BECOME A MEMBER

Are you interested to join Ecopreneur.eu? You can find more information here. There are several ways to join, be part of the network and support our work. Sustainable business networks can become a member (see below). Sustainable companies can join one of our existing members or join the Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group via MVO Nederland. See below. Other organisations can support financially and/or become a partner.

COSTS OF MEMBERSHIP

Sustainable business networks matching our criteria below can become a member for annual fee of EUR 500 ex VAT.

Companies committed to sustainability fulfilling our criteria below can join one of our existing members for an annual fee set by them, or join the Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group via MVO Nederland for an annual fee of EUR 500 ex VAT (1-250 employees), EUR 2.000 ex VAT (251-500 employees) or EUR 5.000 ex VAT (> 501 employees).

What kind of organizations can become a member of Ecopreneur.eu?
    • Membership is possible for non-governmental organisations, non-profit associations, networks and alike, that:
      • represent sustainable/circular entrepreneurs, SMEs (at least some) and pioneering companies, usually with paid membership or partnership
      • are legal entities in their own right
      • have been set-up with the intention to operate long-term and have been founded according to the national law of the country where they are registered.
    • Membership is not possible for: single for-profit enterprises or individual persons.

Our current member organisations are BNW e.V. (Germany), Grüne Wirtschaft (Austria), Entreprendre Vert (France), MVO Nederland (Netherlands), Coalition Ecopreneur-Kaya (Belgium), CirEko (Sweden) and the Sustainable Business Forum Estonia.

Mission & Vision of new members organizations:

Striving to implement/accelerate/facilitate:

    • Transformation of the economy towards sustainability.
    • Sustainable/circular businesses and entrepreneurs.
    • Sustainable development.
    • Work at the national level to bring forward sustainability/green economy via political advocacy work and/or sustainability-related projects involving societal actors/stakeholders.
Organizational Set-Up of Ecopreneur.eu

Ecopreneur.eu has

  • a Board consisting of representatives of all members
  • a staff consisting of an Excutive Director and a Policy Officer
  • a sounding board for the advocacy, the Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group, consisting of individual companies via MVO Nederland
Criteria for SMEs/large companies joining national member organisations

Most members of Ecopreneur have a very similar application and admission procedure:

  • written application,
  • agree to the statutes of the national member/charter of values/vision,
  • agree to the aims/goals and if politically active, to the main political demands,
  • the application for membership has to be reviewed and accepted by the board,
  • pay a membership fee,
  • some use a so-called “blacklist” to assess and identify unfitting enterprises:

“Companies and organisations in the following areas are excluded from membership or partnership: Weapons, nuclear power and fossil fuels, agro-genetic engineering, tobacco, gambling industry. Furthermore, companies that do not clearly distance themselves from child and forced labour, companies that are lobbying in favour of waste incineration plants. There must not have been any formal due diligence complaints from civil society against the applicants in the last 24 months. Also excluded are companies that fail to meet their tax obligations conscientiously and responsibly at their registered office and/or in the market area whose infrastructure they use.”

Criteria for SMEs/large companies joining our Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group

Pioneering companies, both large and SMEs, that are committed to sustainability fulfilling our criteria below, can join one of our existing members for an annual fee set by them, and/or join our Low-Carbon Circular Economy Advocacy Group (further: Company Advocacy Group) via MVO Nederland for an annual fee of EUR 500 ex VAT (1-250 employees), EUR 2.000 ex VAT (251-500 employees) or EUR 5.000 ex VAT (> 501 employees).

The admission criteria and application procedure are as follows:

  • written application
  • the application for membership has to be reviewed in collaboration with the Company Advocacy Group and accepted by the board
  • provide proof of membership / partnership of one of the members of Ecopreneur.eu, OR agree to the statutes of Ecopreneur.eu
  • agree to the aims, goals and relevant positions, especially if actively lobbying
  • pass the so-called “blacklist” to assess and identify unfitting enterprises:  “Companies and organisations in the following areas are excluded from membership or partnership: Weapons, nuclear power and fossil fuels, agro-genetic engineering, tobacco, gambling industry. Furthermore, companies that do not clearly distance themselves from child and forced labour, companies that are lobbying in favour of waste incineration plants.
    There must not have been any formal due diligence complaints from civil society against the applicants in the last 24 months. Also excluded are companies that fail to meet their tax obligations conscientiously and responsibly at their registered office and/or in the market area whose infrastructure they use.”
  • convincing proof or explanation of the company’s green claims
  • agree with the actions outlined in the Annual Project Plan
  • if requested, do the Ecopreneur.eu Circularity Check for one of their products/services
  • for large corporations: send in
      • a recent CSR/sustainability or integrated report,
      • a list of circular economy activities in the last 2 years
  • The board can suspend or end a company’s membership of the Company Advocacy Group immediately at any time in the event of substantiated accusations of greenwashing, unethical business behaviour, or any other elements mentioned in the above blacklist.
Interested to join? Please email us: info@ecopreneur.eu
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