Sustainability, Circularity and Product Policies (2024)

Welcome to Sustainability, Circularity, and Product Policies

Organizer: Rikke Dorothea Huulgaard

Lecturers: Associate Professor Rikke Dorothea Huulgaard, Associate Professor Anja Marie Bundgaard, Professor  Arne Remmen, Assistant Professor Heidi Simone Kristensen

ECTS: 4

Date/Time: 6-8 November 2024 & online 5 December 2024

Place: Rendsburggade 14, 9000 Aalborg. Room: 3.429.

Deadline: 15 October 2024

Max no. Of participants: 20

Description: With the EU Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan, EU has set up an elaborated roadmap for tackling the climate crisis. The product policies are an important part of the roadmap, and the scope is currently being broadened extensively, meaning that all products on the European market, with only a few exemptions, will be covered by minimum performance requirements. These product policies will therefore have a major impact on all sectors, all companies who bring products to the European market, all authorities involved in the implementation and enforcement of the legislation, and consumers.

The aim of this course is to introduce PhD candidates to product policies and how these can help the sustainable and circular transition, with a special focus on the EU. The course provides PhD candidates with an in-depth engagement in key elements within product policies, the practice of implementation and efficiency of the policies.

The course introduces the PhD candidates to the core of sustainable and circular product policies, the dynamics of different policy instruments. Participants will be introduced to current/recent directives, regulations, and proposals as well as current issues and debates surrounding the policies.

The course features a mix of onsite and online lectures, group work, peer group discussions and company perspectives.

The course is relevant for PhD students from a wide range of areas such as law, industry, design, environmental science, engineering.

Day 1: Introduction to EU’s product policy, Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. The first day will provide participants with a historic overview of the development of the landscape of product policies, sustainability, and circularity. The day will also entail an introduction to the vast array of EU product policies, such as the Ecodesign Directive, Energy labelling, WEEE Directive, Batteries Regulation, Packaging Regulation, Ecolabels, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and the extended and the individual producer responsibility.

Day 2: Introduction and deep dive into the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) with a special focus on the Digital Product Passport. The ESPR will replace the Ecodesign Directive and will cover almost all products on the EU market, setting requirements to support a circular transition. The digital product passport is a key tool to support circularity and presents both challenges and opportunities for industries.

Day 3: The role of public procurement in circular economy. The third day will provide an overview of procurement regulation, mandatory and voluntary policy tools, strategic public procurement, green public procurement, circular public procurement, and discuss policy translation and implementation in practice. The final session on the day will consist of a paper workshop, supporting the participants in developing research and paper ideas.

Day 4: (Online session) Following the onsite session, all participants must submit an extended abstract for discussion in peer groups. The online session will be moderated by AAU, but participants are expected to prepare feedback and engage in discussions.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites, other than an interest in environmental product policies. The Course is relevant for PhD students from a wide range of areas such as law, industry, design, environmental science, engineering.

Important information concerning PhD courses:  We have experienced problems with no-show for both project and general courses.  Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 3000 for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up. Furthermore, all courses open for registration approximately four months before start. This can hopefully also provide new students a chance to register for courses during the year. We look forward to your registrations.