Against the backdrop of continuously growing sales generated by online retail in Germany, the increasing importance of online retail is not only evident at present but is also expected to continue in the future. Due to external factors, such as the coronavirus pandemic, this trend appears to be accelerating.
Questions about the environmental sustainability of online retail in Germany are therefore becoming increasingly important, because growing sales are accompanied by, for example, increasing delivery traffic, larger packaging volumes and higher energy consumption. At the same time, however, savings can also be made in other areas (e.g. through the elimination of transport or retail space). For this reason, a structured and comprehensive analysis of the environmental sustainability of online retail in Germany appears to be both expedient and appropriate.
Consumers are increasingly shopping online. They use search engines to find information, compare offers on comparison websites to get an overview of the most attractive deals, and then make their purchases in online shops. However, the problem in this context is that search engines, price comparison portals and online retailers currently provide relatively little information about the sustainability of products and services, making it difficult for consumers to assess the environmental and social impact of their purchasing decisions.
Search engines, price comparison portals, and online retailers face the challenge that the required information is often not available in a structured form via IT interfaces and can only be integrated into their own information offerings at great personal and financial expense. In addition, the clear communication and presentation of complex sustainability information already poses a challenge for them.
Current narratives about Artificial Intelligence (AI) emphasize the new technical possibilities and their advantages. At the same time, environmental policy is oriented towards the planetary boundaries. So far, there is no socially effective narrative that relates the development corridors of AI to planetary boundaries.
In this project for the German Environment Agency, researchers from Fraunhofer ISI and the Ethics Center of the University of Tübingen (IZEW) analyzed and developed anthropological and ethical concepts with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, and based on this, created new entrances into transformation narratives that relate the development options of AI to planetary boundaries .
This project aims to identify and analyze intersections between the necessary evolvement of Germany into a green economy and increasing digitalization.
Among other things, the project will compile areas that are already using big data and AI applications based on this for environmental protection, other possible applications that have not yet been used, and obstacles that are hindering application. Based on this, proposals are developed for regulations that can help to remove the obstacles to big data and AI applications in environmental protection. In addition, specific examples of AI applications will be analyzed in more detail.
In addition to many other studies, this project identified AI applications that are especially relevant from an environmental perspective. Based on expert interviews, it describes and compares these in terms of their environmental potentials and risks.
The project also involved compiling a catalog of criteria for the general environmental assessment of AI applications. This began with a literature analysis to document the current state of research and be able to process it correctly. The following step was to organize a fireside chat with AI experts and to then conduct explorative expert interviews building on this. These were divided into the BMU's areas of responsibility in order to identify the opportunities, challenges and necessary political conditions under which AI applications can make a positive contribution to achieving the BMU's objectives.
Finally, a summarized assessment of the interviews was made and proposals were developed for additional environmental policy measures.
The questions in this project for the German Federal Environment Agency concern how digitization and AI can be used for environmental issues and how this can support the planned social-environmental transformation of our economy. In addition, the aim is to develop approaches that help the environment ministry to address the transformation productively and position itself with regard to environmental research and governance.
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI