Project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer ProtectionBetter access to and visibility of sustainability information in online retail

The importance of online retail has been growing for years and has received another boost from the Corona pandemic. At the same time, awareness of sustainable consumption is rising among the population. However, when consumers search for products in search engines, price comparison portals and online stores, they are often faced with the challenge of retrieving information on the sustainability of products or services. This is because sustainability information is currently often not displayed systematically and comprehensively - even though easily accessible and reliable information can help consumers to make conscious consumption decisions. In addition, the integration of reliable sustainability information often involves a great deal of effort for online retailers, comparison platforms and search engines that want to promote sustainable consumption. Standard organizations that award sustainability labels, in turn, have credible information on various aspects of sustainability that could make them even more visible in online retailing.

The 'ZuSiNa' project (FKZ: 67KI21009A), funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), aimed to close this gap exemplarily for the textile sector and to make sustainability information in online trade more accessible and visible with data-driven technologies. At the end of its term, ZuSiNa achieved the following:

• The development of a prototypical interface for data exchange with standard organizations and piloting of the rollout,
• An AI-based integration of further sustainability information,
• A behavioral science-based sustainability communication (see online guide),
• The transfer of results and technical solutions to additional stakeholders and to other industries.

In order to ensure that the project results met the actual needs of standard organizations, intermediaries and manufacturers, the project worked with wide-ranging practical partners right from the start. For this purpose, Google Germany, Idealo, Otto Group, Amazon, Avocado Store, Impactbytes, Unite, Neuland-BFI, Sustainability-Rating.org, Loveco, Klingel, Breuninger, Bergfreunde, Grüne Erde (Schlafen) and the German E-Commerce and Distance Selling Trade Association (bevh) were recruited from the intermediary sector. In addition, the Blue Angel, FairTrade Deutschland, FairWear, GOTS, Oeko-Tex and WFTO labels were participating from the area of standard organizations. GS1 and atrify were the experts in the field of product information, and Tchibo as well as Vaude Germany were practical partners with a manufacturer's perspective.

The 24-month project started in March 2022 and has been carried out jointly by ConPolicy, Fraunhofer IAO (CeRRI), Fraunhofer ISI and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). ConPolicy was the consortium and overall project leader being in charge of work packages 1 (prototypical data interface for label information) and 3 (sustainability communication based on behavioral science). Methodologically, the project used literature research, surveys, focus groups, online experiments and workshop formats, among others.

For more information on the funding guideline of the 'KI-Leuchttürme', in which the project has been funded, please visit the websites of the BMUV and the ZUG.

For all results and many practical tips visit the ZuSiNa online guide.