Taking action works! Hundreds of thousands of us signed a petition that has stopped a mega-port in Tenerife that threatened the only whale heritage site in the European Union. The home to more than 75 protected species including whales, dolphins, sharks and turtles is now safe.
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Taking action works in Tenerife
What we achieved together in 2021
It’s a real privilege to be part of this incredible community. A community that, time and time again, comes together to create change that none of us could have ever imagined doing on our own.
We did so much together this year, standing up for many things we believe in. So I wanted to ask you to join me, and look back on everything we achieved together. It is truly inspiring.
You’ll see, some battles we won, some we lost, and some will simply need more of our energy next year. Either way, not one of them would have been possible without your support.
Survey: EU citizens reject genetic engineering of wild species with gene drives
The results are here: This first opinion poll on Gene Drives shows that a majority of citizens from 8 EU countries oppose the idea of using the technology in nature because they consider the risks of such experiments to be too high. The technology can be used to genetically modify or eradicate wild species.
Campaigning in a pandemic: what we achieved in 2020
5 January 2021
There’s always a before and an after. It’s hard to think about this past year without it. Before COVID happened. After COVID happened.
After COVID happened -- we needed radical and quick solutions to deal with a global pandemic.
So, as we gear up for a new year together, take a look at what we’ve achieved in 2020...
Banning single-use plastics
26 August 2020
The headlines were pretty shocking. Eight million tonnes of plastic dumped in the ocean each year - the equivalent of a truckload per minute. [1] A lifeless whale on a Spanish beach, its stomach dismantled by 29 kgs of plastic waste. [2] The year was 2017 and momentum was building in Europe for a ban on single use plastics. But would enough people actually care enough to do something about it?
The answer was a resounding “yes”. Our community’s reaction to the plastics problem was literally massive. What we achieved shows how much we cared about our oceans, our environment, our wildlife.
Read the full report to see we got there!
Europe needs a green and social recovery
27 July 2020
As the coronavirus wrecks our lives and livelihoods, the EU has, for the first time in our history, taken action as one by acquiring a huge loan, in order to pass on the money to those worst affected by the virus. Many thought it was impossible, yet our community fought hard to demand what was needed as soon as the crisis hit.
Massive amounts of money will soon be transferred - so massive our economies could start to move from the ‘old’, to the ‘new’. From a model that upholds unequal healthcare, air pollution, the destruction of nature and our climate, to a model that is green and fair.
Sadly, the deal agreed upon by our leaders does not support a truly green recovery. The fight is not over -- but we only have a few months to turn things around. We will fight for governments receiving the money to make their investments green and social. We will pressure EU leaders to only approve transformative plans, and push back on measures that will require austerity. We will call for the loans to be paid back by taxes on the biggest corporations, who today often pay less tax than citizens.
Read our full report on Europe's recovery plan HERE!
BIG WIN on patents!
22 May 2020
It’s official and we won: Conventionally-bred animals and plants are not patentable. It may seem obvious to us, but corporations like Bayer (buyer of Monsanto), Syngenta and Carlsberg fought hard against this outcome. Without a patent, they cannot control and profit from the biological information in those plants and animals!
This is a story of success and a story of people working together hand in hand. We’re so pleased to walk you through some of the exciting highlights: take a look HERE!
H&M and Zara’s dirty secret
27 June 2019
H&M and Zara have just been linked to devastating pollution in Asia. The clothes many Europeans love to buy and wear are made with fabrics from factories that dump untreated, toxic water directly into rivers and streams.;
Clean production technologies already exist and could be widely implemented, if brands like H&M and Zara demanded them. Brands can play a key role in this process by demanding that viscose companies clean up their act and by offering them support in transitioning towards more sustainable production processes.
This is entirely within our power to change. H&M and Zara are already sensitive to the media coverage this campaign has received. Now, they need to hear from us. It’s worked before — when thousands of workers died in Bangladesh producing clothes for fashion giants, H&M and Zara signed a landmark accord following consumer pressure. Let's do it one more time!
Guarantee our rights!
We launched our first Brexit campaign to coincide with the start of the formal Brexit negotiations. We are working alongside our partners New Europeans to protect the rights of EU citizens who live in other EU member states but are now facing stress, anxiety and an uncertain future because of Brexit. Already 30,000 Europeans are calling on EU leaders to protect those rights. Why don’t you join them?
No patents on beer
02 July 2017
Barley, brewing and beer are all old and well known traditions, which anybody can use. Nevertheless the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted patents to Heineken and Carlsberg for regularly bred barley. With the patent these transnational corporations own the barley from the seed to the pint of beer. Not only is it outrageous these greedy corporations want to own a tradition that has been around for thousands of years, but in granting the patent, the EPO is in breach of EU law. Not only, for every patent they approve, they get paid.
We have a good chance to stop the patent on barley and to stop such patents from ever being granted. The EU already gave in to people’s pressure last year when more than 570.000 Europeans signed our petition, and declared that patents cannot be granted for plants and animals, unless they’re genetically modified.
And victories keep rolling in. At the end of June, the European Patent Office decided not to grant patents on conventional bred plants anymore. Patents on tomatoes broccoli are impossible now! Unfortunately the patents on brewing barley might still be possible - and so our struggle continues. We have filed a legal objection against it and we’ll keep you in the loop. In the meantime please support us and sign!