[1] ECX provided a pan-European platform for carbon emissions trading, with its futures contract based on the underlying EU Allowances (EUAs) and Certified Emissions Allowances (CERs), which had attracted over 80% of the exchange-traded volume in the European market.
More than 100 businesses, including companies such as Barclays, BP, Newedge, E. ON UK, Endesa, Fortis, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Shell, signed up for membership to trade ECX products.
Using a process called 'order routing, ' several hundred clients could access the market via banks and brokers without having to be members.
[6][7] On 23 July 2010, European Climate Exchange's website was targeted by hacktivists operating under the name of decocidio #ϴ.
The website showed a spoof homepage for around 22 hours in an effort to promote the contention that carbon trading is a false solution to the climate crisis.