Despite the extensive loss of productive soils and the valuable ecosystem services that soils provide, the awareness of the magnitude and negative implications of these processes remain relatively low. In this RECARE policy brief, Ecologic Institute's Sandra Naumann and Ana Frelih-Larsen together with Gundula Prokop from the Austrian Environment Agency illustrate the scale of the problem and identify ready-made solutions and steps policy makers and practitioners can take across different levels, from city planning to national and European level. The RECARE policy brief is available for download.

This report summarizes the results of the case studies in the CIRCULAR IMPACTS project and derives some main lessons from these case studies. The case studies are on concrete recycling, phosphorus recycling, car sharing, and recycling of batteries from electric vehicles.

This publication is the second of Eurostat's regular reports monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an EU context. The monitoring report provides a statistical presentation of trends relating to the SDGs in the EU over the past five years ('short-term') and, when sufficient data is available, over the past 15 years ('long-term'). Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The publication is available for download.

This brochure is a 'light' version of Eurostat's publication 'Sustainable development in the European Union – 2018 monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context', conveying its main messages in a visual and concise way. The brochure provides an updated snapshot of the current situation concerning 100 indicators related to the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). It thus provides a snapshot of the key trends related to sustainable development in the European Union. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The publication is available for download.

Over the past three years, the AQUACROSS Assessment Framework was developed, tested, and applied in eight case studies across Europe to solve local biodiversity challenges. Finally, results from each Case Study were published in a 30-page case study report and 3-page executive summary report. The case study is available for download.

Wind and water carry our carelessly thrown things even into the Arctic. If we handle waste in Germany more consciously, we relieve the unique Arctic environment. This postcard is part of a series of three postcards that provide information on how the daily consumption of energy and raw materials in Germany can affect the Arctic. The postcards were developed by Ecologic Institute for the Federal Environment Agency within the project "Environmental Guidelines for a German Arctic Policy".

Lough Erne sustains multiple competing activities, each with different demands from the system in terms of ecosystem services and physical resources. It is a heavily modified water body, containing a range of non-native Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are considered a threat to Lough Erne biodiversity and also negatively affect the society that surrounds it. In this report, we apply the AQUACROSS Assessment Framework to understand this challenge and identify and assess ecosystem-based management solutions to the challenge of the IAS Nutall’s pond weed. The case study is available for download.

Freshwater ecosystems in the Swiss plateau are threatened by multiple stressors that deteriorate water quality and hydromorphology. To restore these ecosystems and stop the biodiversity decline, multiple management measures will be implemented over the next decades. We propose methods for a spatial and temporal prioritisation to coordinate measures from different sectors and maximise their effectiveness while considering other societal needs. The case study is available for download.

There is a consensus about the strategic importance of cities and urban areas for achieving a global transformation towards sustainability. While there is mounting interest in the types of qualities that increase the capacity of urban systems to attain deep transformations, empirical evidence about the extent to which existing institutional and material systems exhibit transformative capacity is lacking. This paper thereby seeks to determine the extent to which sustainability initiatives led by local governments and their partners reflect the various components that the literature claims can influence the emergence of transformative capacity as a systemic property of urban settings. The article is available for download.

This infographic illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of various methods for measuring the impacts of circular-economy transitions.

This infographic provides guidelines to policy-makers, interest groups and researchers who want to explore the potential of circular-economy transitions by conducting case studies. It visualizes the step-by-by step methodology developed within the CIRCULAR IMPACTS project in an intuitive way. It also highlights the most important aspects to consider when preparing such case studies.

This infographic focuses on how the circular economy can be integrated into the European Semester. It illustrates the European Commission's role within the process and identifies obstacles to integration, along with possible suggestions to address these obstacles. Additionally, it provides a checklist for successful integration.

The conference "Impacts of the circular economy transition in Europe" took place in Brussels on 5 September 2018, organised as part of the CIRCULAR IMPACTS project. Around 150 people attended the event, including officials from the European Commission, national ministries, the public sector, industry, and NGOs. Ecologic Institute, as project lead, and the CIRCULAR IMPACTS project partners presented their findings on the impacts of moving towards a more circular economy in Europe, one that uses resources efficiently and maintains the economic value of materials. In addition to discussing their insights regarding the policy frameworks necessary for fostering a resource-efficient economy, team members presented evidence on the impacts and potential benefits of moving towards circular-economy approaches in three sectors: electric-vehicle batteries, car sharing, and building materials.

In Tanzania, the majority of the rural population still relies on fuelwood as their major source of cooking energy. The adaptation measures of small-scale farmers in response to increasing fuelwood scarcity play a key role in altering the course of nutrition insecurity, environmental degradation, and economic instability. This study delivers a classification of coping strategies that does not exist in the literature. Furthermore, it analyses the adaptation measures applied by small-scale farmers in the semi-arid region of Dodoma district in response to fuelwood scarcity. A comparison between two case study sites provides information on the choice of adaptation measures by households. Overall, 28 coping strategies from 24 studies are identified, then differentiated into preventive and acute measures that are arranged into eight clusters.

Shipping is vital for trade in the global economy and in particular for countries whose economies are closely tied to trading, like those surrounding the Baltic Sea. However, compared to other sectors, shipping is also a significant driver of environmental pressures, such as the spread of alien species or other physical influences. Underwater noise and emissions of nitrogen oxide and fine dust are additional significant pressures from shipping compared to other land and sea-based activities. Shipping is also a source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Ecologic Institute's policy brief presents an assessment of 20 policies with the potential to tackle the pressures from shipping. The policy brief is available for download.