Digital Responsibility for Germany
CDR Conference 2025 on October 6 in Berlin
On October 6, 2025, the CDR Conference of the Corporate Digital Responsibility Initiative takes place in Berlin from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We have some places left to register.
Against the backdrop of the new federal government's digital policy priorities and the resistance and barriers that are evident both nationally and internationally, including in the area of digitalisation, we want to send a clear message at the sixth CDR conference: Now more than ever: Digital responsibility for Germany. As with previous conferences, the event is primarily aimed at representatives from the business and consumer protection community, but it also addresses other stakeholders from civil society, politics, and academia.
Since January 2023, the office of the CDR-Initiative has been run by the ConPolicy Institute for Consumer Policy and its partner concern.
Clear demands for practical checks and citizen-centered service
Federal Cabinet adopts modernization agenda
The modernization agenda adopted on October 2 makes it clear that reducing bureaucracy requires the involvement of the target groups. Practical checks are mentioned as a standard tool. They are intended to identify and remove bureaucratic hurdles with the involvement of citizens, businesses, and the administration—thus making life noticeably easier for everyone. In the future, practical checks are to be carried out several times a year across departments. Another positive point: citizen-centered service!
Overall, the concepts of target group orientation, user centricity, and practicality run through the entire agenda and thus form the basis for many of the planned reforms.
ConPolicy has years of experience in developing and evaluating user-oriented policies. With our expertise in behavioral sciences and scientific evaluation, we make processes and services simpler, more understandable, and ultimately faster for everyone. Successful target group involvement through stakeholder workshops, focus groups, and surveys is part of our everyday work.
Further information on our practical check services can be found here.
Publication of research results in the paper proceedings and the conference's volume
Research project PRIME – Privacy in the Metaverse at the annual conference of the Platform Privacy
The team behind the PRIME research project presented a research poster at this year's annual conference of the Platform Privacy in Berlin. They presented the latest results of an online experiment in which design interventions were tested using video vignettes.
The results at a glance:
The disclosure of the identity of AIs and bots via the chat function is well understood.
Safety bubbles activated by default can protect against harassment in virtual spaces.
Temporal reminders help users better understand what data is currently being collected and processed about them.
Virtual data protection assistants and central consents in the sense of a personal information management system (PIMS) have so far failed to improve user information about collected data.
The latest experiment on the topic of the bystander effect in virtual spaces was also presented. Conference participants were able to take part in the experiment using VR headsets.
Two publications by the research team were also presented as part of the Platform Privacy:
The contribution on the results of the focus groups appeared in the conference volume.
The survey results were included as a short paper in the poster proceedings.
Further information on the research project can be found here.
New Publication for the German Environment Agency
Structural and practical barriers hinder sustainable online shopping
Consumers face a wide range of challenges in the digital space when it comes to sustainable consumption. The aim of a study commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and conducted by ConPolicy was therefore to examine the status quo and the use of digital consumer information on sustainable product choices and circular economy offerings. The focus was on the so-called R-strategies: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The project was based on a comprehensive literature review, qualitative interviews with consumers, and an expert workshop.
The results clearly show: sustainable consumption plays only a minor role in digital everyday life so far. Digital platforms, search engines, and comparison portals primarily promote quick new purchases. Circular options such as repair, second-hand, or rental are barely visible and difficult to access. Recommendation algorithms, advertising, and filter functions mostly favor price-driven offers and new products.
There are also practical barriers: consumers perceive uncertainties regarding quality and availability, and additional research effort is often required. Purchasing decisions are therefore strongly influenced by price, convenience, and fast delivery. Sustainable options are mainly considered when they are prominently integrated into the purchasing process or when individual motivation is already high. At the same time, many consumers express a desire for easily understandable, credible, and well-integrated sustainability information that can be used without much effort.
On this basis, the study formulates concrete recommendations for policy and business practice. These include the stronger integration of sustainability aspects into digital search and comparison tools, the development of quality standards for second-hand purchases, and greater visibility of repair services. In this way, digital platforms could make an important contribution to promoting sustainable consumption in the future.
Santos Silva (2025)
ELI Innovation Paper: A Framework for Good Green Nudging
In September 2025, ELI published the ‘Framework for Good Green Nudging’. It sets out 11 Guiding Principles (GPs) — necessity, proportionality,…
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