Scientific support and monitoring of the National Circular Economy Strategy

The aim and task of the project is to scientifically support the process of developing and updating a National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS) for a resource-conserving, sustainable circular economy and to enrich it with contributions to the discussion and further inputs. To this end, proposals are being developed for a sensible framework of action for the strategy, concrete targets for reducing primary raw material consumption and for closing material cycles, as well as for a consistent system of targets and indicators, and for an effective package of instruments and measures. Special attention is also paid to measuring the national and global climate protection effects of the proposed measures.

Even after the completion of the NKWS, the project will serve to accompany and further develop measures and policy approaches, as well as to support approaches to action through modelling and potential analyses, for example on the reduction potential of greenhouse gas emissions. It also serves to provide scientific advice to the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency on the implementation and further development of the NKWS. Finally, the project also includes fundamental questions such as possible adjustments to the legal framework (including resource conservation law), financing aspects and political and economic control options.

Main project tasks include:

• Identification of the framework for action and development of a system and conceptual understanding for circular and resource-conserving economic activity to conserve resources and reduce the primary demand for raw materials;
• Identification of particularly relevant material flows, products, fields of action, developments and cross-cutting issues;
• Development and application of a system of targets and indicators;
• Development of policy approaches with associated measures including verification of the social compatibility of the system of instruments/measures and approaches for creating acceptance; Fields of action inter alia include textiles, public procurement and electronics
• Further development of methodological approaches and evaluation bases as well as consistent modelling of greenhouse gas emission reductions
• Scientific support and input to the political strategy process