Environmental NGOs have threatened to sue the owner of Tefal, a leading French kitchenware company, over failing to phase out forever chemicals from their products, at a high price for consumer health.

The organisations allege that Groupe SEB, the parent company of known brands, such as Tefal cookware, Calor irons, and Moulinex kitchen appliances, fails to curtail harmful chemicals in its products.

And the environmentalist groups have threatened to file a lawsuit if the firm fails to makes a change to its policy within three months.

Companies have a duty to identify and address the impact of their work and products under the French law, for instance the pollution they cause or human rights they might violate.

Environmental NGOs ClientEarth, Générations Futures and Notre Affaire à Tous say Groupe SEB should swap harmful chemicals in its products to existing alternatives, such as ceramic coating or cast iron, to limit harm to human health and the environment.

The company uses teflon for non-stick, high-temperature suited coatings of their products.

The substance is one of the ‘PFAS’ polymers, often dubbed forever chemicals, because they break down very slowly, remaining in the environment and human body for a long time. 

PFAS are widely used for food pots, clothes, packaging, and waterproof products.

But since they take so long to decompose, they are often found in soil and groundwater. Many of the substances cause cancer, others are harmful to babies in the womb.

Teflon is allegedly “not absorbed by the human body” and is approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for contact with food, the company’s website says.

However, a recent risk assessment by the EU’s Chemical Agency’s (ECHA), quoted by the NGOs, points out that when overheated or scratched, teflon releases PFAS particles.

It also releases substances harmful to the environment during the manufacturing process, ECHA’s research found in March.

And a new European law on the issue will provide a “more consistent basis for corporate due diligence litigation,” Hélène Duguy, ClientEarth’s lawyer in the case, told EUobserver.

An EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence directive, inspired by French legislation, will oblige all companies based in the EU to address the impact of their operations on the environment and human rights.

Member states must implement national laws fulfilling the obligation by summer 2028.

SEB can show stopping PFAS use is “necessary and feasible,” setting a precedent for others, Duguy said.

Groupe SEB was approached for comment.

Volunteers from different religious and cultural communities removed 50 kilograms of waste near Padua’s railway station, continuing a series of joint initiatives promoting environmental responsibility and community cooperation. PADUA, Italy, 8 October 2026 — Scientology Volunteer Ministers joined members of Padua’s Muslim, Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities on Sunday, 4 October, for a neighbourhood cleanup in […]

Renewable electricity is cheaper than ever. While the West got rich on coal and oil, some of the world's poorest countries are banking on solar, wind and water instead.

The State’s forest bureaucracy is weakening communities’ rights and Gram Sabhas’ authority under the Forest Rights Act, with the agencies responsible for enforcing it allowing the violations to continue.

Prominent climate leaders have called on governments, businesses, institutions and the public to make a push for solar power before the decade is out, repowering the world with cheap, clean energy. Is that possible?

How aquaculture farmers in Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Palau describe rain without sun, ponds that flood or run low, and clam cages choked with algae.

In the tourism-dependent State, resorts have long taken priority over residents. Now, that priority is reshaping its coastline.

The obsession with grand projects that increase the likelihood of severe floods stems from a colonial mindset, says the geographer.

Archaeologists are updating Roman maps of Switzerland after stumbling upon traces of long-buried ruins during the hottest summer in the country’s history, Reuters reported. Drought can reveal hidden archaeological sites through so-called “parch marks”—patterns that appear when vegetation growing over buried structures dries out. This is one of the consequences of this year’s heatwaves, which […]

Weakened US fuel-efficiency rules and promises of cheaper cars could yet see drivers pay higher running costs while increasing planet-heating emissions.

Spain's southern coast produces up to 25% of Europe's fruit and vegetables. But amid intensive farming, climate change and illegal wells, the water it takes to grow them is drying up.

As swirling clouds and strong winds marked the region, the national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon.

As swirling clouds and strong winds marked the region, the national coordinator of Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency reported that Polo would make landfall later in the afternoon.

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in 98 forest hamlets in Tamil Nadu’s Meghamalai hills following the Supreme Court’s eviction order against “encroachers” in a bid to protect the fragile ecology of the Srivilliputhur-Meghamalai Tiger Reserve.

Orangutans are native only to Borneo and Sumatra, two islands in southeast Asia and are distinct for their sparse reddish-orange fur and long, powerful arms.

Orangutans are native only to Borneo and Sumatra, two islands in southeast Asia and are distinct for their sparse reddish-orange fur and long, powerful arms.

On 9 September, Biodiversa+ launched the BiodivFuture call to support innovative research on the biodiversity, socio-ecological consequences and future trajectories of novel ecosystems. Novel ecosystems are ecosystems that, often as a result of human influence, differ from those that prevailed historically in an area, and that are unlikely to return to previous conditions, with or without human intervention.

The funded research projects will produce actionable knowledge to drive nature-positive transformative change and reverse biodiversity decline. That knowledge will help sustain resilient and ecologically functioning ecosystems, thus contributing to the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

With a total budget of around EUR 40 million, this call will address the causes, effects and consequences of novel ecosystems in different environments across the world, supporting high-quality research projects with holistic, systemic, and integrated approaches.

The call covers three non-mutually exclusive themes that cover key aspects of novel ecosystems: 

1. understanding the functioning of novel ecosystems
2. studying pathways to novel ecosystems
3. studying the fair and equitable sharing of biodiversity benefits in the context of novel ecosystems

Successful proposals must demonstrate significant added value at transnational level and are strongly encouraged to pursue inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, involving also non-academic stakeholders to co-produce new knowledge relevant for society.

How to apply

To be eligible for funding, transnational research consortia will have to include eligible partners from at least three different countries financially participating in the call (including from at least two EU member states or EU Associated Countries).

The complete announcement and call documents, including full eligibility and evaluation criteria, are available on the Biodiversa+ website. The Partnership also organises a general information webinar for interested researchers on 10 September 2026.

What is Biodiversa+?

Biodiversa+ is the European co-funded biodiversity partnership supporting excellent research on biodiversity with an impact for policy and society. It was jointly developed by BiodivERsA and the European Commission and was officially launched on 1 October 2021. Biodiversa+ is part of the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 that aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030. The Partnership has launched six co-funded joint research calls over the seven years of its implementation with an estimated budget of around €250 million.

European Partnerships such as Biodiversa+ bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address some of Europe’s most pressing challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives. They are a key implementation tool of Horizon Europe, and contribute significantly to achieving the EU’s political priorities. Biodiversa+ currently gathers 81 research programmers and funders and environmental policy actors from 40 European and associated countries, and aims to connect science, policy and practice for transformative change.

More information

2026-2027 Joint Call - BiodivFuture

Biodiversity research and innovation

Nature-based solutions

The EU energy label, as provided for by Regulation (EU) 2017/1369, aims at promoting the uptake of more efficient energy-related products. It aims to help consumers make informed choices by facilitating comparisons of product alternatives with different features. The label focuses on the energy efficiency of the product during the use phase, but can also include other environment-related aspects.

View more 

• Publication details

• Published: 2026
• Corporate author(s): Directorate-General for Energy (European Commission) , Centerdata , Ipsos NV
• Themes: Energy policy
• Subject: computer equipment , consumer information , energy consumption , energy efficiency , EU energy label , EU energy policy , maintenance , product life , regulation (EU)

• Released on EU publications website: 2026-09-03

View more

Document viewer

https://op.europa.eu/flexpaper/common/split_document.jsp?doc=c83f07c0-a806-11f1-b25c-01aa75ed71a1.en.PDF.pdf&userId=&systemId=Portal2012&documentId=c83f07c0-a806-11f1-b25c-01aa75ed71a1&documentTitle=Study+assessing+consumer+understanding+of+a+draft+energy+label+for+computers&documentPublishingDate=&localeDirectory=%2Fflexpaper%2Flocale%2F&localeChain=en_US&fitWidth=true&documentLanguage=en&share=

Did you know that after login you can annotate your document and share your annotations?

You may also like

• Study on consumer understanding of the EU energy labels applied since 2021
  ENER/B3/FV2024-438 under Framework Contract no 2021/OP/0004/ENER/B3/FWC 2020-708 : final reportThis study evaluates two pillars of the EU Energy Labelling Regulation (EU) 2017/1369: the rescaled A–G energy labels in...
  • Published: 2026
• Study assessing consumer understanding of tyre labels
  Final reportThe new proposed Regulation updates the tyre label design by aligning it more closely to the EU energy label, as provide...
  • Published: 2023
• Study on consumer understanding of the EU tyre label applied since 1 May 2021
  ENER/B3/FV2024-438 under Framework Contract no 2021/OP/0004/ENER/B3/FWC 2020-708 : final reportThis study, commissioned by the European Commission, examines how the revised EU tyre label — in force since 1 May 2021 ...
  • Published: 2026
• More similar publications 

They asked for a Circular Economy Act that goes beyond waste management to focus on using resources more efficiently, among other things. European Commissioner Jessica Roswall met on Monday (31 Aug) with 16 young people who helped shape the European Commission's Youth Check on the upcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA).

The meeting with the Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy was part of the participatory process launched earlier this year to ensure that young people's views help guide the Commission's flagship initiative for Europe's circular economy. 

It followed her first exchange with young participants at the annual conference of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in April. Since then, a team of youth representatives has worked to develop a Youth Position Paper setting out their recommendations. 

At the meeting, the group presented their main messages and discussed with Commissioner Roswall the opportunities and challenges of Europe's circular transition. They called for a Circular Economy Act that goes beyond waste management to focus on using resources more efficiently, making products easier to repair and reuse, ensuring safe, high-quality secondary materials, keeping the transition affordable and fair, investing in circular skills, and maintaining meaningful youth involvement throughout implementation.

The discussion also allowed the Commissioner to respond to the youth recommendations, reflect on the contribution of the Youth Check to the policy-making process and reaffirm the Commission's commitment to effective youth involvement. 

“Young people are not only stakeholders in Europe’s circular transition; they are essential partners in shaping it. We need young people to voice their ideas and be part of the change that will make Europe’s circular economy a reality. I am happy to receive their ambitious recommendations today, which will help inform our work as we prepare the Circular Economy Act.”

Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy Commissioner Jessika Roswall

"In the last few months we have seen what effective and tangible youth input can look like in policy-making. We appreciate the opportunity to openly share our recommendations with Commissioner Roswall and DG Environment to shape the Circular Economy Act. This is a significant step forward for meaningful youth participation in environmental policy. The Act will set the framework for a future that we, as young people, will feel the effect of, and we are ready to continue contributing to it with our ideas."

Representatives of Generation Climate Europe and Academics for a Circular Economy

Background

The CEA, due to be adopted before the end of 2026, aims to accelerate the transition to a more circular economy, increasing the EU’s economic security, resilience, competitiveness and decarbonisation.

It is intended to improve the business case for circularity by facilitating the cross-border movement of recycled products, materials, and waste across Europe. It will also increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate demand for these materials in the EU. 

The Youth Position Paper on the CEA was coordinated by the youth organisations Academics for Circular Economy (ACE) and Generation Climate Europe (GCE).  

The CEA Youth Check combined a targeted online consultation of young people aged 15 to 29, a dedicated youth session during the ECESP Annual Conference, and additional exchanges with youth stakeholders. It will also inform the Impact Assessment prepared for the Circular Economy Act in line with the Commission's Better Regulation Guidelines.  

More information 

Youth Perspectives on the EU Circular Economy Act: A Youth Assessment of Ambitious, Gaps and Implementation Conditions | European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Summary of the online Youth Consultation | European Commission

Summary of the ECESP Conference | European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Youth Check | European Youth Portal

Circular Economy Act | European Commission

The search for missing individuals in Nepal is ongoing despite treacherous terrain, damaged infrastructure and dangerous weather conditions.