About the project
Project summary
The NoLabel project is a transnational 24 months project aimed at promoting sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism among young people in Europe. It is built on a partnership of 6 CSOs from 6 countries (The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, North Macedonia and Germany).
The project aligns with the EU’s Green Deal and its Youth Strategy for 2019-2027. By empowering young people (18-30 years with 50% gender and/or vulnerable backgrounds) to make more sustainable choices (including voting & consuming). The project aims to facilitate system transformation & promoting 2064 youth involvement towards a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient Europe.
The pandemic exposed the need for conscious consumption and sustainable living matching the overall objectives of the project 1- Create (trans)national cooperation between youth CSOs 2- Empower youth to promote conscious consumerism through joint (trans)national projects & awareness raising events to
address existing gaps (from the needs analysis)1- lack of transnational CSO collaborations, 2- Inadequate youth worker competencies, 3- shortage innovative NFE education methods, 4- lack of youth involvement in projects.
Over the past few decades, we have seen significant changes in the way we live our lives and the impact it has on our environment. The increasing polarization, discrimination, and social and political discomfort and disengagement have further highlighted the need to make conscious choices in our daily lives.
According to a report by the European Environment Agency, Europeans consume more natural resources than the planet can replenish, with the EU’s ecological footprint exceeding its biocapacity by 100%. In particular, unsustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns have contributed to significant environmental problems, including:
– The EU generates over 2.5 billion tonnes of waste per year, with per capita waste generation expected to increase by 10% by 2020.
– The fashion industry is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide.
– Food waste in Europe is estimated to be around 88 million tonnes per year, with an economic cost of €143 billion.
Background and general objectives
Resilient Futures
The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the vulnerabilities and inequalities of our current systems, particularly in relation to access to healthcare, social protection, and employment. The pandemic has also exposed the risks associated with unsustainable practices, The pandemic has underscored the existing trust deficits between youth and political and economic systems, including MEPs, businesses, and governments.
These gaps have become more evident as young people increasingly demand accountability, transparency, and responsiveness from their leaders and institutions. Promoting sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism is critical to addressing these challenges and building a more resilient and equitable Europe. Projects like NoLabel play an essential role in promoting sustainable practices among young people and contributing to a more sustainable future for all.
On the other hand, sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism are critical components of the EU’s broader sustainability goals, as well as its Youth Strategy for 2019-2027. The Youth Strategy identifies the need to engage youth in one or more of its four priority areas, recognizing the importance of young people in driving positive change towards a more sustainable future.
The project is built on a partnership of 6 CSOs in 6 countries: Stichting MasterPeace (COO- The Netherlands), Fundacja Wspólnota Wielopokoleniowa (FWW) (BEN01)- Poland, MasterPeace RO (BEN02) – Romania, EDU4U (BEN03) – Slovakia, Center for Intercultural Dialogue (CID) (BEN04)- North Macedonia, GrowUnited (BEN05)- Germany
NoLabel project partners are selected to secure:
1- Geographical diversity: these countries are spread across different regions of Europe, to provide a more comprehensive view of sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism across the continent.
2- Cultural diversity: different cultural backgrounds, which may influence their attitudes and behaviors towards sustainability and consumerism.
3- Existing initiatives: These countries may have existing initiatives or movements focused on sustainability and conscious consumerism that these organizations could collaborate with or build upon.
4- Previous collaborations: These partners worked together on running successful projects, and would use the lesson learnt in implementing new dimensions matching EU strategies,
5- Complementary skills and experiences: Each provide complementary expertises (as detailed below in the consortium set-up)
Also these 6 countries have high levels of consumption, waste, and pollution, which can have negative impacts on the environment and society in Europe: For example, Poland has been identified as one of the most polluted countries in Europe, with high levels of air pollution from coal-fired power plants and transportation. Germany has a high level of consumption, with a large manufacturing industry and high levels of car ownership. Romania and Slovakia have been identified as countries with a high degree of deforestation and land degradation.The Netherlands, for example, is a highly urbanized country with a high standard of living and a consumer culture.
However, the Netherlands is also known for its progressive policies and initiatives to promote sustainable living.
North Macedonia, on the other hand, is undergoing rapid economic and social change, which can result in increased consumption and waste, and is making efforts to join the European Union.
Eastern Europe has longed for Western-style consumerism as a symbol of economic success and modernity, but recent setbacks in countries like Germany and The Netherlands demonstrate the limitations of this model. As a result, there is growing interest in exploring alternative models that prioritize sustainability, social welfare, and community well-being over individual consumption.
Diverse Alliance
Empowered Sustainability
Promoting sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism among young people is a key strategy for achieving this goal. By building knowledge and awareness around sustainable practices, we can empower young people to make informed choices and advocate for systemic change.
Our NoLabel project is a great example of how to promote sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism among young people in Europe. By focusing on transnationality and transferability, the project has the potential to have a systemic impact across Europe, contributing to a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient European community.
The project aligns with the EU’s broader goals around sustainability, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting circularity, and protecting biodiversity. By educating and empowering young people to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives, NoLabel is helping to build a more sustainable future for all.
Furthermore, the project aligns with the Youth Strategy's emphasis on promoting education and training for young people. As part of The Conference on the Future of Europe, for example, in September 2021, a citizen’s dialogue on the topic of Sustainable Europe, Sustainable You was held to discuss the role of citizens in promoting sustainable lifestyles and consumption.
We aim to empower young people feel ‘un-labeled’ and free from following a specific trend or ‘label’ to feel seen and self-confident enough to be proud to show their true personal ‘label’ and take actions together to set-up projects that promotes sustainable lifestyles, as a fast followers to boost transformation to critical mass.
Objective 1: Create a (trans)national structured cooperation among Youth CSOs, promoting regional partnerships, joint projects, and knowledge sharing with focus on sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism (WP2) that matches the call’s objective of support transnational partnerships for youth organizations from grassroots level to large-scale partnerships, aiming to reinforce the European dimension of their activities.
Objective 2: Raise awareness among young people on sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism, and empower them to set up joint projects that promote sustainability (WP 3) that matches the Call’s Objective of to create networks promoting regional partnerships, enabling young people across Europe to set up joint projects and working with and promoting the EU Youth Goals and, in general, the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 themes of the ‘Conference for the Future of Europe’
NoLabel Project Overall Objectives (1,2) matches the call’s Main Objectives:
NoLabel Project specific Objectives in line with the call’s Specific Objectives:
S.O.1: Foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among partners and associates (NoLabel Alliance) by organizing transnational meetings on behavior change and topics of sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism with focus on fashion matching the Call’s Specific Objective of New ways to empower youth organizations in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
S.O.2 Form trained working group Movers & Shakers Youth on sustainable lifestyles and conscious consumerism with a focus on fashion, consisting of 96 young people matching initiatives to encourage young people to participate in the democratic process and in society
S.O.3: Foster greater awareness among young people about their own behaviors and support them in taking meaningful actions towards sustainable living and conscious consumerism matching the reinforcement of the European dimension of the activities of youth organizations, including activities targeted towards how to live better together after the pandemic and helping to design sustainable future ways of living transnationally
S.O.4 Engage youngsters and CSOs with MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) and (fashion) businesses to develop collaborative approaches towards achieving EU Frameworks and initiatives related tosustainable development and climate action matching the implementation of EU Frameworks and initiatives such as country specific recommendations from the European Semester as far as they relate to the youth area