LEVEL-EEI: Level the Playing field for Energy Efficiency Investment products

The LEVEL-EEI (Level the Playing Field for Energy Efficiency Investment Products) project, a significant initiative funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, aimed to bridge the financing gap for Energy Efficiency (EE) and Sustainable Energy (SE) investments.

Launched on September 1, 2020, with a substantial budget of approximately €2.1 million, the three-year initiative concluded in August 2023.

BETTER FINANCE, a key member of the consortium, played a crucial role in the project, along with the World Wide Fund for Nature (Belgium), Maastricht University (the Netherlands), and its member organisation 2° Investing.   

The project’s primary objectives included:

Assessing end-users’ environmental objectives and preferences across 8 countries

Implementing field experiments to verify if end-users’ actions align with their stated environmental preferences

Reviewing the compliance of green marketing claims of financial products

Developing tools for financial products which contribute to the criteria for the EU Ecolabel

Developing resources for product manufacturers and distributors

BETTER FINANCE’s Role

As part of the project consortium, BETTER FINANCE spearheaded the work of the projects by organising events, engaging stakeholders, and disseminating materials.

BETTER FINANCE established and led the Advisory Committee.

This committee played a crucial role as a review body, providing concrete technical input establishing and leading the Advisory Committee and ensuring that the project remained connected to other initiatives.

BETTER FINANCE also organised several events, workshops, and webinars, among which were the two major High-Level Expert Forums (HLEF) in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, the event focused on the role of retail investors in sustainable finance, while the 2022 event addressed greenwashing and transparency in financial products.   

It has also published position papers such as the one on sustainable EU retail investment policy and the EU Ecolabel for retail financial products.