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Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Raw materials form the backbone of modern economies and are key ingredients for future development. Their use has severe environmental and social impacts, from extraction to disposal. Therefore, resource conservation aims at establishing a circular economy, which keeps products and raw materials in economically valuable loops, shifting from waste to resources.

Ecologic Institute's inter- and transdisciplinary research on resource conservation and the circular economy covers areas such as resource efficiency and productivity; sustainable production and consumption; raw materials management; waste prevention, reuse and recycling; and decoupling resource use and waste generation from socioeconomic development.

Our work builds on methods from empirical social research, action research, and transformation research. The team undertakes indicator-based qualitative and quantitative assessments of policy instruments and policy mixes on resource use. Furthermore, the team investigates trends, dynamics, and processes of change that could foster reductions in resource use. Closely involving stakeholders via participatory processes, the team identifies and co-designs policy and societal options to act.

Our team works with partners from academia, industry, civil society, and governments, from the municipal to the European level. We believe that cooperation is central to deriving societally relevant and robust findings to help drive forward resource conservation and the circular economy.

Resource use is growing worldwide and expected to continue to rise. Waste generation as well as environmental impacts associated with resource extraction, in particular emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), biodiversity loss and water stress, are also set to increase.

Key drivers for skyrocketing resource extraction encompass a growing world population with increasing income and changing consumption patterns. Further, infrastructures, value chains, institutions and governance systems rooted in linear thinking produce path dependencies. For example, a  continued increase in natural resource use and its associated environmental impacts put at risk reaching both the Paris climate target and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is not compatible with planetary space.

Therefore, action on reducing humankind's resource use and the associated ecological footprint is paramount. The Circular Economy constitutes a promising avenue for such a needed reduction.

The circular economy (CE) stands for an economy, which maintains the value of materials for as long as possible while minimising waste generation and emissions as well as generating employment by closing material loops along life cycles of products and services. The CE concept's life-cycle thinking helps to implement the waste hierarchy laid down in the European Waste Framework Directive by focusing on waste prevention (e.g. by designing out waste) as well as re-use and repair, and subsequently also recycling. For the CE to work, it needs to integrate actors and value chains from design to processing and production to consumption and after-use. Only then, can the CE exploit its potential to reduce the quantities of natural resources used and associated environmental impacts while maximizing well-being and utility. The CE holds promising potential to help achieve international climate targets in a cost-efficient way. Around one quarter of global GHG emissions are directly linked to industrial production of materials, with production of steel, cement, aluminum and plastics constituting the main source of industrial GHG emissions. Here, CE approaches can support decarburization via dematerialization. For instance, using secondary materials and designing products with alternative, low-carbon or renewable feedstock materials could reduce global CO2 emissions. Hence, the CE can be considered a key strategy to help achieving climate targets and the SDGs.

Overall, there is progress towards the CE. There are trends of diverting waste from incineration and landfilling, as the least circular and bottom-most approaches of the waste hierarchy to recycling. However, only a small fraction of material use in the European economy is sourced from secondary materials. Hence, in order to stay within planetary boundaries a system transition to mainstream and scale-up CE approaches is needed.

Implementing the CE concept systemically requires a shift from linear to circular systems, thus calling for system transformation in production, consumption and governance systems as well as in society. Hence, transitioning to the CE necessitates institutional, organizational, policy, social and technological innovation to go hand-in-hand. This presents a formidable challenge to existing systems and their (re-)design for transformation. Therefore, we need to improve our understanding of the potential economic, environmental and social (co-)benefits and impacts of such a transition. It is necessary to develop promising interventions in order to facilitate and trigger this transformation.

On the European level, and on the level of most of the EU member states, there exists a well-established and partly long-standing landscape of policies and legislation that aims at fostering the CE. However, a systemic, integrating and coherent policy seems lacking and horizontal policy integration between different policy areas is in its infancy.
Ecologic Institute focuses on analyzing trends, drivers and policies affecting the transition to a circular economy.

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Bioeconomy

Digitalization

International Development

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Water

Gerardo Anzaldúa
Senior Fellow

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Plastics

Ariel Araujo
Researcher

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Trade

Evaluation

Economics

Finance

Indicators

Digitalization

Aaron Best
Coordinator Data Analysis
Senior Fellow

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Economics

Bioeconomy

Indicators

Digitalization

Laurens Duin
Researcher

Digitalization

Education

Indicators

Plastics

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Trade

Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers
Coordinator Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy
Senior Fellow

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Anurodh Sachdeva
International Fellow
Alexander von Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow

Agriculture

Arctic

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Coastal + Marine

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Forest

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

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Water

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Selected Projects for Resource Conservation + Circular Economy
©HengKongChen|Fotolia.com
Climate and resource policy are important fields of action at international and national level. In contrast to climate protection, there is no international policy regime for resource conservation and its societal relevance appears lower than for climate protection. How... Read more
| ©Hartmut Rauhut|Fotolia.com
The circular economy aims to maintain the value of products, materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible while minimising the generation of waste and material inputs through eco-design, recycling and reusing of products. The circular economy offers si... Read more

Decarbonisation Benefits of Sectoral Circular Economy Actions

Duration
Aug 2019 - Feb 2020
Funding
| Fotolia © danimages
Global demand for minerals is growing rapidly, driven by rapid population growth, urbanisation and an increasingly diverse range of technical applications. Global material supply chains linking the extraction, transport and processing stages of raw materials have become... Read more

Global Material Flows and Demand-supply Forecasting for Mineral Strategies (MinFuture)

Duration
Dec 2016 - Nov 2018
Funding
CIRCULAR IMPACTS will assist the EU and its policy makers in realizing the transition from its current predominantly linear economy to a circular economy, by establishing a flexible and accessible evidence base with concrete data on macro-economic, societal, environment... Read more
Fotolia ©sylbohec
The SimRess project analyzes the potential effectiveness of policy measures and mixes in the field of resource policy. Considering a time horizon through 2050, the project will interpret model simulation results from both a system dynamics model and an econometric model... Read more
| Fotolia © kitson
In order to advance resource policy nationally and internationally we need to analyse and foster the political and societal debate on sustainable resource use. Resource policy is a dynamic policy area with diverse and changing needs for action, constellations of actors ... Read more
© Family Business | Shutterstock.com
Re-using used goods and products offers numerous economic, ecological and social potentials. Nevertheless, current waste management practice treats re-use as a secondary priority and not in the sense of a circular economy. This is particularly due to lacking attractive ... Read more
| Fotolia © thomas haltinner
The TRAFIS project investigates the development of climate resilient and resource-conserving infrastructures through the lens of transition and action research. The project focuses primarily on interlinked infrastructures. Infrastructure and infrastructure systems pr... Read more
| © Ecologic Institut
Infrastructure systems are undergoing a process of profound transformation. They are under great pressure to change in order to contribute to changing social objectives. Expectations and challenges with regard to climate adaptation and climate protection, the circular e... Read more
Auftaktkonferenz (Foto: Michael Gottschalk/phototek)
In the project "Scientific coordination of research projects on a sustainable economy" (Wissenschaftliche Koordination der Fördermaßnahme Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, NaWiKo) Ecologic Institute and its partners coordinate 30 research projects, which deal with a more susta... Read more

Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on a Sustainable Economy

Duration
Oct 2015 - Dec 2019
Funding
German Aerospace Center,  DLR Bonn (DLR), Germany
At the end of March 2016, the European Union FP7 research project DYNAMIX came to a close. DYNAMIX aimed at proposing policy mixes that can foster shifting the EU onto a pathway where its resource use and the associated environmental impacts decline in absolute terms wh... Read more
Auftaktkonferenz (Foto: Michael Gottschalk/phototek)
In the project "Scientific coordination of research projects on a sustainable economy" (Wissenschaftliche Koordination der Fördermaßnahme Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, NaWiKo) Ecologic Institute and its partners coordinate 30 research projects, which deal with a more susta... Read more

Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on a Sustainable Economy

Duration
Oct 2015 - Dec 2019
Funding
German Aerospace Center,  DLR Bonn (DLR), Germany
All projects on Resource Conservation + Circular Economy
Selected Publications for Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Publications in peer-reviewed journals

Addressing climate change and natural resource depletion has been key to the international and national sustainability agenda for almost 30 years. Despite existing efforts, global CO2 emissions and raw material use levels continue to grow. This seems to suggest the need... Read more

Meyer, M.; Hirschnitz-Garbers, M.; Distelkamp, M. (2018). Contemporary Resource Policy and Decoupling Trends – Lessons Learnt from Integrated Model-Based Assessments. Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1858; doi:10.3390/su10061858

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the economy and a key player to steer our economy towards a more circular model. However, their small size means that they face unique challenges on the path to closing loops and improving resource efficiency... Read more

Vasileios Rizos, Arno Behrens, Wytze van der Gaast, Erwin Hofman, Anastasia Ioannou, Terri Kafyeke, Alexandros Flamos, Roberto Rinaldi, Sotiris Papadelis, Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers and Corrado Topi, "Implementation of Circular Economy Business Models by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Barriers and Enablers", Sustainability 2016, 8(11), 1212, doi:10.3390/su8111212

| Quelle: Ekvall, T. et. al. (2016): Development of DYNAMIX Policy Mixes – Deliverable D4.2, revised version. Gothenburg, Sweden: IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
Increasing material use efficiency is important to mitigate future supply risks and minimize environmental impacts associated with the production of materials. The policy mix presented in this paper aims to contribute to reducing the use of virgin metals in the EU by 80... Read more

Ekvall, T., Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., Eboli, F. and Śniegocki, A. (2016). A Systemic and Systematic Approach to the Development of a Policy Mix for Material Resource Efficiency. Sustainability 2016, 8(4), 373; doi:10.3390/su8040373.

Prevailing resource use patterns of the global socio-industrial metabolism are unsustainable. For effective resource policies, drivers for such unsustainable resource use and their effects need to be better understood and mapped. In the context of the FP7 research proje... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin; Adrian Tan; Albrecht Gradmann and Tanja Srebotnjak 2015: “Key drivers for unsustainable resource use – categories, effects and policy pointers”. Journal of Cleaner Production.

Project Reports and Briefs

This final report addresses the question of how German resource policy could be further developed, based on the studies within the research project "Policies to Strengthen the German Resource Efficiency Program" (PolRess II). Options for further development ar... Read more

Jacob, Klaus; Rafael Postpischil unter Mitarbeit von Lisa Graaf; Friedhelm Keimeyer, Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers (2019) Governance einer effizienten und nachhaltigen Ressourcennutzung. Abschlussbericht im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik 2 (PolRess 2). www.ressourcenpolitik.de.

PolRess 2 – Akteursanalyse
How can the recycling of construction materials in Germany be further expanded and professionalised? What needs to be changed so that more high-quality recycled construction materials can be used, especially in high-rise construction? The stakeholder analysis by Ecologi... Read more

Hinzmann, Mandy; Ariel Araujo Sosa; Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers (2019): Stärkung der Kreislaufführung von mineralischen Baustoffen mittels freiwilliger Selbstverpflichtung - Akteursperspektiven auf Bedarfe und Optionen. Akteursanalyse im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik 2 (PolRess 2). www.ressourcenpolitik.de

The national and international political agenda shows that resource conservation is a central task for environmental policy: In Germany, Europe and globally, there are political programmes and strategies aimed at fostering sustainable resource use. In five theses, this ... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin, Susanne Langsdorf, Ullrich Lorenz 2018: Ressourcenschonung als Zukunftsaufgabe – Ansatzpunkte für eine systemische Ressourcenpolitik. Umweltbundesamt: Dessau-Roßlau.

RECREATE Policy Brief No. 9
This policy brief explores and explains the concept and rational of co-creation, both as a general concept as well as in the specific context of sustainability science. Furthermore, it takes a detailed look at its use and potential in the framework of European research ... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin (2018). Co-creation in Sustainability Science. Challenges and potential ways forward in implementing co-creation in  European research and innovation funding. RECREATE Project Policy Brief No. 9.

| UBA TEXTE 48/2018
The SimRess project tested the potential effects of future developments and strategies relevant to resource policy on important environmental and economic indicators. The study summarises the main project findings of the project "Models, Potentials and Long-Term Sc... Read more

Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers et. al. 2018: Potentiale und Kernergebnisse der Simulationen von Ressourcenschonung(spolitik). Endbericht des Projekts "Modelle, Potentiale und Langfristszenarien für Ressourceneffizienz" (Sim-Ress). UBA Texte 48/2018. Umweltbundesamt: Dessau-Roßlau.

The report provides an overview of the most relevant EU policies and instruments with an impact on food waste generation and/or prevention. It explains the relevance of the different policy areas at EU level and identifies the gaps, overlaps and unintended effects of EU... Read more

Wunder, Stephanie, Keighley McFarland, Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers, et. al. (2018): Food waste prevention and valorisation: relevant EU policy areas. Report of the REFRESH Project, D3.3 Review of EU policy areas with relevant impact on food waste prevention and valorization.

RECREATE Policy Brief No. 7
Ecologic Institute co-authored the RECREATE policy brief no. 7 on challenges and opportunities for national waste prevention programs. The authors state that the political framework needs to be more enabling and with further support for research and development targeted... Read more

Fischer, Susanne; Mandy Hinzmann and Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers (2017). Stepping up Waste Prevention – Challenges and Opportunities for National Waste Prevention Programmes. RECREATE Project Policy Brief No. 7.

Studie für die GD Umwelt
In order to support businesses in improving their resource efficiency, Member States use a variety of approaches, ranging from voluntary to regulatory measures. This study assesses the scope of application of ten relevant measures and provides good practice cases across... Read more

Citation final report: Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., Hinzmann, M., Watkins, E., ten Brink, P., Milios, L. and Soleille, S. (2015). A framework for Member States to support business in improving its resource efficiency. Final Report for DG Environment, November 2015.

Citation annexes: Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., Hinzmann, M., Watkins, E., ten Brink, P., Milios, L., Soleille, S. et al. (2015). A framework for Member States to support business in improving its resource efficiency. Annexes to the Final Report for DG Environment, November 2015.

Citation executive summary: Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. and Hinzmann, M. (2015). A framework for Member States to support business in improving its resource efficiency. Executive Summary to the Final Report for DG Environment, November 2015.

Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. und Langsdorf, S. (2015): Informationskampagnen für Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten – Effekte und Ausrichtungen. Vertiefungsanalyse 4 im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik: Analyse der ressourcenpolitischen Debatte und Entwicklung von Politikoptionen (PolRe... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. und Langsdorf, S. (2015): Informationskampagnen für Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten – Effekte und Ausrichtungen. Vertiefungsanalyse 4 im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik: Analyse der ressourcenpolitischen Debatte und Entwicklung von Politikoptionen (PolRess). www.ressourcenpolitik.de

In this "Trend Report for a Forward-Looking Resource Policy" Ecologic Institute's Susanne Langsdorf and Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers analyze more than 300 individual trends, allocated to 12 trend themes. They discuss the potential developments and relevance for German ... Read more

Susanne Langsdorf and Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers 2014: Looking to the Future: Trend Report for a Forward-Looking Resource Policy. Umweltbundesamt, Dessau, commissioned.

Olfert, A.; Schiller, G.; Brunnow, B.; Walther, J.; Hirschnitz-Garbers, M.; Hölscher, K.; Wittmayer, J. (2020). Prozessbegleitende Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung als Werkzeug für ein nachhaltigkeitsorientiertes Infrastrukturmanagement. InfrastrukturRecht 17 (2020) 1, p. 17-20... Read more

Olfert, A.; Schiller, G.; Brunnow, B.; Walther, J.; Hirschnitz-Garbers, M.; Hölscher, K.; Wittmayer, J. (2020). Prozessbegleitende Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung als Werkzeug für ein nachhaltigkeitsorientiertes Infrastrukturmanagement. InfrastrukturRecht 17 (2020) 1, p. 17-20

Guske, A.-L.; Jacob, K.; Hirschnitz-Garbers, M.; Peuckert, J.; Schridde, S.; Stinner, S.; Wolff, F.; Zahrnt, D.; Ziesemer, F. (2019). Stories that Change Our World? Narratives of the Sustainable Economy. Sustainability, 11, 6163. ... Read more

Guske, A.-L.; Jacob, K.; Hirschnitz-Garbers, M.; Peuckert, J.; Schridde, S.; Stinner, S.; Wolff, F.; Zahrnt, D.; Ziesemer, F. (2019). Stories that Change Our World? Narratives of the Sustainable Economy. Sustainability, 11, 6163.

All publications on Resource Conservation + Circular Economy
Selected Events for Resource Conservation + Circular Economy
|© Henning Sittel
On 26 June 2019, the NaWiKo workshop "Sustainable management in companies through employee integration in corporate sustainability innovations" took place in the facilities of the KUKA Gmbh in Siegen. The aim of the workshop was to discuss findings from resear... Read more
|© Henning Sittel
On 17 June 2019, the NaWiKo workshop "Sustainable management in companies based on the example of bioplastics" took place at the facilities of Bio-Molkerei Söbbeke GmbH, a sustainable creamery, in Gronau near Münster. The aim of the workshop was for company re... Read more
| Fotolia_© kalafoto
Ecologic Institute supported the German Environment Agency in hosting the workshop "Decarbonisation – 100 % Renewable Energy and more: Transformation pathways to a greenhouse gas neutral and resource efficient society," which took place on 17 October 201... Read more
| Fotolia © Carol Meneses
The Federal Environment Agency was hosting the 3rd National Resources Forum with support of Ecologic Institute on 11 November 2016. The conference took place in the "Ludwig Erhard Haus" in Berlin. The NRF 2016 brought together 300 participants.
 The aim of the Nati... Read more

Conference:National Resources Forum 2016

Date
11 November 2016
Organizer
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) form the backbone of a thriving and innovative economy in Germany and Europe. Their innovation capacity as well as their national and international networks make SMEs key actors for increasing resource efficiency of the socio-eco... Read more
On 6 June 2014, a parliamentary breakfast was held in Berlin on "Strategies and Options for Resource Policy in Germany". In order to allow for an exchange between policy, academia and business, the Resource Policy research project (PolRess) invited members of ... Read more
All events on Resource Conservation + Circular Economy