Öko-Institut e.V. (oeko.de)

Editorial

The Oeko-Institut: the international dimension

Editorial by Michael Sailer, CEO, Oeko-Institut

Much of our current thinking and work on the environment, climate and resource conservation relies on transnational cooperation. The international climate process, the sharing of ideas across borders about the risks associated with nuclear energy and appropriate phase-out strategies, energy efficiency standards at European level, knowledge transfer on the introduction of eco-labels in Asia: the Oeko-Institut’s work already has an international dimension. We are engaged in intensive dialogue with colleagues from a range of disciplines – through our current research projects, through cooperation in intergovernmental bodies or at international conferences. We advise decision-makers who operate within democratic structures, but we also work on systems which have some way to go. And last but not least, we support groups which oppose government policy, assisting them to find ways of…

The Oeko-Institut: the international dimension

In Focus

“We are united by the transfer of knowledge and a shared vision of a more sustainable world – irrespective of where we come from.”

Interview with Desmond Appiah, Sustainability Advisor to the Mayor of Accra

Accra, the capital of Ghana, has a vast waste problem. Quantities of waste are rising rapidly, while the population is also growing. Disposal sites are stretched to the limit. Drains blocked by waste cause severe flooding. In Agbogbloshie on the edge of the city, electronic waste is recycled without regard for proper practice – with serious consequences for humans and the environment. Desmond Appiah plans to tackle these problems: the Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, has… more

“We are united by the transfer of knowledge and a shared vision of a more sustainable world – irrespective of where we come from.”

Cooperation across borders

E-waste in Ghana

In Agenda 2030, the international community pledges to reach 17 goals for sustainable development. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) address various dimensions of sustainability – social, environmental and economic – and cover topics such as poverty, education, clean energy, and sustainable consumption and production. The Agenda is an appeal for collaboration for the benefit of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership – areas of critical importance for humanity.… more

Cooperation across borders

Learning from experience

Sustainability criteria in ASEAN countries

Learning from others’ experience: it’s a useful approach that has stood the test of time. Over recent decades, Germany has gained a wealth of experience with a variety of strategies and tools that support sustainable consumption and production. The lessons it has learned in the process can benefit other countries – for example, on issues such as the introduction of sustainability criteria for products and services under eco-labelling schemes and public procurement. This is… more

Learning from experience

Corporate responsibility

Environmental performance and human rights

A dangerous pesticide long banned in the EU is on sale in other countries. Copper for German products is extracted at a mine where working conditions and safety standards would certainly be in breach of German law. In Bangladesh, a German ship is broken up in conditions which would never satisfy the requirements of any authority in Germany. German businesses operate around the globe: they have international supply chains and sell their products worldwide. And yet in many cases,… more

Corporate responsibility