Focus on circular construction: 13th specialist symposium highlights pathways to a construction transition
On 21 May 2026, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy hosted the 13th specialist symposium, ‘Circular Construction – Simple. Reusable. With Recycled Building Materials’, in Stuttgart. The event brought together experts from the fields of research, practice and public administration to discuss key issues relating to the construction transition.
Heating plans under scrutiny: Building Modernisation Act threatens local heating transition
This week, ifeu and BUND jointly presented our study, “BUND’s Assessment of District Heating Plans: Local Gas Phase-out Needs Safeguards”. An analysis of 38 district heating plans from major German cities shows that the local heating transition is taking shape, with cities predominantly planning to use heat pumps and district heating networks. The use of fossil fuels, on the other hand, is set to decline sharply in the target scenarios. At the same time, it is clear that there are still significant gaps between ambitious targets and binding implementation.
Closure of the IEER in Washington: the end of a fruitful transatlantic partnership for independent environmental research
In the early 1980s, two pioneers in the critical examination of nuclear power – Arjun Makhijani and Bernd Franke – founded the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) in the USA to campaign for a sustainable energy future with scientific independence. With the recently announced closure of the IEER, an era of transatlantic environmental research – which also shaped the history of the ifeu – comes to an end.
ifeu at the Berlin Energy Days
The Berlin Energy Days are considered a leading event for the energy transition and climate protection. They will take place digitally from April 15 to 17 and in person in Berlin from May 4 to 6. The exciting full program offers over 100 individual events that you can attend free of charge. ifeu will also be participating with various presentations on April 15, as well as in person on May 5.
Participants Wanted: Consumer Behavior of People with Above-Average Incomes
As an independent research institute, we at ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, in collaboration with KlimAktiv and on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), are conducting a scientific study on the consumption behavior of high-income individuals. Specifically, we are seeking participants with a regular income that is significantly higher than the typical gross annual income in Germany of approximately €52,000. This group in particular is often underrepresented in public statistics, which is why their perspectives are especially relevant to our research. To reach suitable individuals for our survey, we would like to ask for your support—of course, participants will remain anonymous.
New high-tech fabric made from old functional clothing: TheKey research project reaches its first milestone
Polyester-cotton blends are standard in protective, work and sports clothing thanks to their functional advantages. However, recycling them remains difficult: mechanical processes reduce quality and allow only limited reuse, while chemical methods often result in material loss. Better solutions are needed here to advance the circular economy. The ‘TheKey’ project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, has set itself no less a task than finding such a solution. It has now reached its first milestone:
Impact on the climate from the German electricity mix declining
The climate impact of the German electricity mix has fallen significantly in 2024. This is shown by current calculations by the ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg based on newly published electricity generation data from Eurostat. According to these calculations, the German generation mix in 2024 caused an average of 425 grams of CO₂ equivalents per kilowatt hour (g CO₂e/kWh). In 2023, the figure was still 456 g CO₂e/kWh. Only preliminary statistical data is available for 2025 so far. On this basis, the climate impact of the generation mix is 416 g CO₂e/kWh – the improvements are therefore more moderate. All figures already take into account the average losses in electricity distribution in the grid.
The state of construction research in Germany – researchers call for support
Leading scientists from various renowned universities and research institutions in Germany, including ifeu Managing Director Prof. Dr. Martin Pehnt, are calling for continued reliable funding for basic and laboratory research as well as transfer research and related interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborative research projects, as well as better equipment for building research. Only through the federal government's willingness to support research can a faster transformation of the building sector be achieved.
GHG accounting simplified: Uniform emission factors from the Umweltbundesamt – with data from ifeu
More and more companies and other organisations are required or wish to record their GHG emissions – whether due to EU regulations, national climate regulations or customer requirements. Until now, suitable emission factors have often been difficult to access, internationally oriented or methodologically unclear. Since 2025, the Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency) has therefore been offering a uniform, quality-assured and regularly updated list. This reduces the effort required for accounting, standardises the methodology and promotes transparency.