Today, we’re going to talk about Ecosia, a German browser and search engine that everyone can use as an alternative to Chrome/Google or Edge/Bing. But first, let’s see how Buy European can also help our current struggle against climate change and support the European Green Deal.
In May last year, Carbone 4, a consultancy company specialised in low-carbon strategy and adaptation to climate change, took a closer look at what the impact would be on Europe’s carbon footprint if European public purchasing were subject to a “Buy European and Sustainable Act”
By introducing this directive, they first wanted to “understand to what extent [it] could accelerate the low carbon transition and resilience of some European economic sectors”, as public procurement is responsible for 10% of the total carbon footprint of the EU.
The climate gains were seen as significant. After two hypothetical years, it would have enabled:
- +64% of total EU carbon footprint reduction
- 30% reduction on the EU public procurement carbon footprint in the scope of the study
- 9% reduction on the total EU public procurement carbon footprint
- EUR 6 Bn annual sales increase for EU companies
- EUR 86 Bn mobilised annually for the rise of green activities through EU public procurement
- 30 000 additional jobs in the EU
To understand their methodology, feel free to download their full report here.
Buying European is a way to reduce our carbon footprint, protect the environment, create jobs and nurture future generations.
And Ecosia can help!
Launched in December 2009, Ecosia is a search engine and web browser that uses 100% of its profits to support tree-planting projects and environmental sustainability initiatives.
As of 2024, Ecosia has planted over 200 million trees in more than 35 countries, including France (160 trees), the United Kingdom (2,222) and Spain (622,607!), contributing significantly to reforestation efforts in Europe and worldwide. Committed to transparency, the company publishes monthly financial reports and ensures that its operations are powered by renewable energy.
Regarding its technology, Ecosia combines results from Google and Bing for its core search functionality. Its browser, based on the Chromium open-source codebase, features Quality of Life features such as a built-in ad blocker and a climate pledge rating for companies. It also enhances user privacy by not tracking searches or creating user profiles.
While its reliance on non-European data sources for search is unfortunate, it is also acknowledged, and actively worked on to reduce it. Ecosia is now partnering with Qwant, a French provider, to create the European Search Perspective, aiming to improve search results based on Qwant technologies, develop a foundation for future technologies, and build European digital sovereignty.
Are you interested? Discover their browser here or set up their search engine using their guidelines there. Thank you for reading and see you next week!
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