The European Policy Centre’s (EPC) project on ‘Digitalisation and Sustainability’ considered the potential linkages between sustainability and digitalisation. It looked more specifically at how digitalisation can enhance sustainable consumption and production (i.e. the circular economy), improve biodiversity, make agriculture and mobility more sustainable, and greening ICT.
The main conclusions of the project have heaviliy influenced the
Environmental Council Conclusions of 17 December, which was held under the German Council Presidency.
The project was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and carried out between 2019 and 2020. The project comprised of policy research, four multi-stakeholder workshops and an extensive background study on how digitalisation can support the protection of climate and environment, and how digitalisation itself can be made more sustainable. A shorter paper, prepared for Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, served to inform member states’ ministers of environment on the rationale and prospects for aligning the EU’s sustainability and digitalisation agendas, and summarises project’s key findings and policy recommendations.