Picture this: In Germany alone, 11 million tonnes of food waste in 2020 could fill more than 1.800 Olympic-sized swimming pools*, while nearly half a million tonnes of used clothing could cover the entire city of Munich in 2022**. What if we could minimise these staggering numbers through everyday circular habits? Discover how households are becoming champions of change and learn how you can join them!
Create, struggle, prototype, exhibit, celebrate, grow. These words greeted participants at Berlin’s event space “Playground” and set the tone for CARE’s human-centered design workshop “Circular Heroes“.
But before we dive into the creative results, let’s start at the beginning. CARE is a four-year EU-funded project with the vision to inspire and empower households across Europe for a sustainable future where circular consumption – maintaining, repairing, sharing, reusing, recycling and reducing waste – is not just a practice, but a celebrated norm. With household pilots in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Sweden and Germany, CARE is developing advisory services to support citizens take up circular behaviours in everyday life, focusing on food and clothing.
How should these advisory services look like? What truly helps people adopt circular behaviour? To answer these questions, we hosted a workshop in Berlin, led by Verbraucher Initiative Berlin, one of the eleven CARE project partners. The CSCP developed the central concept and materials to support partners across five countries to run similar workshops. The involvement of the participants ensured that
Back to the “Playground”: Eleven household members, aged 23 to 72, eagerly contributed their ideas. Through interviews, visual brainstorming, and a hands-on prototyping session, participants created innovative concepts such as an App that offers food storage tips, leftover recipes, and even instructions for making fertiliser from banana peels. Another idea was an educational campaign for schools, highlighting the resources needed to make clothes and promoting thoughtful buying, sharing, and swapping as fun alternatives.
The prototyping session was particularly enjoyable, sparking lively discussions and valuable exchanges. Participants used their creativity with paper, pens and scissors to create tangible representations of their ideas. “I could have prototyped at least one more hour”, one participant exclaimed, as others nodded in agreement.
We are now curious about the results of similar workshops in the other four pilot countries. What ideas did households in Finland, Norway, Estonia, and Sweden come up with? We’re excited to find out and invite you to stay tuned. Follow the journey and learn more about how you can get involved or support CARE by visiting circularhouseholds.eu, sign up to our newsletter and following our social media channels.
For further questions, please contact Katrin Hüttepohl.
Sources: *https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/abfall-ressourcen/abfallwirtschaft/abfallvermeidung/lebensmittelabfaelle#datenerhebung-von-lebensmittelabfallen-in-deutschland **https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2023/03/PD23_N019_51_32.html
Photo by © Verbraucherinitiative
The twin sustainable and digital transformation of the economy is one of the biggest topics of our time. But, how can small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the IT industry drive this transformation and create added value for the economy and society in general?
The ITM project funded by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) is supporting a pioneering group of German SMEs from the Information Technology (IT) sector to optimise their own sustainability performance (decrease footprint), innovate twin transformative products and services (increase handprint), and advocate for supportive market framework conditions on a policy level.
The hands-on collaboration with 12 pioneer SMEs ranged from developing sustainability strategies and related organisational transformation approaches to working with marketing, product management, and sales teams on how to spot and develop new, sustainability-oriented business opportunities.
Pioneering companies in the field, note the following success factors:
Following the intensive work with the pioneer group, a series of webinars was conducted to provide other SMEs in the field of IT with orientation and support on a few key topics:
The ITM Twin Transformation project will organise further webinars on the following topics:
The ITM Twin Transformation project is funded by DBU and run in collaboration with BITMi, Germany’s only association representing exclusively SMEs in the IT sector.
For further information, please contact Arne von Hofe.
Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are a strong pillar of Africa’s economy. However, many such companies face challenges related to finance, skills, and market access. Through our SteamBioAfrica project we are working closely with MSMEs on capacity-building programmes focusing on sustainable entrepreneurship and financial management, enhancing local capacity, and fostering economic resilience.
Africa enjoys one of the highest entrepreneurship rates globally, with micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) playing a crucial role in the continent’s sustainable development*. However, a staggering 80% of African MSMEs fail within their first years, primarily due to limited access to finance, human resources, essential skills and business support services**.
In collaboration with government bodies, business associations, international organisations, and private entities, the CSCP is actively engaged in strengthening capacity and training programs for MSMEs in Southern and Eastern Africa, grounded in a sustainability framework. Through workshops, seminars, online courses, and mentorship programmes, the CSCP is supporting MSMEs in the adoption of sustainable business models and financial expertise.
For instance, since the launch of the SteamBioAfrica project in 2021, the CSCP has organised a series of capacity building workshops for MSMEs in the biomass sector in Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, particularly targeting women- and youth-led enterprises to facilitate the commercialisation of new solid biofuel developed in the project.
Some of the key topics addressed at the CSCP workshops included:
The workshops also offered a platform for MSMEs to network with peers, mentors, potential funders, and partners, providing fertile ground for innovation and sustainable growth. New technologies and innovative approaches were emphasized as tools to increase competitiveness and long-term viability.
The positive feedback from MSMEs underscores the impact of these initiatives. The CSCP is committed to expanding its capacity building and training to reach more MSMEs in Africa.
Would you like to connect with us on this topic? Reach out to Kartika Anggraeni.
*World Economic Forum 2023
** KIPPA: The Nigeria MSME Report 2022
How can cities better manage biowaste and promote circular bioeconomies? The HOOP project provides insights with its recently published National Action Manuals tailored for eight lighthouse cities in Europe. The manuals, which are available in the respective local languages, include guidelines on how to transform urban biowaste into valuable resources.
The manuals are tailored to the unique contexts and languages of the respective lighthouse cities. The lighthouse cities serve as circular hubs where novel biowaste valorisation routes and value chains are created and tested. The HOOP project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, aims to transform how cities manage bio-waste, fostering circular economies and sustainable urban environments.
The eight lighthouse cities and regions in the HOOP project are ideal grounds to make actual transformation in the urban circular bioeconomy happen. The following cities are part of the project: Almere in the Netherlands, Bergen in Norway, Münster in Germany, Kuopio in Finland, Murcia in Spain, Albano Laziale in Italy, West Macedonia in Greece, and Porto in Portugal.
Each of these cities and regions face distinct challenges in biowaste management but also unique solutions. With the HOOP network, which now hosts more than 100 European cities, learning from the lighthouse cities offers a unique opportunity.
To support other cities in following up, the HOOP project has created comprehensive action manuals that can serve as blueprints for local authorities and stakeholders in other cities. These manuals provide tailored solutions, leveraging local strengths and addressing specific challenges. For example, Almere’s manual focuses on innovative biowaste valorisation techniques. Bergen’s manual emphasises the creation of a “biopark” to centralise biowaste processing, fostering collaboration between start-ups and established companies in the bioeconomy sector. Murcia’s manual focuses on enhanced community engagement through “bio patrols” – trained teams that interact with residents to educate them about proper biowaste sorting and recycling.
The role of the CSCP in the project is to facilitate stakeholder engagement processes in each city. By bringing key stakeholders together in different formats, such as the Biowaste Clubs, the cities had the chance to exchange and shape their interventions in collaborative ways.
Overall, the HOOP project’s National Action Manuals will guide urban bio-waste management, especially in the eight target countries, showcasing how tailored solutions and collaborative efforts can drive sustainable transformation.
You can download all the manuals in the respective languages from our library.
For further information, please approach Felix Schumacher.
The collective sum of our individual lifestyles has a significant impact on the climate. Our Lifestyle Test, developed as part of the PSLifestyles project, supports citizens to take concrete actions for sustainable living in their local contexts. The test is available as a free web app in 9 European countries, including Germany.
In June 2024, the project team presented the Lifestyle Test at the Solingen Sustainability Festival and engaged with citizens to raise awareness on the importance of endorsing sustainable lifestyles. Among the citizens who took the test in Solingen, Germany popular impactful lifestyle changes included endorsing a vegetarian diet, discovering European travel destinations instead of international travel, and opting for low-carbon transportation modes.
On 29 June 2024, the Lifestyle Test will be presented at the Langer Tisch Festival in Wuppertal, Germany. Join the festival and explore together with our project team how you can use the Lifestyle Test to calculate your own footprint and design concrete plans to reduce it.
Event: Langer Tisch Festival Date: 29 June 2024 Time: 16:00-21:00 Place: Friedrich-Engels-Allee, Wuppertal, Germany Language: German and English
The Lifestyle Test is a free web application that enables users to calculate their individual carbon footprint by answering questions from various lifestyle categories. Unlike traditional carbon calculators, the Lifestyle Test provides detailed explanations and tailored recommendations for reducing carbon emissions, which can be seamlessly integrated into daily routines and sustained long-term.
Take the Lifestyle Test now and become part of the movement towards a more sustainable future!
For additional information about the Lifestyle Test, please visit the PSLifestyle project website or contact the project team.
For additional information on this event, please contact Charis Hoffmann.
For questions on the PSLifestyle project, please contact Arlind Xhelili.
To date, the adoption on a large scale of plant-, insect- or fungi-based protein sources has been slow, calling for a better understanding of key factors at the consumer and broader infrastructural level.
The EU-funded LIKE-A-PRO project is on a mission to accelerate the adoption of alternative proteins by considering how to increase their availability, accessibility and consumption. The project explores this opportunity by supporting the development of new products, understanding consumer acceptance and supporting relevant stakeholders in their efforts to accelerate their adoption.
As part of the project, a series of studies have been conducted to better understand the enablers and barriers to shifting to alternative protein sources, specifically pertaining to consumer acceptance of alternative protein products.
Accordingly, some of the key factors influencing consumer acceptance are the availability and accessibility of alternative protein products in various food environments, including factors such as good marketing and communication frames, attractive pricing or the ability of consumers to replace and cook with the alternative protein ingredients.
Furthermore, perceptions can be crucial enablers, in particular positively perceived nutritional or health value and/or environmental impact, good taste and texture, and positive cultural or social norms.
Food labelling appears to have a positive influence. These factors can act both as enabling or inhibiting factors and can be tied to both the individual and system level.
Based on these insights, the LIKE-A-PRO project team has created summaries for key stakeholders such as industry, policymakers, civil society organisations (CSOs) and academia, including some key recommendations for initial actions from these decision makers:
If you are curious and would like to learn more, please read the entire set of stakeholder summaries in our library.
For more information, please reach out to Arlind Xhelili.
Ashley Scarborough is a Berlin-based system change designer. As part of her co-working experience at the CSCP in spring 2024, we explored ways how to use design as a form of creative problem-solving to address major sustainability challenges of today. In this interview, she shares how pairing design with systems thinking can help shape a better future.
In your work, you combine design and systems thinking – how does this approach look like in practice?
Design is creative problem solving, and a big part of system thinking is about uncovering all the layers of the problem at very deep, interconnected levels. Once the depth and complexity of a system is understood, design solutions can arise that actually deal with the root causes of the problem. In practice, this means spending a lot of time researching and mapping the system before even thinking about solutions. In many cases solutions or “leverage points” are not found or created at what we typically understand to be the design intervention point. For example, policy change isn’t really creative design, but can be a leverage with high impact.
For me system change cannot be separated from design thinking – design uses creativity to imagine, shape, and test different futures, which aligns very well with system thinking and change. I think what Charles Eames said 50 years ago sums it up nicely: to answer the question ‘what are the boundaries of design?’ he replied, ‘what are the boundaries of problems?’.
To change the current food system, a more radical shift may be needed. How can this actually happen?
This is a very complex question. I rely on the Donella Meadows framework to understand where the most impactful places to intervene in a system are. At the top is the mindset, which is why I believe there is a lot of change potential in influencing the fundamental mindsets of decision makers who govern the food system. Despite the need for a more radical shift, sustainable change happens incrementally and slowly, so by thinking in pathways of change, where one intervention may enable another which leads to another, we are more likely to move in the right direction. Additionally, real and lasting change can happen by thinking with a diverse portfolio approach where multiple solutions that solve problems from different angles should exist together.
In one way or another, design underpins everything that surrounds us. From your experience, how can design be placed as a lever for positive change?
I believe in the power of imagination to create an alternative idea of a desirable future world that we can be guided by. When we can picture something different, we know where we are headed to. The creation of future worlds can be facilitated through design or visual storytelling. This is something that I am working on with the project “How We Eat” as a way of inspiring people to think more like nature.
Can you tell us more about your “How We Eat” initiative – how does it support change on a system level?
“How We Eat” is an exploration into the future of food and how we might get there; a regenerative systems design studio. The basis for “How We Eat” is believing the future of food is about regenerative, biodiverse ecosystems which serve local communities and economies. Currently within “How We Eat”, I create and facilitate interactive culinary experiences to holistically engage people in learning how a regenerative food system might taste and feel like. In simple terms, I use food as a vehicle for storytelling, prompting participants to reimagine their relationship with food and the planet and reminding them that we are inherently part of nature. However, I am aware that a single dinner cannot make tangible change, so together with colleagues and collaborators, including the CSCP, we are working on a portfolio of initiatives towards systemic transformation.
Do you have another dream project that you have not started yet?
I would really love to work on a project about the future of supermarkets. I believe the places we buy our food can be an impactful leverage for creating regenerative food cultures and reconnecting people (consciously not calling them consumers) to the food they eat, where it comes from, and how incredible nature is in growing food that allows us to survive and thrive. I think supermarkets are places with so much potential to shape new food narratives. They are the gateway to the natural world through food, yet currently they are untransparent black boxes. Instead, they could be places of rich learning about nature, culture, our health – there is so much we can learn from the diversity of nature and that could happen in grocery stores. This is a topic I explored together with the CSCP food topic experts and we will continue our exchange toward creative solutions that can generate real positive impact.
For additional information, please contact Ashley Scarborough.
Chemical substances in products can either enable or hinder circularity, thus playing a major role on the sustainability performance of the products in question. A new study published as part of the CSCP research project Sustainable Management of Chemicals looks into indicators for sustainable management of chemicals as well as criteria to ensure the quality of the indicators.
The research was commissioned by the German Environmental Agency as part of the German Focal Point contribution to the fifth International Conference on Chemicals (ICCM5).
In September 2023, the ICCM5 introduced the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC), following up on the earlier Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). The GFC aims to promote the sustainable use of chemicals worldwide, covering their entire life cycle from production to waste.
Chemistry can be both a solution and a problem. While it offers countless benefits in everyday life, it can also pose serious risks if not managed properly. To ensure that chemicals are produced, used, and recycled safely and sustainably, it is crucial to measure and monitor their impact.
The study “Indicators for Sustainable Management of Chemicals“ focuses on creating simple and practical indicators to help track chemicals management and its effects, especially in developing countries. These indicators are tools to measure various aspects like the use of renewable resources, safety in the workplace, and recycling practices. Indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international standards were reviewed to see how well they could be applied.
A multi-stakeholder approach was applied to ensure a variety of perspectives in the indicator definition. Experts from around the world discussed and refined indicators in several international workshops. The indicators were discussed using a set of criteria such as importance, specificity, data availability, and sustainable practices. The outcome was a list of 45 useful indicators for managing chemicals globally, with 23 recommended for tracking the ‘sound management of chemicals and waste‘.
Some of these indicators also align with the European Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS). A preliminary review of the targets set at ICCM5 in 2023 shows that these indicators could play a key role in shaping the future discussions and policies for the Global Framework on Chemicals.
For additional details, please check out the report in our CSCP library.
For further questions, please contact Esther Heidbüchel.
Photo by Girl with red hat on Unsplash
The number of labels and claims on sustainability advantages of products and services marketed in the European Union is at an all-time high. But, does this mean that consumers are truly empowered and enabled to make informed decisions? The European Commission thinks they aren’t.
According to the European Commission, over 50% of green claims are misleading or unfounded and 40% do not have supporting evidence. From the 230 sustainability labels currently registered in the EU, at least half offer weak or non-existent verification. Due to the lack of strict criteria and transparency, consumers are often overwhelmed and misled instead of informed and empowered.
To meet this challenge, the European Union has launched the Green Claims Directive, an important initiative to set standards and restore confidence in environmental claims and labelling. The directive sets the stage for a circular and sustainable EU economy by introducing stringent measures and setting transparent criteria for companies to substantiate their environmental claims.
Under the new regulation, environmental claims have to be independently verified and offset claims can only be used if companies can prove a net-zero target, show progress towards decarbonisation, and disclose percentages of total greenhouse gas emissions offset. Ultimately, the aim is to ensure that consumers receive correct and comparable information by taking action against unverified, unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims. In doing so, the directive aims to promote fair competition, level the playing field, and incentivise responsible practices.
Rethinking business as usual
In order to comply with the EU Green Claims Directive, companies will have to rethink not only their marketing strategies but also the way they run business in general. An important question is, for example, which internal processes are needed in organisations so that traditionally separate corporate functions are brought together in order to utilise synergies. How can marketing and sales specialists within a company work together with their sustainability colleagues to shape holistic strategies that have a solid foundation and align with the regulation?
Building trust & enhancing transparency
Moreover, the volume and complexity of the data required to validate sustainability claims will also put a new focus on trust, collaboration, and transparency among and between supply chain actors. Therefore, questions such as how to design frameworks and put in place strategies and processes that allow companies to collect the necessary data in efficient and seamless ways are becoming increasingly relevant.
Starting new collaborations
Finally, companies will also have to think about collaborations and partnerships beyond their immediate business and supply chain networks: there’s a wealth of untapped potential in partnering with diverse stakeholders. How can actors from the fields of academia, civil society organisations, consumer associations, and innovative sectors such as digitalisation and AI, be involved to tackle related challenges and give way to holistic and impact-oriented solutions?
At the CSCP, we believe in the power of collaborations to enable companies to turn the new regulation into a business opportunity while at the same time keeping a strong focus on empowering consumers to make informed decisions.
Our tailored multi-stakeholder approaches are holistic and draw on real-world strategies that bring stakeholders together around a common goal with a shared sense of responsibility. Rather than simply replicating analyses and assessments and disseminating information, we prioritise building an ecosystem in which key actors, including consumers, can build collaborations that are based on trust, transparency and accountability and add value to all parties involved.
Moreover, we rely on our expertise on consumer insights, behaviour change, and sustainable lifestyles to ensure that consumer insights are fed into business decision-making while at the same time involving consumer organisations and initiatives to enable and empower European consumers to confidently navigate the changing marketing landscape.
The EU Council will start talks with the European Parliament on the EU Green Claims Directive in the new legislative cycle, which begins in September 2024.
Would you like to engage with us on the topic of EU Green Claims Directive? Reach out to Francesca Grossi!
As head of Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship at the CSCP, Alexander Mannweiler has a good understanding of the challenges businesses face today. He believes that companies that are able to integrate sustainability into their management systems increase their innovation potential and become more competitive.
The co-do lab was born out the urgency to scale transformation. If you are, say a small or medium-sized enterprise and business is going well at the moment, why do you need to transform?
No company of any size can afford to stand still and preserve the status-quo. The times are too dynamic and the challenges too complex, and let’s face it, if we want to pursue a good life for ourselves and the generations to come, the time to act is now. While the transformation scope can vary, some degree of transformation is unavoidable for companies that want to remain relevant, now and in the upcoming years.
Let’s stick to the SME example. Increasing regulatory demands can be particularly demanding to keep up with. How does the co-do lab approach this?
The co-do lab supports companies to use transformative processes to not only keep up (react) to such demands but also to engage proactively and use them as a lever for positive change. Regulatory demands can even be seen as positive framework to give guidance, enabling a level playing field for the industry a company operates in. If managed the right way, innovative ideas can emerge.
What are some of the most prominent challenges that companies face today that can be addressed (only) through transformation?
Every business is part of a system that is influenced by multiple stakeholders. Keeping up with different stakeholder expectations, regulations, and competitive challenges is complex. Companies that innovate their business models integrating sustainability, including its social aspects, can adopt easier to stakeholder expectations, create a loyal and committed work force and be economically successful. The co-do lab takes all this into account and works not just with companies, but also with all stakeholders that are relevant for a specific company.
There are companies that see the added value of transformation to achieve greater sustainability, but are overwhelmed when it comes to aligning it to the economic-viability rationale. Is this merely an elusive gap?
In the short-term, some companies might still be economically successful by exploiting resources in a non-circular way, approaching the supply chain from a conventional perspective or undermining aspects such the wellbeing of their workforces. However, the dynamics across all continents show a clear trend that business models need to integrate circularity, highly efficient resource use, take ownership for the whole supply chain, increase transparency, and adopt high social standards to remain competitive in the mid and long-term. So the question is, do you want to be a company that is here today, or one that will be here in the future as well?
For further questions, please contact Alexander Mannweiler.