Introduction
Climate Strategies (“we” “us”, or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data.
This policy document tells you how and why we collect, store, use and disclose your personal data when you interact with us, and provides information about your rights. Please read the following carefully to understand how we process your personal data.
We keep this Privacy Notice under regular review. It was created on January 28, 2025.
About us
Climate Strategies leads the Dissemination and Communication of research and activities in the project called “Actions Required to Secure the Large-Scale Deployment of the Leading CDR Approaches to Meet EU Climate Targets” (with the acronym “C-SINK”) (“the Project”) funded by
The C-SINK project aims to establish robust MRV pre-standards and policy strategies to lay the foundations for a standardized, responsible and transparent European CDR market. C-SINK will provide a holistic and unbiased understanding of CDR technologies, through a comprehensive evaluation of not only the technological aspects of CDR, but also environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria relevant to CDR.
Climate Strategies, an international not-for-profit research network, is the entity that determines how and why your personal data is processed. This means that Climate Strategies is the ‘controller’ of your personal data for the purposes of UK GDPR together with the Data Protection Act 2018d.
What does this Privacy Policy include?
This Privacy Policy covers our processing of your personal data that we gather when you are invited to be included in our Stakeholder Database. We store data that may identify you as an individual (“Personal Data”), as explained in more detail below.
Why do we process your personal data?
Purpose of processing operation: Climate Strategies collects and uses your personal information to carry out our communication and dissemination activities, as part of the C-SINK project. These activities include:
- To invite you to be included in the Project’s Stakeholder Database;
- To consult you where your expertise is relevant to the Project’s activities;
- To arrange face-to-face meetings with you to discuss the C-SINK project and its activities;
- To inform you about C-SINK events (including invitations and ‘save-the-date’ for visits at industrial sites and workshops), publications, blogs, newsletters, research seminars and/or policy briefs we think may be of interest to you.
You will always be able to opt-out of such communications at any time (see the “Your Privacy Rights” section). Please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
We have identified the following stakeholder groups as important for engagement in the C-SINK project:
- Policymakers,
- Standardisation organisations,
- Industrial actors, potential end-users, technology providers,
- Academic and Research Community
- Local communities and stakeholders
- Civil society,
- Funding agencies and investors,
- Other EU projects.
All stakeholder groups mentioned will enable C-SINK to conduct effective research, taking into account the views of different groups, as well as informing those likely to have legitimate interest in C-SINK activities about opportunities to collaborate and take advantage of the project results. Ultimately, engagement with the above stated stakeholder groups will be instrumental for C-SINK to achieve the following real-world impacts:
- Support and enhance EU and international policies towards achieving 2030 targets and carbon-neutrality by 2050;
- Enhance research, innovation and development around carbon removal technologies (CDR), including knowledge-sharing.
- Increase the innovation capacity of businesses, create new market opportunities, new circular economy business models, and strengthen the competitiveness of EU businesses.
- Lead to an improved quality of life, creation of new jobs, awareness raising and support climate change mitigation.
- Support the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 12 (Responsible consumption), SDG 8 (Affordable and clean energy), and SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities).
Personal data that we collect and process about you
Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual, from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you. This may include:
- Your name
- Your email address/telephone number
- Your job title
- Your affiliated organisation
- Your location
- Your motivation/reason for engaging with the C-SINK project
- Thematic topics of interest to you
As well as any other data you may have provided.
This information will be collected taking into account the below principles of purpose limitation and data minimisation.
- Purpose Limitation. Personal data should only be collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not be further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes. You should specify the purpose in your privacy notice.
- Data Minimisation. Personal data should be limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose for they are being processed.
The purpose of the data to be collected is to enable Climate Strategies to conduct appropriate communication and dissemination activities, which varies by stakeholder group.
How do we collect the data?
Your data will be collected through the following avenues:
- Publicly available databases
- Through the sharing of partner contact information (e.g. where there are existing or previous working collaborations; networks; renowned experts in the fields)
- Snowballing through engagement with stakeholder groups during C-SINK project activities
- Newsletter and contact form via the website (for which a separate privacy policy exists)
The following criteria will be used to select individuals to be included in the Stakeholder Database:
- Their expertise on societal, policy, and business aspects of CDR.
- Their interest in the project activities, including participation in civil society groups and labour unions relevant to the CDR industry, employment at a funding agency, and/or their attendance at a university.
- Their proximity to the project sites, including residence in a local community.
- Their willingness and ability to participate in our research.
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:
- Where we need to perform our obligations under a contract with you or manage our relationship with you as a project stakeholder.
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
- Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
On what legal ground(s) do we process your personal data
UK GDPR requires that we meet certain conditions before we are allowed to use your data in the manner described in this notice, including having a “lawful basis” for the processing. The basis for processing will be as follows:
- Consent. You have given us your express consent for processing your personal data.
Who do we share your personal data with
Your personal data will be collected and processed primarily by Climate Strategies. Access to your personal information is limited to staff who have a legitimate need to see it for the purpose of carrying out their job at Climate Strategies. Access to the information may also be subject to review by responsible individuals from the European Commission for monitoring and audit purposes.
We may share your Personal Data with the Project partners listed below for the good conduct of the Project activities, for example to invite you to the project events.
- FUNDACION ICAMCYL (ICA),
- IP CONTROL SL (IPC), established in QUINONES DE LEON 3 1, LEON 24009, Spain,
- CLUSTER PARA LA MINERIA SOTENIBILEY SERVICIOS ASOCIADOS DE LA PENINSULA IBERICA – IBERIAN SUSTAINABLE MINING CLUSTER (ISMC), established in C/JULIA MORROS S/N OFICINA 107 PARQUE TECNOLOGICO ARMUNIA, LEON 24009, Spain,
- EKOLIVE SRO (EKO), established in AMERICKA TRIEDA 3, KOSICE 040 13, Slovakia,
- EDAFOTEC SOLUCIONES BASADAS EN LA NATURALEZA SL (EDA), established in MARIA BERDIALES 7 5, VIGO 36203, Spain,
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS (CSIC), established in CALLE SERRANO 117, MADRID 28006, Spain,
- KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN (KUL), established in OUDE MARKT 13, LEUVEN 3000, Belgium,
- UNIVERSIDAD DE OVIEDO (UNIOVI), established in CALLE SAN FRANCISCO 3, OVIEDO 33003, Spain,
- SELGESIHT OU (CES), established in JAANI 2-1, KOLGA-JAANI VILJANDI VALD 70301, Estonia,
- GLOBAL FACTOR INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING SL (FCO), established in COLON DE LARREATEGUI 26 1A, BILBAO 48009, Spain,
- IBERO MASSA FLORESTAL, S.A. (IMF), established in RUA MANUEL OLIVEIRA BORGES 75, OLIVEIRA DE AZEMEIS 3720-584, Portugal,
- STIFTELSEN THE STOCKHOLM ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE (SEI), established in BOX 24218, STOCKHOLM 104 51, Sweden,
- PASEK MINERALES SA (PAS), established in LUGAR LANDOY S/N -MINA DUNITACARINO 15, A CORUNA 15360, Spain,
- CROWDHELIX LIMITED (CHX), established in TRINITY HOUSE 7 GEORGES QUAY, CORK T12NAX0, Ireland,
- MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY (METU), established in DUMLUPINAR BULVARI 1, ANKARA 06800, Türkiye,
- BOLIDEN MINERAL AB (BOL), established in SKELLEFTEHAMN 932 81, Sweden,
- BIOSTEAM AB (BIOS), established in LANGNASET 18, BURTRASK 937 93, Sweden,
- MNLT INNOVATIONS IKE (MNLT), established in KIFISSIAS 125-127, ATHENS 11524, Greece,
- STICHTING CLIMATE STRATEGIES (SCS) established in LEUVENSESTRAAT 110, DEN HAAG 2587 GL, the Netherlands,
- EC-ITS (ECT), established in PRIORIJLAAN 12, LEUVEN 3001, Belgium.
And Associated Partners:
- THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (UED), established OLD COLLEGE, SOUTH BRIDGE, EDINBURGH EH8 9YL, United Kingdom,
- PYROGENESYS LTD (PYR), established in FARADAY WHARF, HOLT STREET, BIRMINGHAM B74BB, United Kingdom,
- Mine Environment Management Ltd (MEM) established in 3A Vale Street, Denbigh LL16 3AD, United Kingdom,
- CLIMATE STRATEGIES (CS) established 8 DEVONSHIRE SQUARE, LONDON EC2M 4PL, United Kingdom.
We do not sell your Personal Data to anyone nor do we share it with any other organisation than the Project beneficiaries, the European Commission and Associated Partners.
However, there may be circumstances under which we may have to share your information:
- Protection of Project partners and Others: we reserve the right to access, read, preserve, and disclose any data as necessary to comply with law or court order; enforce or apply our agreements with you and other agreements, or protect the rights, property, or safety of Project partners, their employees, our users, or others.
- Disclosures for National Security or Law Enforcement: under certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your Personal Data in response to valid requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with UK GDPR or their regional equivalent regulations. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes – we only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
International Transfers
We do not transfer your personal data to countries or international organisations outside the United Kingdom or outside of the scope of UK GDPR, except for the Beneficiaries and Associated Partners of C-SINK and who operate under their regional equivalent regulations.
How do we protect and safeguard your personal data?
We use appropriate technical, organisational and administrative security measures to protect any information we hold in our records from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. Your data will be stored in a password protected folder of the C-SINK Project ‘Microsoft Teams’ account.
Technical measures include appropriate actions to address online security, risk of data loss, alteration of data or unauthorised access, taking into consideration the risk presented by the processing and the nature of the personal data being processed. Organisational measures include restricting access to the personal data solely to authorised persons with a legitimate need to know for the purposes of this processing operation.
Unfortunately, no company or service can guarantee complete security, unauthorised entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors, may compromise the security of user data at any time. We have established procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
What will happen to your personal data when no longer needed for the C-SINK Project?
We will only retain your personal data only as long as they are needed for the Project purposes. In any case, we will delete all of your personal data from the database, 5 years after the end of the Project, i.e. 31 May 2032.
Your rights
Under certain circumstances, you may have the following rights under UK GDPR in relation to your personal data:
- Right to request access to your personal data;
- Right to request correction of your personal data;
- Right to request erasure of your personal data;
- Right to object to processing of your personal data;
- Right to request restriction of the processing your personal data;
- Right to request the transfer of your personal data; and
- Right to withdraw consent.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact info@c-sinkproject.eu.
What choices do you have?
You can always opt not to disclose information to us, but keep in mind some data may be needed to register with us or to take advantage of some of our services.
Email Communications
You can opt-out of receiving communications from us at any time, by using the unsubscribe link in the emails communications we send, or by contacting us at info@c-sinkproject.eu.
How can you access and update your information?
We provide individuals with the opportunity to access, review, update, and delete any Personal Data we hold on them. You can send an email to info@c-sinkproject.eu for this purpose. If you ask us to delete your data, we will do so. Please note that we may be required to retain and use your information if necessary to comply with legal obligations or to resolve disputes.
Contacting us
You can contact Climate Strategies by sending an email to info@climatestrategies.org.
Complaints
If you wish to complain about our use of personal data, please send an email with the details of your complaint to info@c-sinkproject.eu so that we can look into the issue and respond to you.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)For further information on your rights and how to complain to the ICO, please refer to the ICO website.
Reusing information
We will not use your e-mail address for other e-mail lists.
If this becomes necessary, we will contact you to ask for your consent to add your e-mail address to a new list before doing so.
Last update: February 2025