Mandy Hinzmann

Mandy Hinzmann

MA (Sustainability Economics)
BA (International Political Management)

Fellow

Team
Topics

Mandy Hinzmann works as a Fellow at Ecologic Institute. Her main research fields are circular economy, resource conservation and waste avoidance, green innovations and sustainable consumption. Methodologically, she has particular expertise in qualitative and participatory research approaches. Mandy Hinzmann works in German and English and has a good knowledge of Spanish.

A large part of her current work is dedicated to global plastic pollution and the search for effective solutions. Mandy Hinzmann is active in the field of citizen science and is part of the German "Plastic Pirates" science team. In this project, young people use a standardised method to map the occurrence of plastic waste on rivers and coasts. Currently, 13 European countries are taking part in the project. Mandy Hinzmann coordinates the Ecologic Institute's subproject "Plastic Pirates – German Coast" as well as an additional, foundation-funded Plastic Pirates project, which is researching plastic pollution on the Danube River.

Mandy Hinzmann also coordinated the preparation of two expert reports for the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB): Technological options for reducing plastic waste in the oceans and Policy instruments to increase the use of recyclates.

In addition, Mandy Hinzmann is working on concepts for sustainable, circular consumption – with a particular focus on the textile and fashion industry. She is co-coordinator of the transfer and networking project ZirTeNet of the BMFTR funding initiative "Circular Textiles" and deals with circular business models and the topic of eco-design. She is involved in the project "Conception and planning digital solutions to promote sustainable consumption for a circular economy" (DigiKon) for the Federal Ministry for the Environment and is part of the scientific support for developing a National Circular Economy Strategy for Germany.

Before joining Ecologic Institute, Mandy Hinzmann worked at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in the Department of Environmental Politics.

Mandy Hinzmann studied Sustainable Economics at the University of Kassel (Germany). Prior to this, she studied International Political Management at the Bremen University of Applied Science (Germany) and completed a semester abroad at the University of Concepción (Chile).

Contact Mandy Hinzmann by Email

The data sent will only be processed for the purpose of processing your request. You will find further information in our privacy notice.

Selected projects by Mandy Hinzmann

Circular Economy & Green Innovations

ProjectTechnical, Regulatory, Economic and Environmental Effectiveness of Textile Fibres Recycling
 

Textiles, including clothing, are a priority product category for the circular economy and one of the focus sectors of the new Circular Economy Action Plan. The textiles sector is a relevant economic sector in the EU, both in terms of job and value creation, as well as... Read more

Technical, Regulatory, Economic and Environmental Effectiveness of Textile Fibres Recycling

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectCircular City Berlin – From potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)
 

Photo by 🇨🇭 Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash (modified by IZT)

The project "Circular City Berlin – from potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)" analysed and promoted innovative approaches to the circular economy in various sectors in Berlin. In view of the expected further growth, urban densification and increased economic... Read more

Circular City Berlin – From potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)

Duration
-
Funding

Combating Plastic Pollution

ProjectPlastic Pirates – Go Europe! – German campaign
 
© BMBF/Plastic Pirates – Go Europe!
A torn plastic bag on the riverbank or a yoghurt cup floating in the water are symptoms of serious interference with the highly complex system of seas, the ocean and flowing waterways. The Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! project focuses on this plastic waste problem and... Read more

Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! – German campaign

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectScientific Coordination of Research Projects on "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" (PlastikNet)
 
| Fotolia © Christian Schulz
In the framework of the scientific accompanying research (PlastikNet) of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" (Plastik in der Umwelt – Quellen • Senken • Lösungsansätze) Ecologic Institute coordinated 20 joint research projects,... Read more

Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" (PlastikNet)

Duration
-
Funding

Nexus Climate Protection & Resource Conservation

ProjectIdentifying and Assessing Interactions between International Climate and Resource Policy (ICARE)
 
©HengKongChen|Fotolia.com
Climate and resource policy are important fields of action at international and national level. In contrast to climate protection, there is no international policy regime for resource conservation and its societal relevance appears lower than for climate protection.... Read more

Identifying and Assessing Interactions between International Climate and Resource Policy (ICARE)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectTransformation to Climate Resilient and Resource-conserving Infrastructure (TRAFIS)
 
| Fotolia © thomas haltinner
The TRAFIS project investigates the development of climate resilient and resource-conserving infrastructures through the lens of transition and action research. The project focuses primarily on interlinked infrastructures. Infrastructure and infrastructure systems... Read more

Transformation to Climate Resilient and Resource-conserving Infrastructure (TRAFIS)

Duration
-
Funding

Sustainable Resource Policies

ProjectFP 7DYNAmic policy MIXes for Absolute Decoupling of Environmental Impact of EU Resource Use from Economic Growth (DYNAMIX)
 
At the end of March 2016, the European Union FP7 research project DYNAMIX came to a close. DYNAMIX aimed at proposing policy mixes that can foster shifting the EU onto a pathway where its resource use and the associated environmental impacts decline in absolute terms... Read more

DYNAmic policy MIXes for Absolute Decoupling of Environmental Impact of EU Resource Use from Economic Growth (DYNAMIX)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectFP 7Research Network in Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials (RECREATE)
 

© Recreate project

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... Read more

Research Network in Climate, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials (RECREATE)

Duration
-
Funding
Selected publications by Mandy Hinzmann

Circular Economy

PublicationReportStudy on the Technical, Regulatory, Economic and Environmental Effectiveness of Textile Fibres Recycling
 

Background image by Alejo Reinoso on Unsplash

A knowledge base on the effectiveness of textile-to-textile recycling technologies The textile industry is facing the challenge of reducing its environmental footprint and social burden along global value chains. In the European Union, work is already underway to... Read more

Duhoux, Tom et al. 2021: Study on the technical, regulatory, economic and environmental effectiveness of textile fibres recycling. Final Report to the European Commission, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. European Commission: Brussels.

PublicationArticleExploring Perspectives on Climate-resource-nexus Policies
 
journal's cover

© Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems – JSDEWES

Natural resource extraction and processing accounted for 23 % of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2015. Therefore, reducing resource use through resource efficiency promises significant contributions to climate protection. This "climate-resource-nexus" has mostly been... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, M., Araujo Sosa, A., Hinzmann, M., Exploring perspectives on climate-resource-nexus policies: barriers and relevance in different world regions, J.sustain. dev. energy water environ. syst., 1090408, DOI: https://doi.org/10.13044/j.sdewes.d9.0408

PublicationReportZirkuläre Innovationen im Bereich Bauen in Berlin
 
Cover with photo of the city of Berlin

© Ecologic Institute

The innovation field of construction is a resource-relevant field in Berlin – in 2017, the construction sector accounted for about 22 percent of the raw material input of the state of Berlin. Currently, the recycling rate for mineral construction waste is around 50... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. and Hinzmann, M. (2021). Zirkuläre Innovationen im Bereich Bauen in Berlin –Potenziale und Governance-Ansätze (Wissen. Wandel. Berlin. Report Nr. 6). Berlin: Ecologic Institute, Forschungsverbund Ecornet Berlin.

Plastic Governance & Waste Avoidance

PublicationReportHintergrundpapier: Plastikpolitik in Deutschland und der EU
 
Plastic pollution – especially the dramatic littering of the oceans – and the public concerns about it have powerfully brought the issue on the European and German political agenda. Since then, there have been a whole series of new initiatives to regulate plastics -... Read more

Mederake, Linda; Hinzmann, Mandy; Langsdorf, Susanne (2020): Hintergrundpapier: Plastikpolitik in Deutschland und der EU. Ecologic Institut: Berlin.

PublicationPolicy BriefStepping up Waste Prevention
 
RECREATE Policy Brief No. 7
Ecologic Institute co-authored the RECREATE policy brief no. 7 on challenges and opportunities for national waste prevention programs. The authors state that the political framework needs to be more enabling and with further support for research and development targeted... Read more

Fischer, Susanne; Mandy Hinzmann and Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers (2017). Stepping up Waste Prevention – Challenges and Opportunities for National Waste Prevention Programmes. RECREATE Project Policy Brief No. 7.

Green Innovations

PublicationArticleAn Acceptance Analysis of Subsoil Amelioration Amongst Agricultural Actors in Two Regions in Germany
 
publication's first page of the pdf

© 2021 Hinzmann, Ittner, Kiresiewa and Gerdes

The subsoil could play an important role for agricultural climate adaptation strategies. It is defined as soil layers below the working depth of 30 cm. The subsoil often receives little attention in farming practice. Yet, plants extract between 10 and 80% of their... Read more

Hinzmann M, Ittner S, Kiresiewa Z and Gerdes H (2021). An Acceptance Analysis of Subsoil Amelioration Amongst Agricultural Actors in Two Regions in Germany. Front. Agron. 3:660593. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2021.660593

PublicationArticleThe "Invisible" Subsoil
 
Hidden beneath the humus-rich topsoil, the subsoil usually receives little attention in agricultural practice. Yet, plants cover between 10 and 80% of their nutrient and water needs from subsoils. Measures to improve the subsoil could help in bridging droughts and... Read more

Frelih-Larsen, A.; Hinzmann, M.; Ittner, S. (2018). The 'Invisible' Subsoil: An Exploratory View of Societal Acceptance of Subsoil Management in Germany. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3006.

doi:10.3390/su10093006

PublicationReportDie Wahrnehmung von In-Vitro-Fleisch in Deutschland
 
PolRess 2 – Kurzanalyse
The short analysis by Mandy Hinzmann gives an overview of the different positions on laboratory-produced artificial meat and shows the lines of argumentation of different stakeholder groups in Germany. The study is available for download. In view of the fact that... Read more

Hinzmann, Mandy (2018): Die Wahrnehmung von In-Vitro-Fleisch in Deutschland: Analyse der gesellschaftlichen Diskurse. Kurzanalyse im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik 2 (PolRess 2). www.ressourcenpolitik.de

PublicationReportArgumentation für eine nachfrageseitige Innovationspolitik aus der Perspektive der Ressourcenpolitik
 
Hinzmann, M. und Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. (2015): Argumentation für nachfrageseitige Innovationspolitik aus der Perspektive der Ressourcenpolitik. Kurzanalyse 23 im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik: Analyse der ressourcenpolitischen Debatte und Entwicklung von Politikoptionen ... Read more

Hinzmann, M. und Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. (2015): Argumentation für nachfrageseitige Innovationspolitik aus der Perspektive der Ressourcenpolitik. Kurzanalyse 23 im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik: Analyse der ressourcenpolitischen Debatte und Entwicklung von Politikoptionen (PolRess).

Selected presentations by Mandy Hinzmann
PresentationSpeechTransforming Infrastructures towards Sustainability – lessons learnt from ICT-based peer-to-peer carsharing service Drivy in Germany
 
© R. Stuermer, WRF2017
The World Resources Forum 2017 entitled "Accelerating the Resource Revolution" was held in Geneva from 24 to 25 October 2017. Ecologic Institute's Mandy Hinzmann presented the TRAFIS project with a lecture on "Transforming infrastructures towards sustainability -... Read more

Speech:Transforming Infrastructures towards Sustainability – lessons learnt from ICT-based peer-to-peer carsharing service Drivy in Germany

Date
Location
Geneva, Switzerland

Recent content by Mandy Hinzmann

Event:Workshop
 
How can circular principles be effectively integrated into corporate strategies beyond recycling? Which approaches work in practice? These questions guided the online workshop "From Thread to Cycle: Business Models for a Circular Future", held on 25 September 2025 as part of the BMFTR funding initiative "Resource-Efficient Circular Economy - circular sustainable textiles."

From Thread to Cycle: Business Models for a Circular Future

Online Workshop


Online, Germany

Read more
Publication:Article
 
Anthropogenic litter poses a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. While the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) addresses this pollution as an environmental status indicator, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) lacks such a measure. The publication, co-authored by Doris Knoblauch and Mandy Hinzmann (both Ecologic Institute) highlights how citizen science can address this issue by utilising existing litter data from related initiatives.

Public Participation in EU Legislation?

Recommendations for Involving Citizen Scientists in Anthropogenic Litter Research Within the Water Framework Directive

Year

Read more
News
 
This spring, the German Plastic Pirates are once again setting off to explore plastic pollution in our waters. From 1 May to 30 June 2025, school classes and youth groups are invited to take part in the sampling period. The investigation will focus on the German coasts and the river systems of the Elbe and Danube, including their tributaries.
 

The Plastic Pirates' New Sampling Period is Dedicated to Plastic Waste Pollution on the Coasts and in the Elbe and Danube Catchment Areas

– 1 May until 30 June 2025 –

Read more
Event:Conference
 
The kick-off conference at the Umweltforum Berlin on 11 and 12 March 2025 marked the start of the new 'Circular Textiles' funding measure from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in which a total of 16 joint research projects and an accompanying networking and transfer project will be working on solutions to support a circular textile economy until 2028. The aim of the event, which was attended by around 100 people, was to present the individual projects, identify common challenges and derive cross-cutting topics for collaborative work.

Kick-off Conference of the BMBF Funding Measure "Circular Textiles"

Exciting presentations and interesting discussions on various aspects of circular textiles

-
Berlin, Germany

Read more
Project
 
The Plastic Pirates Plus project focuses on where participation in education needs to be particularly promoted: in school classes with a higher proportion of pupils from socially disadvantaged households. The aim is to give these young people access to the world of science through a low-threshold, practical programme – regardless of their financial or social circumstances. Participation in the project is free of charge and thus deliberately designed so that no child is excluded.

Plastic Pirates Plus: Opportunities along the coast

-

Read more
Publication:Article
 
Cover of a research article from the Marine Pollution Bulletin. The title reads "Temporal variability of litter pollution of rivers in Germany – A long-term assessment by schoolchildren as citizen scientists." The article lists multiple authors and affiliations, and the abstract discusses the study's findings on river litter dynamics. Visible sections include the abstract and the introduction.
A seven-year citizen science study with schoolchildren on German riversides found stable litter density, mainly plastic and cigarette butts, with wider rivers showing higher litter levels, stressing the need for policy action.

Temporal Variability of Litter Pollution of Rivers in Germany

A long-term assessment by schoolchildren as citizen scientists

Year

Read more
Project
 
Ecologic Institute is preparing an assessment report on "Technological options for reducing plastic waste in the oceans". The report will provide a systematic overview of technologies designed to remove plastic waste from water bodies. The analysis will evaluate technical, ecological and economic aspects as well as risks and benefits. The report will present the current state of knowledge in a concise and scientifically robust manner, identify gaps in knowledge and provide a basis for informed decisions.

Technological Options for Reducing Plastic Waste in the Oceans

-

Read more
Project
 
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.

Conceptualising and Planning Digital Solutions to Promote Sustainable Consumption for a Circular Economy

-

Read more