The ICT sector – and blockchain & DLTs in particular – can positively contribute to sustainable development by providing tailored innovation and solutions towards a net-zero society. Yet many of these are in the embryonic stage of development, and face several challenges to enter and scale in the market.

The development of adequate standards and methodologies for measuring and managing environmental impacts is a core pre-condition for many of these solutions. In line with the political priorities of the European Green Deal, the European ecosystem is well-placed to drive such standards. However, the development of standards to measure, manage and label these technologies requires a diverse knowledge of both the digital and sustainability scopes. Quality standards development requires key input – both on the side of scientific research, and through the inclusion of use cases to validate and engage industrial stakeholders.

Under its partnership with the BlockStand project, this new Focus Group Workshop aimed to explain to SMEs the modalities of environmental and sustainability classification in blockchain. SMEs also had the opportunity to provide industry input and recommendations to standardisation experts, working on a draft Technical Report on Environmental and Sustainability Classification Methodology for Blockchain & DLTs. After a keynote opening by Pierre Marro (DG CNECT, European Commission), the workshop gave a brief overview of the Technical Report under development before enabling participants to comment and exchange ideas over it.

Finally, the event provided updates on the Focus Group’s recently launched Catalogue of Blockchain Solutions. Interested SMEs are invited to register their solutions, in order to showcase them across the DIGITAL SME community and facilitate future networking sessions among like-minded peers.