News on the topic Sustainability and society
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New ecological insights call for robust nature conservation law
25th January 2024Recent scientific insights in the biodiversity crisis and the ways of being of animals and plants require an adjusted moral compass and fitting, robust nature conservation law. Both are essential to curb harmful human activity and thus to give new generations of people as well as other Earth dwellers a future.
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Tilburg University and local businesses join forces for sustainable logistics: ‘Collaboration is in the Brabant DNA’
03rd November 2023There are few places in Europe where logistical activity is as strongly developed as in the region of Central Brabant. Over the coming years, the logistics sector in Brabant aims to lead the way in transitioning towards a sustainable future, where robust economic growth goes hand in hand with broad prosperity in the region. To shape this future, Tilburg University and local entrepreneurs have jointly established the Tilburg Initiative for Future Logistics (TIFL).
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Multinationals have a responsibility to take care of people and planet throughout their production networks
30th October 2023Multinationals have a duty to prevent or reduce foreseeable negative impacts on workers, communities and the environment, even if these impacts are caused by other actors in their production networks. That is the position Professor of Private Law Paul Verbruggen takes in his inaugural address at Tilburg University on Friday, November 3, 2023.
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What are the real effects of climate-related disclosures?
23rd October 2023Policymakers set standards for firms’ reporting on climate-related matters to enable market participants to factor in risks, instill discipline and encourage firms to adopt cleaner practices. However, the costs and benefits of these rules are not entirely clear. Lucas Mahieux, Haresh Sapra and Gaoqing Zhang study the real effects of mandated disclosures. Their key policy recommendation is that disclosure requirements should not be set in isolation but coordinated globally.
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"End fossil fuel subsidies," economists urge
21st September 2023Twenty renowned economists from across Dutch universities, including professor Reyer Gerlagh, professor Sjak Smulders and professor Daan van Soest from Tilburg University, jointly call on the government to end fossil fuel subsidies as quickly as possible.
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Economic incentives help curb deforestation in Africa, PhD research finds
20th September 2023PhD research by Tung Nguyen Huy delves into the economics of deforestation and land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa. His dissertation shows that financial incentives are a powerful way to encourage farmers to sustainably manage and protect the land.
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Dr. Phillip Paiement appointed Professor of Law and Governance in the Anthropocene
30th August 2023Tilburg University has appointed dr. Phillip Paiement of Tilburg Law School to Professor of Law and Governance in the Anthropocene, effective September 1st, 2023. Phillip Paiement’s research is devoted to transnational strategic litigation in climate change, biodiversity conservation, large-scale land transfers and pollution from extractives industries.
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How unnecessary paper creates the illusion of sustainability
24th July 2023Tatiana Sokolova found that unnecessary paper packaging creates the illusion of sustainability, because paper is often perceived as environmentally friendly—even when it’s doing more harm than good. “Objective and perceived sustainability are not necessarily the same thing.”
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Sectoral data protection measures needed for digital transformation in agriculture
11th July 2023The digital transformation of agriculture in Europe is being hindered by challenges related to access and control of agricultural data. New sector-specific rights and rules over ag-data could however improve competition and innovation, argues PhD candidate Can Atik. He will defend his thesis on 11 July 2023 at Tilburg University.
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Farewell address Marc Loth: On our legal duty to past and future generations
12th June 2023Future generations increasingly demand a tightening of climate policy and older generations seek remedies for historical injustices. Do these generations have a point and can they obtain redress in civil courts? According to Professor Marc Loth they can, although it is difficult where past generations are concerned.
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Wilding one square meter of garden for one year: The results
05th April 2023Exactly one year ago, Assistant Professor Ben Vollaard of Tilburg University and Dutch daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad started the crowdsourcing project ‘Wilding the Garden.’ The purpose of the project was to allow people to experience what happens when they leave a patch of garden untended for a year. With 8,500 garden owners participating initially, we can call it a successful project. Now, one year on, we look back and discuss the results.
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Retailer price promotions increase waste awareness, not waste
30th March 2023Contrary to what is often assumed, retailer price promotions such as “Buy One, Get One” or quantity discounts in supermarkets do not cause more food to go to waste. In fact, such offers appear to increase consumer awareness of the risk of wasting food, which in turn spurs them on to prevent waste. Supermarkets could encourage such awareness-driven behavior by designing smart campaigns that help prevent waste.
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Tilburg University appoints Arie Trouwborst as professor of Nature Conservation Law
02nd March 2023Tilburg University has appointed Dr. Arie Trouwborst as full professor of Nature Conservation Law as of 1 March 2023. His research and education will focus on the role of international, European and national law regarding the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of ecosystems and populations of wild fauna and flora.
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Tilburg University joins the Netherlands Energy Research Alliance
02nd February 2023Tilburg University has joined NERA, the Netherlands Energy Research Alliance, to strengthen cooperation with other universities and knowledge institutions in the field of energy research. This cooperation fits into Tilburg University's broader strategy to stimulate research on climate change and energy issues from the social sciences and humanities.
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Tilburg University and stakeholders unite to tackle climate crisis
31st January 2023The Academic Collaborative Center on Climate and Energy has officially kicked off on January 30. In this Collaborative Center Tilburg University enters into a long-term partnership with societal partners to address the climate crisis. The collaboration focuses on social, rather than technical, innovation as a driver of progress and change in the energy transition.
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Supervision of energy derivatives trading is too opaque
16th January 2023Market participants in the trading of energy derivatives are often unaware of the exchange of their business-sensitive information by and amongst national and European national regulatory authorities. This is one of the most striking findings of Liebrich Hiemstra, who will receive her PhD on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
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‘Smart measures will make sustainability attainable and affordable for everyone’
17th November 2022High house prices, high energy bills, high investments in sustainability: the Dutch housing market is in turmoil, and many people are worried. Yet Professor of Real Estate Markets Dirk Brounen is hopeful for the future.
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Information in sustainability reports of listed companies often too slight
25th August 2022Listed companies in Europe are increasingly integrating sustainability into their risk governance processes, but the information they report is as yet too often perfunctory. A mix of soft law and hard law could make a difference in attempts to reduce the risk of greenwashing.
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Veni grant awarded to Marie-Catherine Petersmann
11th April 2022The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded four young promising scientists from Tilburg University a Veni grant worth up to 280,000 euros, and Marie-Catherine Petersman of Public Law & Govenance is one of them. Her research project concerns 'anthropocene legalities’.
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EU funds research project CircoMod EU for modeling the circular economy to mitigate climate change
21st March 2022With increasing populations and expanding wealth, global material consumption has seen a precipitous increase. These materials are often discarded after use (the so-called linear model). Moreover, the massive use and production of materials are also associated with the extensive use of energy. The emissions from structural materials are often difficult to decarbonise. As such, high levels of material consumption pose a major challenge for meeting climate targets. In this context, the circular economy (CE) has been presented as an alternative to the current linear model.
