There are a plethora of voluntary initiatives indirectly connected to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), but until recently, none of these standards were explicitly concerned with ASM. It is only with the introduction of certification schemes specific to the ASM sector that guidelines are...

The increasing number of energy and climate targets both at national and international level induces a rising demand for regular monitoring. In this paper, we analyse the possibilities and limits of using energy efficiency indicators as a tool for monitoring these targets. We refer to the energy...

Transforming the energy system to one with a greater importance of renewable power generation technologies requires redirecting and accelerating technological change. In this transition, so-called policy mixes play a crucial role. Yet precisely how policy mixes affect technological innovation...

Rising energy prices and political goals which address climate change, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increase the importance of using renewable energies and technologies for generating these. Since the manufac-turing industry is one of the major energy consumers in Germany,...

One important aspect of sustainable societies is the efficient use of resources. The consideration of resource efficiency aspects when designing business models such as product service systems (PSS) allows incentivizing such efficiency increases in business relationships. Particularly PSS are...

Due to the environmental challenges associated with the strong growth of plastic waste worldwide, the EU Commission recently published a green paper on a European Strategy on Plastic Waste in the Environment (COM (2013), 123 final), which highlights the challenges and opportunities that arise...

Commercial passenger cars are often discussed as an early market segment for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs). Compared to private vehicles, the commercial vehicle segment is characterized by higher vehicle kilometers travelled and a higher share of vehicle sales in Germany. Studies which...

The vehicle distances travelled by individual users can very strongly between different days. This is particularly problematic for electric vehicles since trips larger than the electric range clearly reduce the vehicle's utility. Here we estimate the number of days with driving distance larger...

The development of both, emerging markets as well as the already establish markets (USA, Japan, Europe), is highly relevant for future success of the export-oriented German automotive industry. This paper describes the so called Global Mobility Model (GLOMO) based on the system dynamics...

Electric vehicles (EVs) have the potential to reduce green house gas emissions from the transport sector. However, the limited electric range of EVs could impede their market introduction. Still some potential users are willing to pay more for EVs. The combined effect of these and other...