Sustainability indicators

Sustainability has been the central prerequisite for any type of development since the Rio Summit of 1992. In order to make sustainable development a tangible and measurable commodity, specific indicators are required as a solid basis for decisions at all levels. For many years, ifeu has been dealing intensively with the development and implementation of sustainability indicators and indicator systems at international, national, municipal and corporate level. The development has always incorporated established indicator systems in order to contribute to the overall harmonisation of this complex set of issues. Priority areas often include particularly relevant sectors such as the use of raw materials, especially the use of biomass for energy systems, material usage, and traffic.

Contact

Horst Fehrenbach

Dipl. Biology
Scientific Director
+49 (0)6221 4767 16
horst.fehrenbach@ifeu.de

Nils Rettenmaier

Dipl. Geoecology
+49 (0) 6221 4767 24
nils.rettenmaier@ifeu.de

Projects

Symobio 2.0: Consolidating Systemic Monitoring and Modelling of the Bioeconomy

In SYMOBIO 2.0, the monitoring system for the German bioeconomy developed in the previous project will be specified and further developed.

SYMOBIO: Systemic monitoring and modeling of the bioeconomy

In the SYMOBIO project, ifeu is investigating the role that product life cycle assessment can play in a moni-toring system for the bioeconomy.

BioMates

Reliable Bio-based Refinery Intermediates

The four-year project aims at manufacturing intermediate products made from wood-like or stalk-like non-food biomass, e.g. from agricultural residues and perennial grasses, which are suitable for…

KEEKS

The project KEEKS (Climate and Energy Efficient School Canteens) investigates the possibilities to design school canteens more climate and energy efficient. Main aspects include the selection of food,…

SEEMLA

Sustainable exploitation of biomass for bioenergy from marginal lands

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, the three-year project is focusing on the reliable and sustainable use of biomass from marginal land.

COSMOS

COSMOS aims at reducing the dependence on imported coconut and palm kernel oils and fatty acids and on castor oil as sources for medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA, C10–C14) and medium-chain polymer…

D-FACTORY: The Micro-Algae Biorefinery

The research project "The Micro-Algae Biorefinery (D-FACTORY)" aims at developing a concept for a microalgae biorefinery that is used for the sustainable production of Dunaliella algae and its…

PUFAChain

The Value Chain from Microalgae to PUFAs: technological, environmental and integrated sustainability assessments

The research project "The Value Chain from Microalgae to PUFA" (PUFAChain) aims at creating a profound scientific and technological basis for the industrial production of high-value products from…

OPTIMA

The project, coordinated by the University of Catania, focused on the Mediterranean region where marginal lands are usually characterised by poor water availability.

BIOCORE

The project focused on the production of a wide range of products from non-food biomass feedstocks using an innovative Organosolv technology.

SUPRABIO

The SUPRABIO project researched, developed and demonstrated a toolkit of novel generic processes that can be applied to a range of biorefinery concepts.

BIOLYFE

The BIOLYFE project improved critical process steps and demonstrated the whole supply chain, from feedstock sourcing via fuel production to product utilisation.

Ecological Optimization of Regionally Produced Food: Energy and Greenhouse Gas Balances

ifeu investigated the greenhousegas and energy balances of regionally produced food compared to national or international production for six exemplary items: apple, lettuce, beef, beer, bread, milk.