Sustainability & Energy - vdma.org

The new regulatory overview keeps you up to date with the most important existing and upcoming regulations in the areas of product safety, operational safety, environmental regulations, sustainability and occupational safety.

With the ‘Sustainability Talks’, the VDMA is organising a web series on current and relevant sustainability topics for the mechanical and plant engineering industry. You can find an overview of the topics and dates here.

The call for sector specific sustainability benchmarks has increased as mechanical engineering companies come under pressure from legislation and customers to report their sustainability impact.

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.

There are major growth opportunities for the mechanical and plant engineering sector in climate protection technologies. To remain competitive, reliable framework conditions for investments and technology-open implementation are essential.

Emissions trading is the lead instrument for climate protection. EU countries are using additional instruments to achieve further targets. An IMPULS study examines the challenges of the instrument mix.

At the end of November 2024, the European Court of Justice ruled that the "customer installation" grid category is unlawful.

AM in the VDMA wants to improve the CO2 footprint of additive manufacturing machines. By developing specific product category rules (PCRs), we want to create a standardized basis for calculating the product carbon footprint (PCF).

The EU wants to noticeably relieve companies of the bureaucratic costs associated with CBAM. This is a welcome relief for many small and medium-sized companies.

On 26.02.2025, the European Commission published the omnibus proposal on sustainability. The EU Commission is thus responding to the concerns of the overburdened economy and strengthening competitiveness.

The objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal are fundamentally correct. However, EU policy must urgently improve the conditions in Europe across the board. Not only the symptoms of crisis industries must be treated.

The transition to sustainability presents challenges for mechanical engineering – along with a flood of technical terms. Our **Glossary of Environmental and Sustainability Terms in Mechanical Engineering** sheds light on the complexities.

Innovative solutions and pioneering technologies at the world's largest industrial trade fair.

In the IEA's 2024 "Energy Technology Perspectives" report, the agency looks at global market developments in green technologies and the resilience of their production chains.

Energy and climate policy remain highly relevant in politics. This is why the amendment to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Act is a positive measure.

With the Omnibus Regulation, Commission President von der Leyen wants to consolidate, reduce and simplify various ESG reporting obligations. The VDMA welcomes the initiative and is submitting specific proposals for improvement.

2025 is the last year before CBAM’s full implementation, what are the latest developments EU companies need to consider?

Focus on the circular economy: countries around the world are enacting regulations on packaging and waste in order to reduce environmental pollution. The overview "Regulations on packaging and packaging waste" shows current and planned measures. Download now!

The German government now also wants to relieve companies of CSRD reporting obligations. It would be an urgently needed step. Politicians must now do everything they can to convince the EU of this measure.

The European Deforestation Regulation is being postponed - an important measure to ease the burden on companies. Other EU regulations must now also be put to the test as part of the omnibus regulation.

ESG-Reporting

Many mechanical engineering companies supply the technologies needed for a circular economy. This makes it all the more important that the EU and the future German government seriously pursue a circular economy policy.

In the dispute over the regulation of PFAS, ECHA is signaling initial openness to alternatives to a comprehensive ban. For the industries in Europe that rely on PFAS, this is a cautious signal in the right direction.

The COP29 climate conference in Baku has opened the way to a global carbon market - but postponed crucial questions on financing global climate protection. Small steps, but not nearly enough.

The agreement reached at the COP climate conference on a voluntary global carbon market is a milestone. It has the potential to accelerate the global use of particularly efficient technologies to avoid emissions.

The new Clean Industrial Deal seeks to answer the industry calls for competitiveness as the successor of the EU Green Deal .

The COP29 world climate conference is taking place in Baku (Azerbaijan) from November 11 to 29. Find out here what topics will be discussed there and how the results could affect the mechanical and plant engineering sector.

Climate protection needs sufficient resources - both financially and technologically. The climate conference in Baku must set the right course for this.

The importance of green technologies is increasing globally China could become the dominant market player in many technologies in the coming years. The study examines how Europe can maintain its strategic independence.

Sustainable construction with a future: At LIGNA.ENGINEERED WOOD you will experience innovative wood-based materials and state-of-the-art technologies for solid wood. For environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and safe construction projects of tomorrow.

On October 29, the European Commission hosted a webinar explaining the application process for strategic recognition of manufacturing projects under the Net-Zero Industry Act.

On August 29, Germany published its updated national energy and climate plan. In these plans, each EU member state provides comprehensive information on its national energy and climate policy for the next 10 years.

At an initial public meeting on 3.9.2024 at the VDMA in Frankfurt, almost 50 experts specified the aim and focus of the project and defined working groups. Initial results will be discussed on 8.11.2024. (Update no. 2)

The German Supply Chain Act places an undue burden on small and medium-sized industrial companies. The CDU/CSU is therefore quite rightly calling for it to be repealed in the Bundestag.

The new European chemicals package must take greater account of the needs of small and medium-sized companies in particular. General bans are the wrong approach.

Clever ideas for more climate protection: A team of Arburg employees took 1st place in the Carbon Busters Award for their CO2 reduction project. The prize recognizes the commitment of the mechanical engineering industry to achieving climate targets.

Micro5: Highest precision down to the smallest detail

For a family business, the concept of "grandchildren suitability" is particularly important. For this reason, Vogelsang has already implemented a number of improvement measures in the area of climate protection and resource conservation and is planning more.

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.

In December 2024, the EU bodies agree to postpone the start of implementation by 1 year.

District heating generation with multi-stage large-scale turbocompressor heat pump

By replacing outdated air filter technology with new, patented electrostatic precipitator technology, the air quality in a factory building was sustainably improved, operating costs reduced and resources conserved.

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.