Press releases

Christof Timpe will become the Oeko-Institut’s new Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2024

On 1 January 2024, Christof Timpe will become the Oeko-Institut’s new Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Jan Peter Schemmel, who is leaving the institute at the end of November 2023. Christof Timpe has more than 30 years of experience as a researcher at the Oeko-Institut, working on energy policy and climate change mitigation strategies and heading its Energy and Climate Division in Freiburg from 1996 to 2023.

Factual accuracy of AI-generated content: new donation-funded project launched

Large language models (LLMs) based on artificial intelligence (AI) – ChatGPT, for example – interact with users in the form of dialogue and provide seemingly trustworthy responses. But how accurate is the information in these responses? In its new non-client, donation-funded project, the Oeko-Institut is examining the specific risks, as well as the opportunities, created by these new AI-based large language models.

Energy sharing – a model for the energy transition?

But how will the expected benefits of energy sharing be felt in practice? This is still an open question; it will depend on future policy frameworks. In a new study conducted on behalf of the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Oeko-Institut and Stiftung Umweltenergierecht (Foundation for Environmental Energy Law) have compared various concepts of energy sharing.

Ecological alignment of Artificial Intelligence

The European Parliament’s amendments to the proposal for a Regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be defined as a socio-ecological turnaround compared to the European Commission’s existing draft. The parliamentary draft proposes a series of environmental and climate-related provisions which, in the Oeko-Institut’s view, are feasible and technically achievable.

Societal change by transitioning to a circular economy

A circular economy supports the transformation towards a sustainable society that protects the climate and biodiversity. In a circular economy embracing all sectors, products and raw materials are utilised for as long as possible and subsequently recycled – which will change our whole way of doing business and consuming.

Factsheets released on different project types in the carbon market

To contribute to achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, carbon credits in the voluntary carbon market need to be of high quality.

The future of road freight transport is electric

The availability of a broad-scale and well-performing charging network by 2035 offers potential to increase new registrations of battery electric trucks to 100 per cent.

Projection Report 2023: despite progress, Germany is set to miss its climate targets

Germany will not achieve its self-imposed climate target for 2030 – namely to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 65% compared to 1990 – with existing measures.

Courage, a clear steer and fact-based discussions for the sustainability transformation

More courage and confidence, a clear steer from policy-makers and fact-based discussions are required to make a success of the sustainability transformation, according to Jan Peter Schemmel, the Oeko-Institut’s CEO, in the new episode of the institute’s “Wenden bitte!” podcast.

New study: Building a circular future, safeguarding resources

Towards sustainable agriculture – we’re still on the starting blocks

The challenges in switching to sustainable and organic farming are considerable. The agricultural sector needs to adapt to climate change and substantially reduce its climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. “We currently have a great many policy goals – climate neutrality in particular – but very little by way of practical action,” says Margarethe Scheffler in the new episode of the Oeko-Institut’s “Wenden bitte!” podcast. “We have a long way to go and in terms of transforming our farm sector, we’re still on the starting blocks. Germany needs to take urgent action here.”

New prospects for environmental rights through European supply chain legislation

With the Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains, which entered into force in January 2023, Germany now has legislation in place which obliges German companies to take responsibility for ensuring compliance with human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains. A supply chain consists of the suppliers of raw materials and inputs needed to manufacture or sell a product.

CO2 capture and storage – five technologies point the way to net zero

New platform sheds light on the bioeconomy

Climate action in transport: push and pull

Society for Transdisciplinary and Participatory Research founded

Oeko-Institut publishes diversity plan

Data centres, digital lifestyle, artificial intelligence: podcast on climate action and digitalisation

Expansion of Carbon Credit Scoring Tool Reveals Opportunities to Improve Quality of Carbon Market

Forests: Cash from conservation, not timber

Emissions trading: a key component of climate action

Reducing the carbon footprint of UEFA EURO 2024

As many rooftops as possible: Recommendations for an ambitious EU-wide solar mandate

Why we must make the heat transition a success – and how

Financial rewards for forest conservation

Donating used Lithium-ion batteries to Africa? Clear rules urgently needed

Climate protection and district heating: Regulatory frameworks in Europe

Corporate responsibility: Returning efficiency gains to the environment

Quality of carbon credits: new interactive scoring tool online

Arbor Day: Calculating the carbon footprint of wood correctly

Working from home helps to protect the climate

The scientific basis for an accelerated coal phase-out

Reshaping mobility for the future

The power of data for environmental policy

Knowledge for Change: Ten Years of Ecornet

Company cars: tax benefits cause multi-billion-euro social and environmental misalignment

Organic pasture-based milk delivers environmental benefit

More than cheating software: ANTICSS highlights all roads to circumvention of EU ecodesign and energy labelling

Nuclear energy - not a source of significant harm?

Air transport: Fewer privileges, more climate action

How the Building Sector Can Achieve Its Climate Targets After All

Oeko-Institut launches science and sustainable transformations podcast

Sustainability evaluation of products and services

Land use in the EU Climate Target Plan 2030: Ecosystems are more than carbon reservoirs

Too often in combustion engine mode: plug-in hybrids put transport sector’s climate targets at risk

Further design of EU climate target for 2030 decisive for climate protection

Aviation and climate action – Facts, figures, information

Transport policy: socially fair and climate-friendly

Making a success of sustainable hydrogen imports

How Germany can become climate-neutral by 2050

Data centres: an underrated climate risk

Lithium and graphite for battery production: the future of the supply chain

More climate ambition is feasible for the EU

Statutory strategies to tackle nitrogen surpluses

Prevent premature obsolescence, prolong service life – Recommendations for sustainable product policy

Launch of the tdAcadamy platform: Research to solve social problems and crises is strengthened

Coronavirus crisis: sustainability check for economic stimulus measures

Climate action in the aviation sector under threat

Close gap in the law to improve environmental standards in online shopping

LNG trucks: Not an option for climate protection

Oeko-Institut: Jan Peter Schemmel is the Institute’s new Chief Executive Officer

IFA Berlin: 8 recommendations for electronic products with long lifespans

Getting climate protection on track: How socially balanced CO2 pricing works

Oeko-Institut: CEO Michael Sailer retires

PtX needs sustainability rules: additional renewable power is key to protecting the climate

Lithium-ion batteries: Global resource demand and recycling potential until 2050

EU collection rate: More than half of all batteries disappear

Recommendations for climate-friendly road freight transport

Repair or replace? Extending the life span of your home appliances – facts and figures

Sustainability strategy for EURO 2024 shows that environmentally friendly sports events are possible

Opportunities and risks of genome editing: Oeko-Institut calls for informed assessment

Start of the ANTICSS project: Anti-Circumvention of Standards for better market Surveillance

German companies jeopardise the environment and human rights

Quotas for electro-mobility and rules on battery recycling: is China a step ahead of the EU?

Electric road freight: German-Swedish research collaboration has started

Electromobility – Fact check

Sustainable textile production in Bangladesh – what duty of care is called for?

Germany 2049: Transition to a sustainable use of raw materials. An agenda for action

“40 years – Let’s make a wish!” The Oeko-Institut launches its anniversary celebrations

Nuclear facilities in crisis areas: an underrated threat

Innovative and efficient – ProCold is awarding the most energy efficient professional and commercial refrigeration equipment in five categories

Strategies to accelerate Germany’s coal phase-out

Germany 2049: Transition to a sustainable use of raw materials. Goals and actions

Electric mobility: Opportunities for climate protection in Europe

Oeko-Institut designs a roadmap for a sustainable use of raw materials

75 raw materials, 11 sustainability criteria, 4 areas of need and 2 scenarios – the transition to a sustainable use of raw materials makes a detailed analysis necessary. For a future raw materials policy that is sustainable, Oeko-Institut has defined material-specific targets and instruments for different groups of raw materials for the first time.

Increased bioenergy demand to put pressure on forests

A new study shows that increased demand for biomass for energy in Europe, through intensified use of existing forests, could lead to loss of biodiversity and high competition for wood between sectors, and proposes policies to help preserve biodiversity while also limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

The deadly business of lead recycling – now on the agenda of the United Nations

When the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) meets in Nairobi on Monday, its agenda will include one of the new and major health and environmental hazards facing many African countries today: the recovery of lead from waste batteries.

Civil society demands action, not words, on nanotechnology

NGOs, consumer groups and research organisations have expressed disappointment with the European Commission's continuing failure to propose adequate measures for the collection and publication of information about nanomaterials on the EU market after a Commission meeting with stakeholders in Brussels on Monday.

EU land and forests can help EU be more ambitious on climate, new study shows

As the ratification process for the Paris Agreement begins, a new study shows how the EU’s new policy on land and forests is essential to curb climate change given the Commission’s reluctance to increase climate targets.

Declaration: Precautionary Approach Critical on Waste Containing Nanomaterials

In today’s Declaration on Waste Containing Nanomaterials, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), ECOS, and the Oeko-Institut emphasize the importance of adopting and implementing preventive measures to protect people and the environment from possible hazards of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) in waste streams.

Europe: Renewable energy is growing, coal-fired electricity production remaining constant

The use of renewable energies in Europe is continuing to expand: in 2015 EU member states were able to fulfil approx. a third of their electricity consumption using renewable energies such as wind, hydro and solar power.

Fridge recycling: Joint processing yields environmental benefits

When end-of-life refrigeration appliances are treated, some of the waste appliances being sent for recycling contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), while others are CFC-free.

A Sustainable Raw-Materials Strategy for Europe

The “Strategic Dialogue on Sustainable Raw Materials for Europe” (STRADE), a 3-year research project (through 2018) to develop scientifically validated recommendations for a long-term European strategy on raw materials, successfully held its project kickoff in Darmstadt, Germany in January 2016.

Olympia 2024: First comprehensive Sustainability Concept for Hamburg

Today, the Hamburg 2024 Bid Company and the city of Hamburg introduce you to the sustainability concept for the application to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

Transition to sustainable raw materials management needed in Germany

In order to produce, further process and use raw materials responsibly in the future, comprehensive and material-specific sustainability targets are needed. These targets must take into account environmental and social challenges in equal measure.

For a better protection of human health and the environment: The Lead Recycling Africa Project

International study: efficient waste management for more climate protection

In India and Egypt as well as in the USA waste management can contribute significantly more to climate protection than at present. The climate protection potentials of waste management in these three countries – as well as other OECD und EU member states – are far from exhausted.

Civil society gives impetus for sustainable change

New research shows risk of including land use and forests in EU’S emissions target

Reality check: obsolescence