Empowering online consumers for a green change

ECOnsumer

In our modern society, sustainable consumption is at the heart of an urgent challenge. Consumers who shop online are often faced with a lack of information that makes it difficult for them to make environmentally conscious decisions. This lack inhibits the transition to a sustainable lifestyle and hinders efforts to protect the environment and conserve resources. To address this challenge, it is essential to develop educational resources that enable e-consumers to acquire green skills and make sustainable choices throughout the purchasing process. Only by educating and empowering consumers on a large scale can we pave the way towards a more sustainable future.

Goals and contents

As part of the ECOnsumer project, the project team has set itself an ambitious goal, aligned with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, of reducing CO2 emissions in the area of consumption in the long term. It aims to develop tools that support individuals and also educational institutions in making the entire purchasing process more environmentally friendly. This is of fundamental importance for the future of the European Union and the achievement of its sustainable development goals by 2050.

The project team will develop a comprehensive training course, a toolbox of gamified resources and a collection of green apps for sustainable consumption to promote new approaches and ideas for a more sustainable purchasing process. This course will cover the entire purchasing process and be based on active learning. By closing the knowledge gap in the area of green e-consumption, the aim is to promote skills and abilities that are essential for a sustainable future. It will strengthen consumers' systemic and critical thinking to empower them to evaluate sustainability information.

The toolbox of gamified resources is designed to supplement the training course with interactive, gamified and entertaining materials. This holistic learning experience is intended to inspire a change in consumer behavior to make a positive contribution to sustainability. In addition, a collection of green apps for sustainable consumption will be created as part of the ECOnsumer project to help consumers make environmentally conscious online purchases. This approach will help raise awareness of sustainable consumption and promote the use of mobile learning apps and, in turn, the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviors.

Project Results

The CREDinGREEN project, launched in 2022 with an international consortium of Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Austrian partners, was successfully completed in spring 2024. The project started under the impact of the Covid pandemic and addressed the question of how tourism SMEs could use the crisis to design future-oriented products while also becoming more resilient. In this context, two European instruments were examined that should have a positive influence on the sustainable orientation of tourism companies:

The European Green Deal with the opportunities for a sustainable design of tourism offers, including through programs such as Farm to Fork, which have an influence on gastronomy by, for example, regionalizing the food chain.
The instrument of microcredentials, i.e. European certificates to optimize and standardize lifelong vocational training.

The project concluded with the following 3 results, which were officially presented to the public at the beginning of March 2024 in the context of ITB Berlin:

1. CREDinGREEN Report on the situation of tourism 2022

Tourism managers were invited to take part in a survey at the beginning of the project in 2022, which provided information about the situation of tourism SMEs in the participating countries. With 355 participants, there is a solid basis for the evaluation, which, in addition to extensive literature research, provides deep insights into the companies. In addition to the survey, expert interviews were conducted with participants from the tourism and education sectors.

The study provides valuable insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic and EU Green Deal policies have changed tourism behavior in Europe. The results underscore the evolving services, knowledge, and skills that tourism managers must adapt to remain competitive and sustainable in this changing landscape.

By understanding the dynamics, tourism managers can better navigate the challenges and opportunities of the current global landscape. Read on to discover the detailed findings and recommendations of the study.

2. CREDinGREEN Training course for vocational education and training in sustainable tourism

The vocational education and training program aims to retrain managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector. The program teaches how tourism providers can meet the evolving needs of the market in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and under the influence of EU Green Deal policies.

The online training offers the opportunity to equip tourism managers across Europe with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the post-pandemic situation and adopt sustainable practices. The program focuses on promoting resilience, innovation, and sustainability in tourism management.

The training program is an essential step for tourism managers who want to adapt to rapidly changing market dynamics and sustainability requirements. By participating in this program, managers can be better prepared to lead their companies into a sustainable and successful future in the tourism industry.

3. CREDinGREEN strategy paper

The strategy paper contains a comprehensive set of recommendations for policymakers in education and training. It can help ensure the sustainable integration of microcredentials into VET systems and promote the EU Green Deal through innovative training programs in the tourism sector.

The materials serve as an important resource for education and training policymakers. By providing actionable recommendations, it supports the sustainable integration of microcredentials in VET and the advancement of the EU Green Deal. This strategy paper aims to drive systemic change and ensure that VET systems across Europe are able to meet the changing needs of the tourism sector and contribute to a sustainable future.

All results can be found in detail on the project website: www.credingreen.com/results

The project developed the GIF Competence Framework:

The GIF Competence Framework, which is available for free download, serves as an important tool for addressing the sustainability challenges in the fashion industry and provides a clear roadmap for competence development and identification.
With its focus on standardizing skills, clarifying roles and promoting continuous improvement, this framework plays a central role in promoting training and professional development within a sustainable fashion industry and evaluation.

Here you will find the link to the Competence Framework: https://fh-mittelstand.aflip.in/gif_competence_framework.html

The GIF Short Learning Program was developed as part of the project:

The (free) Short Learning Program consists of ten (10) units in a total of three (3) modules.
The core element of each unit is video lectures combined with practical exercises, such as self-assessments, homework, simulations and case studies.
All learning videos are recorded in English, but can also be viewed with subtitles in German, Spanish, Greek, Romanian and Italian.
The SLP can be found at the following link: https://gif.uninettuno.it/en/gif.aspx
To access the program, you must register on the platform.

The manual is available in 4 languages. You can access the interactive flipbook here: