Sustainable resource use in the leisure sector | Umweltbundesamt

Whether it is a visit to an amusement park, a walk with the dog, gardening or dancing at a concert – leisure activities are a welcome change from everyday life and are fundamental to our well-being.

Leisure activities are of great ecological relevance, as we also use natural resources and raw materials in our free time. These are not available in unlimited quantities and their use can have negative environmental consequences.

Some products and services in the leisure sector require a considerable amount of raw materials. Steel and concrete are needed to build concert halls and amusement parks, pets need to be fed and products such as sailing boats, photographic equipment and guitars need to be manufactured.

Based on preliminary figures, the German Environment Agency has estimated that private households in Germany could have consumed up to 80 million tonnes of raw materials annually for their leisure activities, including energy sources, metals, minerals and renewable raw materials. This is a share of around 13% of total German raw material consumption.

The research project

The UBA research project "Sustainable resource use in the leisure sector” (FreiRess) aims to quantify raw material consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the leisure sector for the first time and derive fields of action and options for action for a resource-efficient and climate-friendly leisure sector.

There have been few scientific analyses of this topic to date. Individual results are available for the tourism sector or certain sporting events. However, there has been no comprehensive analysis of the resource consumption in the leisure sector to date.

The following questions arise in the "FreiRess" research project: How can the complex area of leisure demand be delineated? How high is the consumption of raw materials in connection with the leisure sector? What are the most important subsectors? What greenhouse gas emissions are generated? What options for action are there to promote resource effiency in the leisure sector? What can circular and resource-efficient leisure activities look like and what examples of best practice already exist?

Approach

The project starts with an inventory and an analysis of the relevant stakeholders in the field of leisure. The aim is to identify and structure the relevant areas of the complex field of leisure and to delineate them for the project context.

In the second and central step of the project, quantitative analyses are carried out using environmental economic input-output models for Germany, five EU countries and five other international countries to quantify the consumption of raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions in the leisure sector. The calculations form an essential basis for identifying areas for action.

These areas and options for action will be developed together with stakeholders in two workshop events. Best practice examples complement the recommendations for the need for action in the leisure sector and can serve as role models and inspiration.

The research project is being carried out by a team from ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environment Research gGmbH in collaboration with Öko-Institut e. V..

The project will run from June 2024 to May 2027 and is being carried out as part of the departmental research plan (ReFoPlan) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) on behalf of the German Environment Agency.

Research project „Sustainable resource use and Circular Economy in the leisure sector“
Project duration: 2024-2027
Project No.: FKZ 3720 31 101 0
Contractors: ifeu – Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg gGmbH, Öko-Institut e. V., Franziska Mohaupt