Seven themes defined for the synthesis at the programme conference

​NRP 73 consist of 29 different research projects covering a wide range of different themes. The findings of the seven research projects completed soon, are summarised in separate news below.

Eventually, the Steering Committee has chosen seven themes for the synthesis. The syntheses will create added value as compared to individual research results and include three co-creation labs and four thematic syntheses.

A thorough understanding of Swiss consumer’s attitudes, motivations and behaviours towards sustainable consumption, as well as how these tendencies might develop over time, is key to moving towards a more sustainable economy. Therefore, the co-creation lab ‘Sustainable Behaviour and Consumption’ will co-design the Swiss Sustainable Consumer Observatory (SSCO) with NRP 73 researchers, retailers and other relevant stakeholders, to provide actionable insights for decision makers across industries and national as well as regional administration.

To contribute to the transformation of the construction sector, the co-creation lab ‘Sustainable Housing and Construction and Housing’ will focus on the transition towards carbon-neutral concrete, taking into account the whole value chain from raw material extraction to recycling and re-use of concrete as a secondary raw material.

There is great potential to use a variety of data sources for sustainability assessments. Based on the data generated in research projects of NRP 73, the co-creation lab ‘Data transparency for Sustainability’ will develop a hybrid LCA database on the current environmental and social footprint of Swiss consumption. The database will be publicly accessible.

Several NRP 73 research projects are contributing significant findings on sustainable and just food systems. The related thematic synthesis ‘Towards Sustainable Food Systems’ will focus on the design and transition pathways towards such systems.

The thematic synthesis ‘Mainstreaming Forest Ecosystem Services’ will identify opportunities and challenges for mainstreaming selected forest ecosystem services, as well as connected trade-offs and synergies.

Identifying the necessary conditions to ensure that a circular economy is sustainable, as well as well as the presence of enabling factors or hurdles in Switzerland, will be examined in the thematic synthesis ‘Towards Creating a sustainable circular economy’.

Finally, in the thematic synthesis ‘Policy instruments, legal framework and acceptance’, research-based evidence from NRP 73 projects will be collected, synthesised and disseminated in tailored formats to reach policy makers.