Center for Environmental Systems Research

Aggregates (sand, gravel, crushed stone) make up half of all globally extracted materials and present substantial environmental challenges. China, which consumes half of the world’s aggregates, is undergoing profound shifts in both supply and demand. Our scenario-based model tracks aggregate flows…

Environmental footprints should play a key role in monitoring the bioeconomy. They can capture environmental pressures and impacts of biomass production and extraction, as well as provide comparable per capita values disclosing how biomass use is distributed globally. As such, footprints could help…

Two-thirds of the global population own mobile phones or smartphones. Yet their short service life—often limited to just a few years—leads to frequent replacements, excessive raw material consumption, and rising electronic waste. This study evaluates the environmental benefits of a highly modular…

Circular bioeconomies aim to use biogenic resources efficiently, e.g. by utilizing residual biomass. The availability of residual biomass varies regionally and its utilization is regionally restricted. Accordingly, regions must handle different feedstock. Thus, knowledge on the availability of…

Uncontrolled mine site leakage poses massive indirect environmental pollution, particularly when harmful substances, like arsenic, infiltrate water bodies, affecting humans. Arsenic contamination, recognized as a severe environmental catastrophe, exemplifies the water quality footprint from a…