ENABLING THE PREVENTION OF REBOUND EFFECTS OF SUSTAINABILITY-ORIENTED POLICIES

ongoing

Never before has there been a stronger global focus on the development of sustainability-oriented policies. Nevertheless, ca. 47% of their potential sustainability gains are never achieved due to rebound effects, negative consequences of sustainability-oriented interventions due to behavioural and systemic changes. REBOUNDLESS POLICIES aims to develop, test and demonstrate a comprehensive toolbox for the identification, simulation, and prevention of potential rebound effects of sustainability-oriented policies. The toolbox will consist of an expert system of rebound mechanisms, a configurator for the ex-ante simulation of rebound effects magnitude, and a catalogue of reboundless policy measures. The toolbox is targeted at sustainability-oriented policy advisors supporting evidence-based public policy making at the local, national and regional levels, incl. parties’ advisors and lobbyists, research agencies, non-governmental organisations, think-tanks, consultancies, and academic institutions. The project draws from the ERC-funded project REBOUNDLESS, which is enabling a paradigm shift for preventing rebound effects by design, with a focus on the design of products, product/service-systems and socio-technical systems. REBOUNDLESS POLICIES departs from the current recognition of the urgency in addressing rebound effects within policymaking to the demonstration of the REBOUNDLESS POLICIES toolbox potential, in close collaboration with policy advisors. Ultimately, the REBOUNDLESS POLICIES toolbox will enable policymakers to effectively simulate and prevent potential rebound effects of policies, enabling the achievement of intended sustainability gains.