As part of the DYNAMIX project, three policy reports that synthesised the assessments of three policy mixes (a land use policy mix; a metals and materials use policy mix; and an overarching policy mix) were written in order to support the pathway to absolute decoupling in the EU. These policy mixes were designed to specifically address the use of virgin metals, the use of arable land and freshwater, the input of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus and emissions of greenhouse gases. The policy brief is available for download.

Increasing material use efficiency is important to mitigate future supply risks and minimize environmental impacts associated with the production of materials. The policy mix presented in this paper aims to contribute to reducing the use of virgin metals in the EU by 80% by 2050 without significantly shifting burdens to other material resources, the environmental or other parts of the world. The article, which was written with the collaboration of Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers (Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute), is available for download.

Grünig, Max; Ian Skinner; Mary Ann Kong 2010: Study on Consumer Information on Fuel Economy and CO2 Emissions of New Passenger Cars. Implementation of the Directive 1999/94/EC. Brussels.

Wunder, Stephanie 2014: "Ökologische Tierhaltung und Naturschutz – Synergien und Konflikte", in: Lieske Voget-Kleschin; Leonie Bossert and Konrad Ott (eds.): Nachhaltige Lebensstile. Welchen Beitrag kann ein bewussterer Fleischkonsum zu mehr Naturschutz, Klimaschutz und Gesundheit leisten? Weimar bei Marburg: Metropolis Verlag für Ökonomie, Gesellschaft und Politik, 202-215.

Smart homes offer significant potential to enable new energy saving services and capabilities offered via smart grids. However, research reveals that consumer perception regarding reliability and data privacy risks, as well as high costs of technologies act as significant barriers to consumer acceptance of smart homes. In a paper, published in Energy Research and Social Science, Benjamin Boteler and co-authors investigated the differences and similarities in technical and economic drivers and barriers to smart home market development in the UK, Germany, and Italy. The paper European smart home market development: Public views on technical and economic aspects across the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy is available for download.

A recent study provides the members of the European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety (ENVI Committee) with the needed expertise to monitor the ongoing negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement. The study was co-authored by Ecologic Institute, Bio IS, and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and serves as a follow-up to a 2013 study entitled "Legal Implications of TTIP for the Acquis Communautaire in ENVI Relevant Sectors."

Energy subsidies come in many shapes and forms. Reducing them is a rare win-win. Both public budgets and the climate would profit. In this book chapter, Frans Oosterhuis and Katharina Umpfenbach are digging into the conundrum why energy subsidy reform remains slow across the world despite its obvious benefits.

Determining environmental impacts of products is complex. In this study, BIO IS, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Ecologic Institute investigated approaches for verifying that claims made by companies on the environmental properties of products or their own overall environmental performance are correct. The study was commissioned by the European Commission, DG Environment. The Ecologic Institute contributed an analysis on the law of the World Trade Organziation as far as relevant for related policy measures. The report is available for download.

A policy brief written by Katharina Umpfenbach and colleagues for DG Environment summarises the most relevant scientific insights and analyses the implications for policy making. It highlights novel policy ideas for triggering changes in consumer behaviour. The policy brief is available for download.

This empirical report presents the four case studies of the InContext project: GELA - GEmeinsam LAndwirtschaften, a community-supported agriculture project and Thursday Veggie Day, an initiative to reduce meat consumption, and Municipal Energy Transition Process and Emission-Zero cooperative, two projects for citizen-led investments in renewable energies. The study is available for download.

As part of the project InContext, Ecologic Institute has designed four posters concerned with sustainable lifestyle initiatives in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. The posters, illustrated with photos and maps, provide in-depth information on the process and results of the initiatives. They were displayed at the final project conference of InContext and are available for download.

From urban gardening and networks of sharing to community-owned wind farms: citizens' initiatives emerge all over Europe in a quest to find new answers to today's pressing challenges. This policy brief explores new forms of cooperation between local governments and these bottom-up initiatives. It argues that getting involved with initiatives helps local governments to be an active player in their community's change dynamics. This cooperation furthermore requires new ways of engaging and participating between the groups.

In a chapter for the edited volume Metropolitan sustainability: Understanding and improving the urban environment, Max Grünig from the Ecologic Institute discusses non-technical approaches for developing sustainable transport and mobility plans in urban areas. The chapter 'Sustainable urban transport planning' emphasizes that it is important to understand consumer behavior and the characteristics of different urban transport choices in order to find the best solution for different urban areas.

This video deals with the British family "Electron" who use Smart Home technologies for environmental protection reasons. The video illustrates the advantages of Smart Homes including among other features a detailed control over power consumption.

Information on the environmental characteristics of products, such as on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused during their production or their energy efficiency, are essential in order to allow consumers to make informed choices on which products to buy. This study investigated different design options for product-related environmental information addressed at consumers.