Sustainable Prosperity in Common
The business association European Business Council for Sustainable Energy (e5) champions the future viability of the European economy. The abbreviation e5 stands for the five dimensions of a sustainable industrial society: e-conomy, e-fficiency, e-nvironment, e-nergy, and e-mployment.
Honorary Chairman: Ludwig Bölkow†
Initially, e5 was founded 1996 in Germany in order to promote the potential of sustainable energy use and the implementation of modern, climate-friendly technologies in the European Union (EU) and at the early international climate negotiations. The ultimate economic challenge of this century is the conversion of our combustion-orientated economy and the initialisation of a global industrial revolution which leads the way towards a technological infrastructure free of greenhouse gas emissions. European business must play an important role in these transformations and, thus, safeguard prosperity and employment for the coming decades. e5’s conviction is that proactive sustainable energy and climate protection policies provide immense advantages and opportunities for European Business.
- As sustainability incubator, e5 identifies key factors for the future viability of markets, business models, technologies and economies and initiates pathbreaking pioneer projects.
- As an entrepreneurial vanguard initiative, e5 paves the way for innovative business models and advocates the interests of resource-efficient business in the political arena.
- As an internationally recognised dialogue platform, it advances knowledge exchange between business, science, civil society and policy-makers.
Thus, alreay in the preceding century the association championed the cutback of subsidies for ecologically harmful technologies, the implementation of economic instruments for the advancement of energy efficiency and the implementation of emissions trade as an economic instrument for reduction of climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. Further themes were the conversion of the European energy platform, the use of intelligent technologies for modernising transportation and the employment of modern communications technologies for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, for example by means of substituting business travel by video conferences. All activities were guided by our conviction and well-known slogan „Climate is Business“: Climate protection is good for business and innovative business is part of the solution, not part of the problem.
e5 leaped onto the public stage in the summer of 2001 by means of highly successful e-mission55 business campaign. More than 200 companies world-wide declared themselves in favour of bringing Kyoto into force. The campaign highlighted the interest of business in the Kyoto protocol and contributed significantly to its coming into effect a few years later.
To date, e5’s mission „Climate is Business“ is accomplished. Although there still remains much to be done in order to establish adequate framework conditions for carbon efficient technologies, the central insight has eventually been recognized by business and society. Now, the future viability of European business depends on whether we terminate the global overexploitation of our ecological resources and whether we can foster and advance the human web of life based on ecological, social, cultural and technological commons. e5 meets this challenge by posing four questions:
How can business contribute to the advancement of sustainable lifestyles? How can eco-innovation be accelerated? How can business assist in the endeavours of poor societies for resources-efficient economic development? How can business advance the commons sensitivity of the modern economy?
e5 is supported by approximately 80 members from diverse business segments, besides resource-efficient technologies in the spheres of electronics, construction, materials, facilities, fuel cells, transport and modern communications there are renewable energies, biogas and heat and power cogeneration. As an umbrella organisation, e5 represents also other sustainable business associations, scientific institutions and internationally recognised NGOs. Furthermore, among them are recognised experts from the spheres of research, economy, civil society and national as well as European politics.
e5’s headquarters are located in Munich (Germany).
Partners: e5 is an accredited business association at international climate negotiations of the UNFCCC and maintains regular contact with the EU Commission, Members of European Parliament, UN and the authorities of EU member states. e5 co-operates with the Business Councils for Sustainable Energy from US and the Clean Energy Council in Australia at international summits.
Join e5 today,
discover the world of fresh ideas and
shape the economy of the future.
We welcome your interest!