The European Union is strongly committed to shifting to a competitive, low-carbon circular economy. The first European Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) from December 2015 set a framework for stimulating the transition towards a circular economy. It is foreseen to revise the CEAP in 2020 to further strengthen the momentum and enable businesses, industry and society to transition to a circular economy.

The conviction of an everlasting economic growth is increasingly pushing our planet to its ecological limits. Life within these limits would be possible if sustainable consumption patterns were to become firmly established in our society. The policy of sufficiency can make a beneficial contribution to this. It aims to reshape the political, economic and social framework conditions in such a way that consumers are induced to demand sustainable products and services and voluntarily resign from excessive consumption. Against this background, the Institut für zukunftsfähige Ökonomien (ZOE), the Institut für Partizipatives Gestalten (IPG), Ecologic Institute, and R. Andreas Kraemer develop sufficiency policy project drafts that are closely aligned with the needs and requirements of the respective specialist units at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

Retailers play an essential role in shaping product decisions via their own business choices—choices regarding which suppliers to work with, what items to stock, how to manage supply-chain operations, what information to provide to consumers, as well as how their own brand identity and market positioning will relate to sustainability. Retailers thus occupy a unique position in the product value chain, being intermediaries between producers and consumers, with considerable influence on which goods we enjoy as consumers, the means by which they come to us and the long chain of impacts related to our purchasing decisions.

Which trends and developments characterise the energy system? How are digital technologies and data-based business models changing the energy system? What challenges do different actors face? These questions are the subject of a short study written by the Ecologic Institute on behalf of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

BIOBRIDGES's overall aim is to ensure the marketability of sustainable bio-based products by establishing primary partnerships between bio-based industries, brand owners and consumer representatives in cooperation with other stakeholders like local communities, local authorities and industrial actors. The ambition is to create at least two new cross-sector interconnections in bio-based economy clusters.

The Project "A Taste of the Future of the Seas" brings scientific insights about sustainable use and protection of oceans to the public with an interactive series of events held at the Museum for Natural History in Berlin. Three dialogue-oriented and action-packed formats offered the opportunity to learn about advances and challenges in sustainable marine science – and motivated participants through fun, sensory experiences to act and consume consciously.

International trade agreements can have an impact on consumers in different ways. On the one hand, they can lead to more or cheaper products to become available for consumers. On the other hand, these agreements contain rules for political and legal meaures that the parties to an agreement may adopt; this can limit the scope for regulation in favour of consumers. How trade agreements are designed is therefore important for consumers. In this project, Ecologic Institute compiles a study for the Federation of German Consumer Organisations, analysing how consumer rights are addressed in international trade agreements and how they can be enforced by consumer organisations.

Across the globe, nearly 30% of food is wasted throughout the agrifood supply chain. The EU Horizon 2020 funded project "Resource Efficient Food and dRink for the Entire Supply cHain" (REFRESH) takes action against food waste. 26 partners from 12 European countries and China work towards the project's goal to contribute towards Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level and reducing food losses along production and supply chains, reducing waste management costs, and maximizing the value from un-avoidable food waste and packaging materials. REFRESH runs from 2015-2019.

<p>As the world's largest economy, Europe must embark upon an immediate and major transformation to avert dangerous climate change and prevent ecosystem collapse. Currently, the impact of the European economy is nearly three times larger than what is required for a sustainable world. The goal of the One Planet Economy Network: Europe (OPEN: EU) Project therefore was to help transform the EU economy to a One Planet Economy by 2050.</p>&#13;&#13;