on around 10,000 of these substances in one fell swoop would therefore have devastating consequences - especially for the technologies of the energy transition.

The EU's planned ban on the entire PFAS group of substances would endanger many industrial processes - especially the technologies of the energy transition. Many entrepreneurs from the mechanical and plant engineering sector are calling for the ban to be stopped and for a differentiated view of the substances.

The new VDMA maturity model enables companies to self-assess their level of climate ambition and competence as well as how they compare to the sector average.

The VDMA participated in a public consultation of the European Commission on the first product groups under the new Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (ESPR) on 11 May 2023.

On April 18, 2023, the German cabinet presented a draft law to increase energy efficiency and amend the Energy Services Act. An overview of the current status.

So far, the offshore potential of the North Sea has remained largely untapped. Now the littoral states want to make speed - and double the wind energy output.

From November 6 - 10, 2023, a BMWK delegation will visit Italy's gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries to exchange ideas on supply security and climate-neutral solutions. Visits and presentations to top EPCs and industry companies in Milan, Ravenna and Porto Marghera are planned.

In an interview at interpack, Vera Fritsche of the VDMA talks about why the EU has launched the new regulation, what its objectives are and when it is due to come into force.

As part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the EU Commission has published the Net-Zero Industry Act to boost green manufacturing in Europe. Which technologies will be favoured? And where will the funding come from?

A drastic across-the-board subsidy of the electricity price for energy-intensive companies is a mistake. This is because watering-can subsidies are a burden on federal finances and thus on the economy, including mechanical and plant engineering, as well as on citizens.

Corporate planning is particularly challenging in times of various disruptions. Sustainability reporting and the Ukraine war are having an impact on controlling and accounting.

With the impending ban on around 10,000 PFAS industrial chemicals in one fell swoop, the EU is overshooting the mark by a long way. Indispensable components such as seals would be affected - and consequently many products for people's everyday lives. The VDMA is calling for exemptions for PFAS substances that are in machinery and do not come into contact with the environment.

The VDMA is a partner in a newly launched consortium benchmarking study by the Machine Tool Laboratory WZL at RWTH Aachen University and Complexity Management Academy GmbH, which is looking for success factors for sustainable product development. Interested companies can participate in a survey until June 30, 2023. In addition to benchmarking their own status quo, there is also the opportunity to be recognized as a "Successful Practice Company" yourself.

The traffic light coalition now wants to pick up the pace for more infrastructure and climate protection - and that is urgently needed. The right thing to do is to abandon the sectoral targets that have been authoritative to date.

There will be no ban on internal combustion engines in the EU from 2035 after all. This is the right decision, as synthetic fuels in internal combustion engines are essential for running mobile machinery from excavators to tractors in a climate-neutral way.

The EU has agreed on ambitious targets to help rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the high seas. The EU shipping industry, like marine engine manufacturers, now has clarity on how to get there by 2050.

For the annual expansion of onshore wind energy of 10 GW, all players must pull together. An appeal by several associations.

The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that the available technologies and strategies for reducing emissions are still being applied worldwide far too slowly and hesitantly.

The EU Commission's ambition to make the EU a competitive location for climate protection technologies is right and important. The Net Zero Industry Act can make a contribution to this - especially with its regulations on faster approval procedures.

VDMA and Schubert & Salzer discussed with MEP Walsmann how the EU can support the mechanical engineering sector with right framework conditions, such as on sustainability obligations.

Since April 2022 the EU has released measures to respond to the rapidly changing energy situation within 27 member state block. What exactly are these measures and how do they differ? This article provides a concise overview.

From 2035, no more passenger cars with internal combustion engines are to be registered in the EU. However, the use of climate-friendly eFuels in passenger cars must continue to be possible, because combustion engine technology in combination with CO2-neutral fuels is part of the solution for global climate protection.

In pharmaceutical companies, the need for fast, lean processes is increasing. In this context, digitization can help shorten market entry times, while maintaining and even improving product quality. However, players must also arm themselves against threats.

Commenting on the 3rd Roundtable of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection on industrial production capacities for the energy transition, Dr. Dennis Rendschmidt, Managing Director VDMA Power Systems:

With their far-reaching obligations, the German and planned EU supply chain laws overburden small and medium-sized companies in particular. VDMA members make their displeasure clear.

On 07.02.2023 ECHA has pre-published the restriction dossier on the broad restriction of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Two delegated acts on hydrogen have passed the EU Commission.

The VDMA has drawn up a position paper on Euro 7 emissions legislation and submitted it to the EU as feedback.

Above all, the expansion of wind energy needs land and permits - and it needs them on a permanent basis. Climate neutrality in the energy system urgently needs investments and projects that have an economic perspective. The German government must lay the cornerstones for electricity market reform before the end of this legislative period.

Two years after the first draft was presented, the EU Parliament and the European Council agreed on the key points of the new regulation on batteries and spent batteries in December 2022.

The topic of sustainability has long played an overriding role for the mechanical and plant engineering industry. The ecological transformation will dominate the coming decade. The topic of CO2 management plays a significant role in this process, as it influences corporate activities in many places.

To achieve the EU climate targets for 2030, Europe really must be made 'fit for 55'. The solutions of the mechanical and plant engineering sector are ready for action. The VDMA expressly supports the fact that emissions trading remains the leading instrument of European climate protection policy and will be strengthened.

Energy costs are an enormous challenge, also for small and medium-sized enterprises: That is why the policy's curbing mechanisms are the right step. It is now important to focus firmly on the upcoming reform of the electricity market.

The Council of the EU defined in December 2022 its position on corporate sustainability due diligence. Although there are some positive elements, VDMA calls on the Council to revise its position.

As part of the VDMA's PCF expert group "Product Carbon Footprint Calculation in Mechanical and Plant Engineering", the association is working with the software company Tanso to develop a pragmatic PCF calculator, the "PCF STARTER".

Calculating the carbon footprint at the product level poses many challenges. In cooperation with various member companies, the VDMA is developing a "PCF calculation guideline" for the machinery and plant engineering sector.

Italy is one of the few countries in Europe to make environmental labeling of packaging mandatory for distributors not only in the B2C sector but also in the B2B sector, regardless of whether the distributor is an Italian or foreign company.

The German Supply Chain Act is becoming increasingly unbearable in its implementation and EU regulation is set to reach far beyond the German precedent. The consequences are no longer calculable.

The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament approved in April 2023 the draft report on corporate sustainability due diligence. The draft goes even further than the EU-Commission's proposal. VDMA is calling for this to be changed.

The final phase of the COP27 world climate conference has been difficult, with the joint final declaration on the back burner for a while. Although the world climate conference remains a decisive format, it needs strong complementary initiatives that bring concrete climate protection forward. Keyword "Climate Club