Published in April 2021, this policy brief identifies four options for increased multilateral cooperation that support an international shift towards sustainable food systems and help to increase the global 2030 climate ambition at the same time. The identified initiatives focus on activities that reduce food loss and waste and support plant based diets, following a 'food systems approach.'

As part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative, the online expert dialog on the recycling of gypsum took place on 26 November 2020. This expert dialogue, to which the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection of the State of Berlin invited together with relevant associations and companies, was dedicated to important issues around gypsum recycling. Eighty-five people took part in the expert dialog.

The aim of this project is to assess – for a selection of EU Member States – the impacts of policies and measures (PaMs) as described in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). To this end, the project team identifies specific policy instruments and related ex-ante and ex-post evaluations, to collect and compare impact estimates and analyze the implications for achieving the energy and climate goals. The assessment also provides insights into the methodological uncertainties of evaluations in different policy areas. The considered policy areas are energy efficiency, renewable energy, cross-cutting instruments and agriculture and the NECPs from the following Member States are included; Germany, Denmark, France, Slovenia and Sweden.

Presentation and discussion of research results from 20 projects on the issue of plastic pollution.

The objective of transformative research is to find out, together with actors from the corporate sector, politics and civil society, how our economic and social system can be made more sustainable, and to jointly test possible solutions. Transformative research is thus also transdisciplinary - it involves actors beyond academia as equal partners. This kind of research involves certain methodological challenges and questions; some of these were discussed at the tF Symposium 2021: From Experiment to Mainstream. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers and Christiane Gerstetter, both Senior Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, contributed to the online symposium, which was held in German language.

Federal Environment Agency 2021: Strafrechtliche und andere Sanktionen im Umweltrecht. Forschungsprojekt. Flyer.

Individual responsibility of Member States - not collective goals for the EU - are a prerequisite for a successful EU climate policy. Increasing the reduction targets for member states should be the starting point for the revision of EU climate policy, not a vague discussion on expanding emissions trading, writes Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf in his OpEd for the Tagesspiegel.

The Urban Agenda for the EU recognizes the importance of nature-based solutions as tools for sustainable recovery and development. Yet implementation and mainstreaming at city level remain limited. Can the European Green Deal support these efforts? What role can European research projects play? To answer these questions, McKenna Davis was invited as an expert to contribute to the European Urban Knowledge Network’s (EUKN) Policy Lab on 'The Urban Agenda for the EU, its 'green' actions and the European Green Deal'. The 18 March 2021 event aimed to unravel the 'green' actions of the Urban Agenda for the EU and develop concrete messages for the ministers under Slovenia's Presidency on how to support cities dealing with regulatory obstacles when trying to reach environmental goals.

The EU has raised its climate target for 2030 to at least -55 %. Agora Energiewende and Ecologic Institute sketch a "Fit for 55" package that can ensure both environmental integrity and solidarity. It investigates four options how to regulate heating and transport emissions, focusing in particular on the pros and cons of expanding emissions trading to these sectors. The paper makes the case for a smart mix of EU-level carbon pricing and companion polices.

As part of the Berlin Re-Use initiative, the online expert dialogue on strengthening the reuse of furnishings and building components took place on October 6, 2020. The aim of the virtual expert dialogue was to bring together stakeholders from the construction industry, initiatives, DIY stores, demolition and disposal companies who are committed to the reuse of building components and furnishings. Dwindling raw material supplies, shrinking landfill space and pressing climate change show that a fundamental rethink of how to deal with raw materials and waste is needed. The current linear economic model must change - away from the principle of "take, use, dispose" to circular economic activity. The ten speakers presented their re-use projects and shared their practical experiences. They discussed how re-use can be promoted in the construction and furnishing sectors and what obstacles need to be overcome. The 80 or so participants took the opportunity to ask questions and provide impetus for the discussion.

On 27 August 2020, the online expert dialog on "Strengthening the reuse of used ICT devices" took place as part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative. The main purpose of the online dialog was to bring together stakeholders to jointly promote the refurbishment, procurement, repair and reuse of used ICT (information and communications technology) equipment in Berlin.

As part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative, the online expert dialog on the rescue of returned textiles took place on 24 September 2020, with more than 60 interested participants. In a diverse program, 14 experts from various fields and industries presented and discussed the current status quo of problems with returns in the clothing sector from their respective perspectives, as well as potentials and possible starting points for dealing with returns that have arisen and for reducing or avoiding them in the future.

The goal of the KOPOS project is to establish regional supply structures in order to increasingly reconnect urban and rural areas and to practice environmentally friendly management. In the project regions of Freiburg i.Br. and Berlin-Brandenburg, KOPOS is investigating how cooperation between regional actors can help to build more regional supply structures and secure access to land for sustainable cultivation.

Langen, Nina et. al. 2021: Beispiel-Fragebogen zur Kooperation im Rahmen des Dialogforums private Haushalte: Reduzierung von Lebensmittelverschwendung. Ecologic Institute, TU Berlin, Slow Food Deutschland: Berlin.

In 2019, the EU and the countries of the South American trade bloc Mercosur concluded negotiations on a trade agreement. The negotiated text of the agreement includes a chapter on trade and sustainability. The rules on forest protection are weak, however, and the agreement does not provide for sanctions for violations of sustainability-related commitments, either. Against this backdrop, Ralph Bodle and Christiane Gerstetter, both Senior Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, analyse legal options for strengthening forest protection in the agreement. The legal analysis was compiled on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU).