Interview with Professor Christian Thorun on the conclusion of the AI lighthouse project ZuSiNa
“We have analyzed the overall system of digital sustainability information in the textile sector.”
The ZuSiNa AI lighthouse project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and aimed to make sustainability information in online retail more accessible and visible for the textile sector using data-driven technologies.
Project coordinator Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun has now reported on the results in an interview for Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH. The starting point of the project was the realization that reliable sustainability information is underrepresented in online retail, although consumers and companies have a strong interest in it. The ZuSiNa project relied on IT and artificial intelligence (AI) to overcome this challenge.
One difficulty was implementing the IT solutions in practice. However, the actual challenges went beyond technological aspects. Fundamental entrepreneurial and political decisions are required in order to implement sustainability-oriented solutions in practice.
In conclusion, Christian Thorun emphasized the great need for a continued dialogue process involving politics, companies and civil society in order to further develop the topic of "sustainability information in the textile sector". The aim is to link current political discussions such as the Digital Product Passport more closely with practical sustainability issues. The project team hopes to have initiated this process and that it will continue to gain momentum after the end of the project.
For the full interview (in German), please read the article here. Further results of this project can be found here.
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ConPolicy article in the Journal for Business, Economics & Ethics
Unused potentials of effective sustainability communication
Access to sustainable consumption is often difficult for consumers. One hurdle is the lack of transparent and understandable information about the sustainability of products. In addition to challenges, the digitalization of consumption also offers opportunities for participation in sustainable consumer markets: Can digital communication tools help to promote sustainable consumption?
The results of the article show that, from a scientific perspective, almost all communication tools are effective in encouraging more sustainable consumption. These include sustainability sigils, sustainability scores, addressing social norms, product placements and product recommendations. Although the findings can be largely confirmed in theory from the companies' perspective, only a few of the communication tools examined are used in practice.
Possible reasons for the lack of implementation of communication tools include technical obstacles, a lack of financial incentives for companies and, in some cases, corporate strategies that are incompatible with the tools. The need for increased cooperation between science and practice becomes clear in order to strengthen the use of effective communication tools in practice and thus promote sustainable consumer decisions.
You can find the complete publication here. Further results of this project can be found here.
Interview with Dr. Sara Elisa Kettner and partners on the PRiME project
Enable citizens to have an informed discussion about the opportunities and risks of using metaverse platforms
The PRiME - Privacy in the Metaverse project started in summer 2023 to address the challenges and opportunities of data protection and privacy in the emerging metaverse. The aim of the project is to provide citizens with an informed discourse on the opportunities and risks of using metaverse platforms and to develop alternative concepts and design requirements for privacy-protecting content.
After almost 10 months of intensive research work, the consortium is taking stock and spoke with XR HUB Bavaria about the project, its motivation and first findings. The project lead Dr. Sara Elisa Kettner explains in the interview that the metaverse as a vision of tech companies holds enormous economic potential, but also entails considerable risks for the privacy of users. This is why the participation of the public and various stakeholders is an essential part of the project. Workshops, interviews and surveys are intended to ensure that the perspectives of users, platform providers, developers, scientists, civil society and politicians are incorporated into the development of solutions.
The interview was conducted by Silke Schmidt in April 2024 and published here on XR HUB Bavaria (in German only).
Click here for more information about the project.
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