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Curbing Overconsumption Together!
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Dear Reader,
Recently, the European Union Parliament demanded the first-ever EU targets to reduce overconsumption by 2030 in line with the EU Green Deal goals. That we have to break from the linear logic of the ‘take-make-dispose’ economy is clear; the question is rather how to do it best and start now.
Having worked for fifteen years toward sustainable consumption and production, we consider the new demands a major opportunity to enhance collaborations toward bringing consumption and production patterns within planetary boundaries.
To do so, we should look at a wide array of aspects simultaneously; boosting longevity and repairability of products and supporting prosumerism should go hand in hand with replacing conventional business models with access-based ones.
However, rethinking business models does not work through templates that convert them from linear to circular. In the newly published report Business Models in a Circular Economy, co-authored by the CSCP and featured in this Newsletter, we present an analytical framework for the successful implementation of circular business models.
Any change, at the business model or product level, is only successful insofar as it passes the consumers’ acceptance test. Through initiatives like the Consumer Insight Action Panel (CIAP), we are actively integrating consumer behaviour insights into circularity strategies in sectors such as textiles, electronics, and packaging. All three of them are central to the European Circular Economy Action Plan. In this issue, read the findings of our latest CIAP pilots on barriers and enablers when it comes to consumer acceptance of circular packaging.
Most European consumers are in favour of mainstreaming sustainability, and yet our intention is often not matched by action. Based on our expertise in behaviour change, the CSCP will lead the group Retailers, Consumers & Skills of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, to support relevant European stakeholders in designing and planning behaviour change toward the circular economy.
On another front to curb overconsumption and in this case the resulting waste of food, the Dialogue Forum for the Reduction of Food Waste, which the CSCP coordinates, has gathered data on food waste for the entire food retail sector in Germany. Measuring waste is the key prerequisite to reducing it, thus making it a major step in curbing unsustainable food consumption. Read about the details of the collected data as well as 156 food waste reduction measures in this issue.
Curbing overconsumption is not only the next item on the agenda; it is a central prerequisite for realising the EU Green Deal vision, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, and ensuring that we bring our consumption and production practices within our planetary boundaries. We must team up and speed up, now!
Michael Kuhndt,
Executive Director
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The world is changing fast and so is the jobs landscape. If you know a teenager or young adult who is wondering how their future career might look like, spread the word about our BOOM holiday camps! Designed with the motto "Every Job is Green", BOOM supports its participants to explore their strengths and face the future with confidence and curiosity. The registration for the 2021 camps is open – check out the details!
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The recent demand of the European Parliament to set the first-ever EU targets for the reduction of overconsumption by 2030 marks a major step in bringing consumption and production practices within planetary boundaries. With sustainable consumption and production at the core of our work throughout the past fifteen years, we are more committed than ever to tap into this momentum and enhance collaborations that mainstream sustainability.
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Surveys show that most Europeans care about protecting the environment. And yet this positive attitude does not necessarily equate to action. The question is how to close the gap between intention and action. Growing evidence from behavioural science shows which approaches work best to change behaviours toward more sustainability. Based on this knowledge, a leadership group as part of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform has taken on the mandate to facilitate such capacity building. The Retailers, Consumers & Skills group, led by the CSCP, will run the Circular Academy to enable stakeholders to foster behaviours toward more circularity.
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If the trend continues, we will have used up the world’s annually-available resources by 22 August 2021. The date marks the Earth Overshoot Day. But the trend can and must be changed. Our newly launched pilot project We #MoveTheDate will position citizens at the heart of climate action and introduce a co-creation process between communities and city administrations to move the German and the Earth Overshoot Day.
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For world-renowned touristic destination, Perú, the circular economy has much to offer: from mitigating the pandemic’s effects and supporting recovery through to generating sustainable growth. In two virtual events hosted by the EU representation in Perú, the CSCP’s Executive Director, Michael Kuhndt, shared European insights on sustainable consumption and production approaches and how those could support the journey towards circularity in Perú.
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Policy and legal frameworks are clear: the future of packaging will be circular. But, how to ensure a seamless transition considering consumer acceptance? At the Consumer Insight Action Panel packaging club, we are applying a hands-on approach from a consumer-centric perspective to find out what makes circular packaging succeed. Check out key learnings from our latest packaging pilots!
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Ahead of the Day of the Good Life – 20 June 2021 – citizens of Ostersbaum, Wuppertal came together in virtual visioning walkshops to bring forward their ideas for a sustainable and inclusive future. By combining creativity with local knowledge, a vision is being paved not only in view of the Day of the Good Life, but for a sustainable life in the long run. If you have an idea how to improve your community – share it with us!
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Regulatory demands, both national and EU-wide, require companies to take an active role with respect to packaging waste. The same requirements are coming from customers, who are becoming increasingly conscious about the toll packaging takes on the environment. The CSCP has collaborated with Transgourmet Germany in advancing their sustainable packaging efforts. Read more about the holistic assessment methodology that the CSCP developed and how that contributes to meeting the demands of the EU strategy for plastics and achieving the EU Green Deal goals.
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What is the potential of behaviour change in limiting global warming to within the 1.5-degree limit or fostering a systems change toward more sustainability? Our successful capacity building programme, the Academy of Change, is uniquely designed to support non-governmental organisations to increase their impact by integrating behavioural insights into their work. We are excited to have launched the third round of the academy with 45 participants from all over the world!
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“The food waste community knows: only what is measured can also be reduced”, highlights CSCP’s Nora Brüggemann, as the Dialogue Forum delivers data on food waste for the entire food retail sector in Germany for the first time. Halfway through its collaboration, the Dialogue Forum can also build upon 156 food waste reduction measures. Read the interim report for more details!
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The success of any project – be it on sustainable fashion or biodiverse gardens – depends greatly on people’s behaviours. Sometimes, to make a project work, certain behavioural patterns have to change. Our weiter_wirken capacity building programme supported non-governmental organisations in North-Rhine Westphalia to increase their impact by implementing effective behaviour change interventions.
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Changing behaviours is paramount for mainstreaming sustainability. Oftentimes, to change a behaviour, an intervention needs to happen. But, how do you know whether the intervention you carefully designed and implemented really worked? What lessons can you draw for your next intervention? What are the do’s and don’ts? To find out answers to these questions, listen to our fourth Academy of Change podcast for a candid account from expert speaker, David Fell!
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Did you miss our panel discussion as part of the CSR.digital online conference on Digital Leadership? Listen to the podcast and watch the summary video now! From redefining organisational structures through to living up to social and environmental expectations, a line-up of business representatives share real-life insights on how digital leadership can help small and medium-sized enterprises to remain competitive and succeed.
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An interest in solar panel waste, which she developed during her studies, brought Livia El-Khawad closer to the topic of circular economy. With a view on the transition from linear to circular economy as a major chance to change things for good, she brings new impulses to our Sustainable Infrastructure, Products and Services (SIPS) team.
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The Sustainable Infrastructure, Products and Services (SIPS) team has grown, with Felix Schumacher joining as a consultant. Felix, whose background is in economic geography, believes that an inclusive dialogue with all groups in society is the key ingredient for a sustainable life. Read more about what drives his work!
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The path from niche to mainstream is not straightforward and, as research suggests, socio-ecological transformations are difficult to plan in detail. The award-winning paper "From niche to mainstream: dilemmas of upscaling sustainable alternatives" from our Urban Up project takes a closer look at the obstacles to upscaling and outlines strategies to overcome them.
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What are the key mechanisms and enablers through which business models can adopt circularity in economically feasible ways? The latest ETC-WMGE report, Business Models in a Circular Economy presents an analytical framework designed by the CSCP for circular business model innovation. The framework provides guidance on which models and under which circumstances are feasible and effective.
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Horticulture farmers with micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya face numerous challenges in accessing local as well as international markets. In the local context, they are often only price-takers in processes dominated by upper hand buyers. Internationally, only a few of them can meet the stringent demands of markets such as the European one. Beyond an analysis of barriers, the GOALAN project report “Introducing Green Horticulture at Lake Naivasha in Kenya” puts a focus on opportunities and actions needed in order for Kenyan farmers to become more resilient and increase their market share!
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Deficits in communication between public procurers and the market often hamper sustainable procurement: companies find bidding for public tenders too complex while procurers lack a clear overview of sustainable offers on the market. The CSCP brought together procurers and bidders to discuss where the main challenges lay and how to overcome those. Check out the complete report for details on how enhanced communication can support sustainable procurement.
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