Digital technologies have the potential to close economic loops, reduce CO2-emissions and increase resource efficiency. However, the possibilities of digitalisation for shaping a comprehensive circular economy are far from exhausted. This research project investigates how digital solutions can support consumers in aligning their consumption with sustainable and circular criteria.

The project objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the climate data users require and how this information can empower them to make informed decisions in the context of climate-related challenges. The project builds upon prior experiences of working with users across Europe. The project envisages the organization of user interaction sessions, encompassing six national and three transboundary events.

To meet global climate objectives, it is essential to reduce emissions from deforestation. So-called "jurisdictional REDD+" aims to reduce deforestation by monitoring and rewarding deforestation at the regional scale. To help decision-makers and stakeholders better understand the potential advantages of jurisdictional approaches, Ecologic Institute is developing a paper-based game to illustrate the key concepts. The game will be supported by teaching materials and event organisation, in collaboration with the client Environmental Defense Fund.

To strengthen climate protection in Germany, the amendment of the Climate Protection Act in 2021 further tightened the greenhouse gas emission targets for 2030 and set the goal of climate neutrality for the year 2045. An important step in the energy sector is the phase-out of lignite mining and coal-based electricity generation. The decision to phase out lignite mining in Germany by 2038 at the latest does not only affect energy and climate policy. In the coming years, the lignite mining areas will face a fundamental structural change, which is to be flanked with extensive funding and steered in the sense of sustainable spatial development.

The project "Data Governance and Regulation for a Sustainable Berlin" examined what forms of data regulation are possible and necessary at city level in Berlin to ensure that data-driven services, products and platforms are developed and used to meet social and environmental sustainability goals.

In the project "Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin.", the Ecornet Berlin research network pursued the goal of expanding Berlin's pioneering role in innovative approaches for a liveable, climate-neutral and resource-efficient city. Therefore, the research network focused on the existing strengths and diversity of Berlin, but also on the existing ecological and social challenges. The goal was to expand Berlin's pioneering role in the development of innovative approaches in an innovatively way. To this end, the associated institutes worked on several projects in the thematic fields of social climate transformation, sustainable economies and digitalization.

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 economy, energy system transformation including the phasing out of nuclear power, coal, mobility, decarbonisation, as well as the long-term processes of urbanisation and demographic change are setting new goals, which also affect the development of infrastructures. The new technical possibilities of information and communication technologies in the wake of the digital transformation, including the increasing familiarity of the users in their application, together with the new objectives lead to a great dynamic of change towards more efficiency, comfort and partly completely new services.

European cities face major challenges to achieve the desired level of sustainability in the management of urban water systems. Digital technologies such as mobile devices, sensor network, real-time monitoring, machine learning, and modeling tools have the potential to improve the management of water infrastructures significantly. In addition, they can improve the quality of services provided to citizens as well as awareness and cooperation between utilities, public authorities, and citizens in urban water management. The main objective of the project is to boost the integrated management of water systems in five major European cities, Berlin, Milan, Copenhagen, Paris, and Sofia, by leveraging the potential of data and smart digital technologies.

In this project, a mapping of young Europeans dealing with environmental protection was created. On this basis, a list of 35 suitable candidates for a workshop in Brussels was derived. At the workshop, representatives of DG Environment will have the opportunity to exchange and network with the young environmentalists. The preceding mapping, which was primarily carried out by Ecologic Institute, explicitly involved young social media influencers.

The Oekoworld Workshop on Sustainability Evaluation of Businesses in the Digital Economy in Berlin explored new ways to express ethical values in relation to complex technological and business-model innovations in the context of ethical and sustainable investment. The workshop was prepared and convened on 16 November 2018 by Ecologic Institute with sponsorship from Ökoworld AG, the asset management company behind the Oekovision investment fund.

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.

Lignite and hard coal is still Germany's most important energy source for power generation. Yet, Germany's climate policy goals can only be achieved if coal-firing decreases and is phased out completely in the long-term. To date, the "when and how" of this coal exit remains unclear. As a basis for the decision-making processes in the next legislative period, Ecologic Institute is working together with the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) and the Wuppertal Institute (WI) to develop a reader that clearly summarises the scientific facts and controversies surrounding the coal exit.

The digitization of all spheres of life is progressing steadily, a mega-trend that will continuously and fundamentally change society. Municipalities are also making increasing use of the potential offered by digitization of political and administrative processes. Doris Knoblauch and Susanne Langsdorf (both Ecologic Institute) developed a method that allows municipalities to easily check their (digitization) projects for their contribution to sustainable development. The report and the questionnaire are available for download.

In the context of this project an information platform was developed to share information about the restoration of rivers including examples of selected restoration projects. The aim of the information platform is to increase attention and acceptance for restoration measures and communicate their need and benefits. The information platform is also intended to assist the German Federal States in their communication with bodies and organizations involved in river restoration. The potential stakeholders involved in hydromorphological improvements and the restoration of rivers include municipalities and watercourse associations.

In the research programme "Smart Energy Showcases – Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition" (SINTEG), over 300 research institutions and companies in five model regions are developing new solutions for a completely renewable energy system. Ecologic Institute is part of the accompanying research process of the SINTEG programme, where it leads the work on the legal framework. Ecologic Institute supports the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWI) and the SINTEG showcases in generating insights on how the regulatory framework has to be adapted so that the solutions developed in the programme can be put into practice.

Several regions, notably in eastern Germany, are faced with the challenge of maintaining infrastructure and services while coping with shrinking populations and financial constraints. Could up-to-date information and communication technologies, such as the internet of services and things, be part of the solution? A conceptual study focusing on Schwerin and its surrounding areas has been launched to help answer this question.

The overall objective of multEE is to improve the consistency and quality of energy efficiency policy planning and implementation on different administrative levels in the beneficiary countries. The multEE-project supports this objective through the introduction of innovative monitoring and verification (M&V) schemes based on bottom-up data to ensure the impact of energy efficiency measures is correctly evaluated and useable for future energy efficiency planning. Moreover, multEE aims at improving vertical coordination between administrative levels in order to use the full potential of the integrated M&V schemes developed in multEE and improve the overall quality of energy efficiency planning and implementation.

The transition towards a "Green Economy" requires investment and adequate funding. But what exactly are the financing requirements of a green transformation in the areas of energy and energy storage, energy efficiency, mobility, material efficiency, recycling, water management and agriculture in Germany? This project deals with the question on how best to promote green investments, particulary in light of mobilizing already existing ones, but fixed in more promising forms of investment for innovation with the focus of environmental sustainability.

The overall objective of the project is to support the European Commission in assessing, programming, implementing and monitoring technology development and demonstration options for wind energy. The focus is on the reduction of the short and medium term costs for both on- and offshore wind electricity, as well as on the integration in the EU's smart electricity networks. In the context of this project, Ecologic Institute develops strategies and solutions for the uptake of new wind energy technologies on the basis of an assessment of possible barriers resulting from non-technological and environmental impacts of these technologies focusing on their cost aspects.

The 2020 climate and energy target framework is the basis of current European climate policy and forms a key pillar in Europe's 2020 growth strategy. Ecologic Institute continues to support DG Climate Action (European Commission) in the European Semester process by analyzing the climate and energy policies of EU Member States, evaluating their progress in relevant policy areas and towards their national targets.

Water touches virtually all societal and environmental domains. The knowledge domain is largely multidisciplinary. New water information and knowledge can thus lead to more efficient use of environmental services and better handling of environmental problems, including those posed by climate and environmental change. The project SWITCH-ON explores and exploits the currently untapped potential of open environmental data to address water issues. Water information is of interest to many kinds of end-users, both within government and business as well as within civil society. SWITCH-ON will show the benefits achieved through the whole process chain. The project aims at re-purposing (re-using under different context) open data products into more water-dedicated and refined products. Those are considered to have high value and a broad impact on society.

Netgreen is building a network of decision makers and scientists interested in fostering the transformation to a green economy. To support decision makers in that transition, Netgreen develops a database and website that enables decision makers to identify the green economy indicators most suited to their need.

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. The modeling process will inform policy recommendations, and might, therefore, contribute to further developing the national resource efficiency program ProgRess.

The Research Network in Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials (RECREATE) will assess the impacts of research and innovation in Europe and beyond, as well as derive an outlook and recommendations for future research priorities in the fields of climate, resource efficiency and raw materials, in particular for the Horizon 2020 research programme.

Since 2008, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety has financed the National Climate Initiative (NKI in German), in order to achieve its national target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by the year 2050. In order to make optimal use of the funds, it is necessary to include technological innovation and societal processes in funding initiatives. This necessitates new approaches on many levels, involving many stakeholders and aspects of daily life. Researchers from Ecologic Institute, Arepo Consult, Oeko-Institut, and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) supported the implementation and further development of the National Climate Initiative project.

The project aims to enhance transparency on voluntary sustainability standards and increase opportunities for sustainable trade. It addresses these challenges by collecting, organizing and disseminating information on voluntary sustainability standards and related research results in a web-based tool. This web-based tool called ITC Standards Map centralizes information such as the standards' content requirements, the related verification and certification mechanisms, product scope, market outreach and standards-related research results. The information is made accessible to producers, exporters, trade promotion organizations, trade support institutions, policy-makers, and intermediate private or public buyers.