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

Corporate environmental protection encompasses a variety of different aspects - participants helped determine the focus of the event.

PWC and atene KOM have been officially appointed as the audit authority. Companies that have applied for relief through the energy price brake must ensure that the relevant documents are available in good time.

This survey provides an overview of the status of the implementation of ESG issues in the machinery and plant engineering industry and what role they play in business relationships and what trends and further impacts are expected.

The German states also want to improve Europe as an industrial location. However, the call for stronger state subsidies conveys the wrong message. Subsidies threaten to distort the single European market.

After two years of negotiations, most of the Fit for 55 files are now adopted. What has been agreed between the European Parliament and the Council to reach the 2030 climate targets?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are not only the focus of substance restrictions within the EU, but are also increasingly being restricted in other countries.

With its energy market simulation software "Power2Sim", Energy Brainpool created a scenario for an energy economy based on hydrogen and green electricity as the main energy carriers.

This year, Hall 2, booth 2-204 will not only host the VDMA Special Show, but also the associated Speakers Corner and other varied program items. Read here what you will find when and where.

We need your support to better understand, also to be able to communicate it to the outside world, how the mechanical engineering industry is positioned in a topic that is currently gaining massive importance.

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.

In today's environmentally conscious world, the user-friendly software "PCF STARTER" makes it easier for small and medium-sized companies to calculate and reduce their carbon footprint.

QM-Corner NRW, that means one topic, one hour, online - the compact exchange among experts from the industry, this time on the topic "Sustainability meets Quality Management".

In preparation for the G7 Summit in Japan, the IEA drafted a classification system for hydrogen, based on emissions released in the manufacturing process.

The IEA examines current trends and risks of future energy technologies and recommends that responsible parties actively pursue solutions.

On behalf of the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), industrial sectors are analyzed for their importance in case of a gas shortage in order to enable better decisions for a shutdown sequence in case of a crisis.

The member companies of the VDMA use chromium trioxide (chromium VI) especially in the field of functional hard chrome plating or decorative chrome plating. Chromium VI is subject to approval by the EU chemicals regulation REACH. The approval procedure for functional hard chrome plating has now been completed after four years.

In its EV Outlook 2023, the IEA presents current trends in the global EV market. This has continued to grow strongly over the past year and is driving further innovation.

The OECD has published updated Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct by Multinational Enterprises, responding to social, environmental and technological challenges.

Sustainability reports are also gaining central importance for mechanical and plant engineering. Many companies are not yet sufficiently prepared for the new requirements.

The broad PFAS ban planned by the EU would set many industrial production processes back to the development level of 1950. The quality of basic services for everyone would be jeopardized manifold. Mechanical engineering industry is therefore calling for a different, strictly risk-based approach to regulation.

The Federal Ministry of Economy and Environment is planning to provide financial support for the conversion of production facilities to lower-emission processes.

VDMA supports the approach of aligning emission reductions with the 2030 target. The ambitious climate protection targets require strong changes and investments. The technical solutions are already in place and greentech offers global opportunities for German industry.

In the virtual talk series, VDMA took over as moderator on June 20 and showed how the mechanical engineering industry is not only taking on the challenges of the EU Green Deal, but also driving solutions.

The planned new Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products (ESPR) must not overburden companies. Social aspects do not belong there. In addition, duplicate regulations must be avoided.

The European supply chain law must not overburden medium-sized companies in particular. They need less pressure and bureaucracy right now in order to remain competitive.

The current episode of the VDMA Industry Podcast is dedicated to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a bridging technology in mechanical and plant engineering. Industry needs to become independent of Russian gas and LNG offers a good opportunity here - if the infrastructure is right and the right political course is set.

Nuclear fusion offers real long-term prospects as a new clean energy source. The German Ministry of Economics should follow the example of the Ministry of Research and promote nuclear fusion technology as its technology matures.

The proposals for the European supply chain law overshoot the mark by a long way. It is therefore time to pull the emergency brake in the European Parliament. The planned requirements go far too far for medium-sized companies and will not improve human rights protection in the world.

The EU Commission is considering exemptions for semiconductors and electrolysers in PFAS regulation. However, the approach of regulating 10,000 substances with individual exemptions is not manageable. General exemptions from the ban are needed for all PFAS substances that do not pose a relevant risk.

The proposed comprehensive restriction on the PFAS group of substances affects your business? Take part in ECHA's consultation now.

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.

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 revised CSR Directive significantly expands the circle of users: in Germany from currently around 500 to 15,000 companies! The final reporting standard (ESRS Set 1) is now available.

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 - 10, 2023, we will visit Italy's gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries to exchange ideas on supply security and climate-neutral solutions. Visits and presentations to EPCs and industry companies in Milan & Ravenna cluster.

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.