Consumption patterns and environmental awareness as enablers of transition to circular economy

Successful proposals will contribute to: increased consumer awareness of the importance of individual choices and available sustainable and circular purchasing and use options, coupled with demonstrated willingness to change consumption behaviour; demonstrable value of circular purchasing decisions for consumers; provision of clear guidance to public authorities and civil society on strategies to raise awareness and motivate consumption choices with lower environmental footprints and greenhouse gas emissions; strengthened circularity-related knowledge, skills and capacities among economic operators (including product designers) leading to more attractive sustainable circular products and services, with measurable reductions in pollutant and GHG emissions and pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems; and wider benefits to industry and consumers through new ecodesigned products and circular business models that mitigate resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Proposals must: address gaps between consumer knowledge and actual behaviour regarding environmental impacts of mainstream consumption; use social innovation to analyse and identify economic, social, behavioural, psychological, technical and legal barriers and levers for circular and sustainable consumption; integrate dimensions of fairness, equality, diversity, inclusion and gender; perform experimental assessments of consumption patterns and motivations across cultural, geographical, social, demographic and economic groups; design and evaluate pathways to behavioural change for municipalities, companies (including retailers and service providers) and end-users, demonstrating how to shift demand from high-impact products to circular and sustainable alternatives (second-hand, sharing services, repair, durability); assess environmental impacts from a full lifecycle perspective, including monetary valuation of externalities in line with Environmental Footprint methods; formulate policy, governance and business recommendations across economic, behavioural, educational, technical, legal and cultural domains; tackle power imbalances between industry and civil society; explore and validate the role of Ecodesign, Ecolabel, Green Claims and digital tools (Digital Product Passports); develop compelling narratives and storytelling tactics to communicate selling points; explore territorial and geographical dimensions of consumption; build synergies and clustering activities with NEB and CCRI projects; centralise engagement of citizens and civil society; ensure effective integration of SSH disciplines and experts; and consider services of European research infrastructures and JRC engagement.