INCENTIVIZE – Transferable Quotas, Fees, and Taxes for a Less Toxic Circular Economy
The INCENTIVIZE project aims to develop innovative market-based instruments to complement existing chemical regulations, thereby accelerating the reduction of hazardous chemicals in processes and products. Drawing inspiration from successful policies like the European Emissions Trading System, our goal is to develop policy instruments that can stimulate industrial innovation and facilitate the transition to a non-toxic circular economy in the EU and its member states.
Objectives
- Design Market-Based Instruments: Develop mechanisms such as transferable quotas, fees, and taxes that incentivize industries to phase out hazardous substances, adopt safer alternatives, and enhance recycling processes.
- Collaborative Development: Engage key stakeholders—including policymakers, industry representatives, and civil society—in policy labs to co-develop effective policy instruments that are feasible to implement
Research Team
Our multidisciplinary team comprises experts in environmental economics, chemical risk assessment, and regulatory policy from four universities:
- Daniel Slunge, PhD, Environmental Economics, Director Center for Future chemical Risk Assessment and Management (FRAM), University of Gothenburg (Project leader)
- Thomas Sterner, Professor, Environmental Economics, University of Gothenburg
- Christina Olsen Lund, Associate Professor in Environmental Law, University of Gothenburg
- Thomas Backhaus, Professor, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Risk Assessment, RWTH Aachen University
- Marlene Ågerstrand, Associate Professor, Regulatory Science, Stockholm University
- Natasja Börjeson, PhD in Circularity and Management of Chemicals, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University
- Matti Vainio, Professor of Practice in Green Transition, University of Helsinki
Funding
The project is funded by Mistra, The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, and runs from March 2025 to February 2028.
Further information
For more information please visit our project homepage or contact project leader Daniel.Slunge@gu.se
Mistra Utmana
- The research project ”INCENTIVIZE: Transferable quotas, fees or taxes for a less toxic circular economy” has received funds – 6 million SEK– by the research foundation Mistra within the call Mistra Utmana.
- Mistra Utmana aims to enable bold and innovative research projects that address significant and complex sustainability challenges.
- Projects are encouraged to propose groundbreaking ideas that challenge conventional perspectives, with the goal of contributing to a sustainable societal transformation.
- The expert panel for the call highlighted the project's high scientific quality and its potential for significant impact on both policy and society.
