With the start of the three-year dialogue for food waste reduction in the out-of-home sector forum, the prevention of food waste in out-of-home catering is being systematically tackled. This process will develop cross-industry guidelines for action and adopt binding targets. Ecologic Institute supports the implementation of the process and dialogue. Stephanie Wunder moderated the kick-off event.

In the winter term 2018/2019 Doris Knoblauch, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, organized the seminar "Think Tank Policy Consulting" at the Otto Suhr Institute (OSI) of the Free University Berlin. It was the first time that this seminar was held by an Ecologic Institute researcher at the OSI. Similar courses have been taught before at the Bremen University of Applied Sciences.

Which trends and developments characterise the energy system in the overlapping phases of the energy transition? Which opportunities and which risks are borne by digital technologies and data-based business models in pursuit of an ecologically-oriented energy transition? How do the structures of players change and what challenges do different actors face? These questions are the subject of a short study written by Lisa Meinecke and Christine Lucha of Ecologic Institute. The study is available for download.

This COACCH project report is a stock-take of the knowledge on the economic costs of climate impacts and policy challenges in Europe. It describes the status quo and gaps in the existing knowledge on impact analysis and economic costs for 13 sectors. It provides an overview of existing knowledge on climate and socio-economic tipping points. The report is available for download.

In this project, a mapping of young Europeans dealing with environmental protection was created. On this basis, a list of 35 suitable candidates for a workshop in Brussels was derived. At the workshop, representatives of DG Environment will have the opportunity to exchange and network with the young environmentalists. The preceding mapping, which was primarily carried out by Ecologic Institute, explicitly involved young social media influencers.

At Scotland's International Marine Conference 2019, Ecologic Institute's Linda Mederake presented results from the study "No more Plastics in the Ocean – Gaps in Global Plastic Governance and Options for a Legally Binding Agreement to Eliminate Marine Plastic Pollution" at a session on international working. The corresponding discussion paper is available for download.

For several years, the EU and China have cooperated on the design and implementation of carbon markets. Since 2018, the Ecologic Institute has become part of an international consortium led by ICF to deliver capacity building, training and joint research activities in support of a national Emissions Trading System for China. Ecologic experts Benjamin Görlach and Michael Mehling are part of a joint research team, comprised of European and Chinese experts, on the issue of market oversight rules, mechanisms and institutions for a national carbon market in China.

Biofuels form a large part of renewable energy consumption in the transport sector in the EU. The use of biofuels has many challenges for consumers and it is therefore necessary to better understand the different problems and trends of consumption in the EU. "Study on the use of feedstocks for biofuels in selected EU countries" evaluates the availability of data on different sustainability aspects of biofuels in selected EU member states. In addition, it provides information on relevant policy measures to support biofuel consumption.

The RECIPES project (REconciling sCience, Innovation and Precaution through the Engagement of Stakeholders) aims to develop new tools and guidelines to ensure the precautionary principle is applied while still encouraging innovation. RECIPES will consider a number of concerns and broaden the basis of participation by engaging with citizens and stakeholders in the co-creation of new tools for innovation and precaution. The objective is to address and reduce societal controversy while helping policymakers and other stakeholders to assess risks and uncertainty and applying the precautionary principle taking into account innovation.

In a study for DG FISMA, the Ecologic Institute and its partners supported the Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance in the development of technical screening criteria for agriculture activities to be included in the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. The tasks included: 1) scoping of agriculture activities with significant potential to contribute to mitigation and adaptation; 2) drafting of criteria, metrics and thresholds to ensure that selected activities substantially contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and do not significantly harm any other environmental objectives; 3) supporting research on means for compliance checking; 4) organising a workshop with expert group members; and 5) preparing inputs to support the Impact Assessment of the agricultural components of the Taxonomy. The outcomes of the study were integrated in the Technical Report on EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy.

This final report presents the results of the research project "Internet of services and things and compliance with environmental standards of technical infrastructures – a concept study for Schwerin and its surroundings". The report is available for download.

To mark the launch of the 2018 Global Think Tank Ranking report on 31 January 2019, Ecologic Institute convened a Luncheon discussion of think tankers and policy experts to discuss "Why Facts and Think Tanks Matter". The event, the first of its kind in Lisbon (Portugal), was part of a worldwide launch of the report in over 80 cities around the world, with over 230 think tanks hosting or co-hosting.

The National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) are a key tool of the Energy Union Governance towards achieving the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. All Member State had to submit their drafts by 31 December 2018. The Ecologic Institute, together with CLIMACT, developed a methodology to rate and rank the draft NECPs. Funded by the European Climate Foundation, this project sheds light on how well Member States are fulfilling the obligation of the Governance Regulation and thereby, how well Member States are supporting the achievement of the 2030 targets.

Edenhofer, Ottmar; Christian Flachsland and Lisa Katharina Schmid 2018: Decarbonization and EU ETS Reform: Introducing a Price Floor to Drive Low-carbon Investments. In: 12 Years of European Emissions Trading in German Stocktaking and perspectives for effective climate protection, 1. ed. Marburg: Michael Angrick, Christoph Kühleis, Jürgen Landgrebe, Jan Weiß.

The European Birds and Habitats Directives - jointly referred to as the Nature Directives (ND) – are central regulatory instruments to achieve the EU Biodiversity Strategy’s main target: ‘halt the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the EU and help stop global biodiversity loss by 2020’. A recent evaluation by the European Commission has concluded that while the ND remain highly relevant, their implementation needs to be improved to successfully achieve sought objectives. The project Evidence‐based improvements in the Birds and Habitats Directives (BHD) implementation: a systematic review (E-BIND) responds to this need by gathering evidence and developing recommendations for key stakeholders on how to better use scientific knowledge and networks to more effectively implement the Directives.