ASSOCIATION DES CONSOMMATEURS TEST-ACHATS SCRL

Their core work

Test-Achats (Test-Aankoop) is Belgium's largest independent consumer organization, representing over 300,000 members. They conduct rigorous product testing, publish comparative reviews, and advocate for consumer rights across energy, electronics, food, and financial services. In EU research projects, they bring the consumer perspective — testing product durability, evaluating energy labels, and ensuring that green technologies actually deliver on their promises to end users. Their core value is bridging the gap between technical innovation and real consumer experience.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earliest H2020 involvement (CLEAR 2.0, 2017) focused on renewable energy adoption from the consumer side, where they served as coordinator. By 2019, their scope broadened into product durability and obsolescence (PROMPT), energy labeling outreach (BELT), and green transport (GVI). The shift from leading energy-consumer engagement toward participating in multi-sector product sustainability and circular economy projects suggests a deliberate expansion from energy-only consumer advocacy into broader sustainable consumption themes.

Moving from energy-specific consumer engagement toward circular economy and product longevity — expect future involvement in right-to-repair, eco-design, and sustainable labeling initiatives.

How they like to work

Test-Achats has coordinated one project (CLEAR 2.0) and participated or contributed as third party in three others, showing they can lead but more often join as the consumer-voice partner in larger consortia. With 42 unique partners across 15 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in broad, multi-national consortia rather than small focused teams. This makes them an accessible partner — they are experienced in large EU consortia dynamics and bring a non-academic, consumer-facing credibility that most technical partners lack.

Despite only 4 projects, they have connected with 42 distinct partners across 15 countries, reflecting their involvement in large pan-European consortia. Their network spans Western and Southern Europe, typical of consumer policy and energy efficiency projects.

What sets them apart

Test-Achats is one of the few large consumer organizations active in H2020 research — most consortium partners are universities, research centers, or companies. They bring something rare: direct access to hundreds of thousands of real consumers for testing, surveys, and behavioral studies. For any project that needs to demonstrate consumer impact, validate market acceptance, or run large-scale public engagement, they are an exceptionally credible partner that reviewers and the Commission value highly.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CLEAR 2.0
  Their only coordinated project (EUR 652,850) — led a consortium on consumer adoption of renewable energy, demonstrating their ability to manage EU projects.
• PROMPT
  Directly aligned with the EU right-to-repair agenda — multi-stakeholder product testing for premature obsolescence, a politically hot topic with strong policy relevance.
• BELT
  Focused on boosting energy label uptake among consumers, retailers, and procurement personnel — a practical, regulation-supporting dissemination effort.