Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy
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Konzeptionelle Überlegungen zur Operationalisierung des Ressourcenschutzes im Rahmen von Umweltverträglichkeitsprüfung und strategischer Umweltprüfung
No full textNachhaltige Konsumentscheidungen durch Künstliche Intelligenz und den Digitalen Produktpass : Forschungsbericht zum Roadmapping der Forschungslinie "Transparente Wertschöpfungsketten" im CO:DINA Projekt
Full text linkWie können Künstliche Intelligenz und Daten des Digitalen Produktpass nachhaltige Konsumentscheidungen fördern? Welche Maßnahmen sind dabei relevant? Der Bericht stellt auf Basis eines Roadmappingprozesses zu diesen Fragen Herausforderungen, Ansatzpunkte und Maßnahmen dar
Messung und Monitoring von (sektoralen) Ressourcenschutzzielen
Full text linkEin regelmäßiges und verbindlich geregeltes Monitoring von Ressourcenschutzzielen gehört zu den zentralen Voraussetzungen, damit Ressourcenschutzziele eine tatsächliche Relevanz entwickeln können. Im Sinne des Agenda-Settings führen entsprechende Berichtspflichten dazu, dass sich verantwortliche Akteure immer wieder mit der Frage konfrontiert sehen, ob und inwieweit vereinbarte Ziele tatsächlich erreicht wurden - beziehungsweise welche zusätzlichen Maßnahmen erforderlich sein könnten, um diese zumindest in kommenden Berichtsperioden zu erreichen.
Eine transparente Disaggregierung solcher Ziele auf einzelne Sektoren bietet dabei die Gelegenheit, auf der einen Seite eine Plattform für besonders engagierte Akteure zu bieten, denen es gelingt durch besonders innovative und konsequente Umsetzung von Maßnahmen effektiven Ressourcenschutz zu realisieren - umgekehrt natürlich auch klar zu identifizieren, welche konkreten Politikbereiche hier hinter den Erwartungen zurückbleiben
Nachhaltigkeit in der Praxis : mit ganzheitlichen Konzepten Klimaschutz und Effizienz verbinden
No full textThe role of fair trade principles and justice within the transformation to a circular textile economy
Full text linkWithin the past decades, the textile industry has transformed significantly. While fashion brands once released just two to four collections annually (for summer, winter, spring and autumn), today's major brands launch around 24 collections a year, a trend known as "Fast Fashion". This rapid turnover has resulted in clothing being produced more quickly and cheaply, often at the expense of quality. The competitive landscape has further intensified with the rise of direct-to-consumer online retailers like Shein, who cut out traditional intermediaries to lower costs - also known as "Ultra Fast Fashion" with releases of up to 52 collections each year. This shift has considerable ecological implications; the high volume of production requires large quantities of raw materials, which put considerable strain on environmental resources. Moreover, the excessive waste generated by this overproduction results in substantial amounts of discarded textiles that many countries struggle to manage. These waste materials frequently end up in landfills, leading to environmental degradation and, in some cases, posing health risks. This concern has attracted the attention of policymakers and the public, prompting initiatives aimed at mitigating these issues.
However, the challenges posed by the textile industry extend beyond environmental issues. Social injustices, including exploitative labour practices and unsafe working conditions, remain pervasive. Even after the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh in 2013, which exposed these problems, the broader social implications within the textile sector have remained largely unaddressed. This neglect also extends to the interconnectedness of Europe's textile consumption and its trade partners.
Against this background and given the complexity and opacity of textile value chains, it is crucial to ensure fairness and justice, particularly for those most adversely affected by these circumstances. In response, major Fair Trade organisations get involved in the debate with the endeavour to bring together principles of Fair Trade and Circular Economy, building on the existing overlaps of those topics such as their respect for the environment (World Fair Trade Organization n.d.a). Building on this context, this chapter investigates how current Circular Economy strategies within the European Union address Fair Trade and social justice concerns. It seeks to deepen understanding of the ongoing discourse, identify existing gaps and provide a foundation for future research and practical advancements. Central to this work is the question: "To what extent do existing measures aimed at achieving a circular textile economy consider justice aspects and Fair Trade principles?" This question is addressed by reviewing existing regulations - such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation - through the lens of justice, social considerations and the principles of Fair Trade. The approach follows the method of a qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2010). Furthermore, the role of key organisations, such as the Forum Fairer Handel, World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), and Fairtrade International within this context will be examined
Compounding injustices can impede a just energy transition
Full text linkCoal and carbon-intensive regions have lagged behind in socioeconomic development, long before any transition-related structural changes were foreseeable. Acknowledging and tackling the compounding effects of old legacy and new transition injustices is vital for realizing a truly just energy transition
The potential of international institutions to foster transitions : the example of the global stocktake under the Paris Agreement
Full text linkSocio-technical transitions literature has so far engaged very little with the question of how international institutions could foster transitions. Conversely, international climate policy literature shows gaps in engaging with transformational change. To address these gaps, this article analyses the potential of the first Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement to foster transitions. The article first develops a novel conceptual framework for how international institutions can promote transitions. On this basis, the article synthesises recommendations for the GST outcome from literature and the GST process and compares them with the actual outcome. The article finds that the GST sent important signals and fostered knowledge and learning on key aspects of low-emission transitions. However, it mostly focused on energy systems and failed to establish mechanisms and resources to promote actual implementation
Exporting norm interpretations from the Global South : explaining India's reasons for contesting and reshaping international climate norms
Full text linkRecent scholarship highlights Global South countries not only as norm-takers or localizers but also as norm-makers. Contributing to this shift, I conceptualize why these countries contest and lobby for alternative norm interpretations in international negotiations. Applying this lens to climate politics, I use triangulated data (incl. expert interviews) to identify domestic factors that explain the Indian government's behavior. By exporting domestic norm interpretations that merged with other norm interpretations from Global North and South countries, the Indian delegation successfully reshaped two international climate norms at the 2007 Bali Conference that target developing countries' mitigation efforts and climate action in forests. This increased the resonance of these two norms with the Indian government's domestic norms, political economy beliefs, international funding desire and collective identity needs. This research provides insights into the complex dynamics of international norm negotiations between proposers and counter-proposers in the context of the rise of the Global South
African e-mobility startups' perceptions and use of information systems, challenges, and opportunities
Full text linkFor a systemic shift towards sustainable transport, a convergence of the mobility, energy, and information systems is vital. An information system is a combination of hardware, software, people and processes that collect, process, and distribute information to support analysis, decision making, monitoring and feedback. Information systems are central to the operation of numerous interconnected electric vehicles and services for passenger and freight transport, intelligent charging and pricing solutions, and energy management systems. This paper investigates the role of information systems in enhancing interoperability across multiple transport modes within the e-mobility value chain in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Senegal. It contributes to the emerging body of knowledge by analyzing how African startups interpret and engage with concepts such as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), Artificial Intelligence, and E-Mobility-as-a-Service, thereby providing insights into the opportunities and challenges shaping digital transformation in African e-mobility systems. The research methodology combines the findings from case studies of MaaS implementations in the EU-funded SOLUTIONSplus Project together with in-depth interviews with African e-mobility startups operating a variety of electric vehicles. Thematic analysis was used to identify consistent patterns and relationships between the recurring themes in the data. The results show that information systems are intrinsically linked to e-mobility, with digital infrastructure underpinning critical functions that make them indispensable to the viability, scalability and sustainability of e-mobility ecosystems. Information Systems contribute to the development of innovative financial models, encourage financial accessibility to achieve carbon certification for sustainability and carbon emission mitigation, drive data-driven decision making and enable customer education and awareness. However, the implementation of information systems in the e-mobility sector remains hindered by challenges such as limited regulatory preparedness, fragmented systems, policy gaps, and financing constraints. In addition, factors including inadequate human resource capacity, insufficient customer and user awareness, and the absence of reliable data to inform decision-making further constrain the effective adoption of information systems
Circularity as the Service : Zukunftsbild Smartphone: Wege zur Kreislaufwirtschaft
Full text linkJedes Jahr werden laut Bitkom in Deutschland rund 20 Millionen Smartphones verkauft. Doch dieser Massenkonsum belastet Umwelt und Klima erheblich. Rund acht Prozent der durchschnittlichen Treibhausgasemissionen werden durch Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (IKT) verursacht. Der hohe Verbrauch wertvoller Rohstoffe, wie Edelmetalle und Seltene Erden, verschärft das Problem. Das vorliegende Diskussionspapier des Wuppertal Instituts, welches im Auftrag des Vodafone Instituts entstand, bietet erstmals eine ganzheitliche Perspektive auf den gesamten Lebenszyklus von Smartphones. Es zeigt Strategien auf, mit denen die Smartphone-Branche ihren ökologischen Fußabdruck reduzieren und die Gerätelebensdauer verlängern kann