The focus of this research project is on analysing the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) savings of resource efficiency (RE) and circular economy (CE) measures, and on identifying measures with a high potential for GHG-reductions. This also includes policy measures initiated at EU- and international-level, e.g., by the G20/G7 or as part of the European Green Deal. The central question is to what extent a reduction in the consumption of primary raw materials and the closing of material cycles through RE/CE measures can contribute to achieving climate protection targets, and what are the most effective measures for achieving these targets.

On the one hand, the scientific findings are processed in such a way that they can be used directly for the positioning and further development of appropriate resource strategies, e.g., in the ongoing national and international processes such as G7, G20, the UNEP International Resource Panel (IRP) as well as in the European Resource Forum (ERF) as an important discourse and exchange format.

The scientific findings also contribute to the design and content preparation of the upcoming European Resource Forums (ERFs) in 2022 and 2024. For both international conferences, the ERF 2022 as well as the ERF 2024, the project team is comprehensively involved in content preparation and its implementation.