The "curtain" of the Interinstitutional EMAS Days 2024 opened with a warm welcome by Sue Panter, Director of the European Commission in HR.D Workspace and Wellbeing (also in charge of Greening the European Commission), with a meaningful reminder that EU Institutions lead by example the European Union's "greening" efforts through their own actions.

Between 5 and 8 November, an international audience of more than 900 participants were engaged in fruitful exchanges, representing more than 30 EU Institutions and international organisations such as the UN, including all EMAS-registered EU Institutions and agencies. A solid proof that the EMAS Days are a platform of environmental excellence, in support of our common climate neutrality and net zero targets.

Let us go through the main highlights...

Session 1: Environmental impact of the new ways of working - Greener buildings and workspaces

The European Commission's EMAS coordination team (EC/HR.D.7) opened the session by presenting the overall context of "Greening the Commission" and flexible working, with a focus on the environmental impact of teleworking. An analysis of the carbon footprint showed that the overall net impact of teleworking, when taking into account all emissions, was positive. EC/OIB focused onthe interactions between real estate policy, the new ways of working and the environmental performance of the Commission's site in Brussels. The overall approach involves greener and healthier buildings and workspaces, as well as energy-saving and circular economy actions. The new Commission's real estate strategy may be summarised as GREENER: Make every square meter greener and SMARTER: Optimise the use of every square meter. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) presented the renovation of the Van Maerlant building (VMA) characterised by "reasonable flexibility of spaces" or "future proof spaces". An example of a state -of-the-art co-designing and co-creating process for a successful renovation in terms of energy efficiency and circular economy via the "Cradle to Cradle" certification or the "Green Guard Certification." EC / JRC-Geel and JRC- Ispra presented examples of implementing the New European Bauhaus values (sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusivity) in the re-activation and revamping of existing buildings through a co-creation journey: e.g. the "Citizen's Forum" project, supported by modern simulations models and a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. Two concrete examples were furniture made from 100% recycled polyester and carpets made from marine plastics or fishing nets.

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Session 2: Sustainable conferences and events in the EU institutions

EC/DG SCIC noted that on average there are 160 events/day at the Commission, that is why it is so important to mainstream the new Guidelines on Organising Sustainable Meetings and Events (also available on Europa for external stakeholders), with its 7 Steps Structure, a check list, as well as eco tips and specifications for sustainable catering. Two success stories were presented. The European Sustainable Energy Week (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, CINEA), winner of the Sustainable Events Awards 2024, stressed the importance of the awareness-raising regarding the sustainability of the event, the awards and the importance of communication, whilst avoiding greenwashing. The European Youth Event (European Parliament, EP), which obtained ISO certification 20121 for sustainable events management in 2021 and 2023, demonstrated the importance of involving stakeholders in every step of designing and implementing an event's sustainable development policy. This includes partners, contractors, relevant colleagues, participants, and volunteers, with a particular emphasis on training volunteers in waste management.

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Session 3: Sustainable finances: tools for mitigating climate-related risks

The 3 European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs: EBA, ESMA, and EIOPA) reminded the need to have a comprehensive approach to greening. Specific examples where it is important to go beyond climate include the resilience of the financial sector, and the Fit-for-55 package, which include 3 risks scenarios addressing climate shocks and the financial crisis. Other examples included a system wide exercise of climate stress testing, as well sustainability indicators for crypto assets. Finally, only 25% of the losses for natural catastrophes are insured: there is a clear lack of awareness and prevention of natural catastrophe risks, leading to an insurance protection gap.

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Session 4: Transitioning traditional food offers in canteen to a plant-based, organic and local offer.

The European Environment Agency andthe European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)-Committee of the Regions (CoR) led us from procurement to innovative canteen services: from food waste to new and creative ways of promoting sustainable food. During the session, all the different procurement steps taken to reach a green canteen were explained, as well as how to enhance taste and food joy with the help of great chefs. Examples include: "doing more with less", sorting food waste wisely, and managing plant-based menus.

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Session 5: New strategies and supporting tools towards sustainable mobility.

In 2023, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) earned the cycle-friendly employer certification (gold level) as part of its mobility plan. This certification acknowledges employers who support cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation and involves audits to evaluate cycling communication, motivation, and activities, cross-sector coordination and organisation, services offer, facilities and infrastructure, car parking management, and customer traffic. EC/OIB presented the CoBrACE legislation, the new EC staff green commuting plan and the EC staff mobility survey 2024: an opportunity to increase bicycle facilities, eco-hubs and other soft mobility initiatives. The EP presented the holistic approach of their Month of Sustainable Commuting in September 2024 including a Walking, Cycling, and Without My Car Challenge. In total, 2 000 persons were reached. 2 600 staff members completed an online survey on commuting habits and the potential impact of sustainability measures. The results of the commuting survey are presented in an innovative and interactive dashboard with AI analysed data.

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Session 6: Adapting for tomorrow: EU strategies and some tools and examples in climate adaptation.

Climate change is not just about mitigation, but also faster adaption, as Europe is the fastest warming continent. The European Environment Agency (EEA) advised that climate resilience and societal preparedness are becoming urgent to face the 36 major risks identified in the first European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), divided in 5 clusters. The main pillars of the EU adaptation strategy are smarter, faster, systemic, and international adaptation.The European Court of Auditors (ECA) conducted an audit of 36 EU-funded projects, with the following findings: there is a low local awareness of adaptations plans and EU tools (Climate-ADAPT, Copernicus, Covenant of Mayors); short-term solutions are used instead of more efficient long-term solutions and historic data are used instead of forward-looking data. The European Environment Agency presented the Climate-ADAPT platform and explained how to use it. Finally, EC/DG CLIMA presented the Best Practice Guide for adapting buildings to climate change, which includes vulnerability rating, risk rating, as well as solutions and case studies.

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Session 7: Species conservation and fostering biodiversity in an urban setting.

Wildlife populations has fallen worldwide by 73% in the last 50 years, with Europe's total biodiversity falling by 24% compared to 1970 levels. In this session, the European Central Bank (ECB), EC/OIB and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) guidedus through their urban garden concepts. The ECA provided a tour around their sustainable garden built under 6 principals, by 7 eco-communities, and their Bee-club in the community garden with the next steps they are undertaking such as a Biodiversity inventory and the Nature pact for business.EC/OIB explained two biodiversity projects and showed how relevant biodiversity indicators, like CBS+ (Coefficient de Biotope par Surface renforcé) can develop easier and quicker ways to evaluate the biodiversity potential​. The European Central Bank (ECB)explained how new ways of maintenance have a direct impact on the state of biodiversity. For example, intensive maintenance leads to loss, whereas extensive care improves biodiversity​. We learnt about "dry biotope", wildflowers, deadwood, or dry-stone walls to allow insects hibernate. And what about ECB's results? Butterfly and fungi species are already present onsite with biodiversity expected to increase in the following years.

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Session 8: Lesson learnt from the covid and the energy crises

The EMAS Days ended with a most interesting debate around the environmental performance results (2014-2023) of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), the European Court of Auditors (ECA), the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Court of Justice (CDJ). The analysis of trends showed a rebound effect concerning the consumption of energy and water, waste generation, and GHG emissions. Overall, the EIB Group, ECA, EEA and CDJ demonstrated the EMAS' spirit of continuous improvement, showing how to take advantage of the crisis and transform it into an exceptional performance. The highlights included: saving 75% of electricity consumed by displaying sensors in carparks; adapting office temperature (down 1 degree in the winter and up 1 degree in the summer); using soil humidity sensors; using AI to sort food waste; substituting all personal bins by waste sorting stations, but above all and most importantly, ensuring a change of people's behaviours through awareness raising.

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As EMAS Days reached their end... their slogan remained more valid than ever:

"Let's get more sustainable together!"

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