Günter Dehoust

Policy Brief

Circular Economy – Wellbeing within Planetary Boundaries

This Policy Brief summarises Oeko-Institut’s recommendations for policymakers. Developed on the basis of our scientific findings, these recommendations are intended to provide guidance for political representatives in their decision-making for a circular economy.

In the Spotlight

Plastic waste: For greater responsibility in dealing with plastics

Plastics are an indispensable part of our daily lives. Plastic packaging, textiles and car tyres all belong to a group of materials with specific properties – substances known as polymers. Some are particularly flexible, others rigid; some are useful because they are so lightweight. Common to them

In the Spotlight

Construction aggregates, metals and biotic materials: recycling and recovery

The building and transport sectors use large quantities of primary raw materials. Recycling therefore has a key role to play in reducing consumption and conserving resources in these sectors. In a circular economy, end-of-life (EOL) products are treated not as waste but as resources.

An assessment of environmental hazard potentials of raw materials from mining and recommendations for an ecological raw materials policy

Environmental Criticality of Raw Materials

Within the project OekoRess II, more than 50 mineral raw materials were evaluated with regard to the environmental hazard potential of mining using and further refining the methodology developed in the predecessor project OekoRess I. The evaluation system consists of eight indicators on geological,

Influence of the service life of products in terms of their environmental impact: Establishing an information base and developing strategies against "obsolescence"

The aim of the study is to create a sound data basis for describing and assessing the phenomenon of obsolescence and the trends in achieved product lifespan and service life and, based on this, to develop strategies against obsolescence. The results show that electrical and electronic equipment is b

The environmental criticality of primary raw materials – A new methodology to assess global environmental hazard potentials of minerals and metals from mining

Environmental aspects are more and more relevant for raw material policy-making and responsible sourcing strategies. This trend is partly based on growing public awareness of problems and impacts associated with extraction and processing of ores and minerals. Disaster events such as the tailing