In this policy field, the systematic cross-country comparisons and evaluation of political processes, institutional structures, framework conditions and target systems, as well as the underlying content-related and normative criteria and dimensions have proved to be helpful in recent years for developing target group and policy-specific instruments and visions. It has also been shown that, in addition to complex policy systems, combinations of instruments (policy mixes) must be developed and implemented in order to shape the transformation into a resource efficient economy (for example in the project Policy Options for a Resource Efficient Economy project).

The analysis of obstacles, path dependencies, and synergetic and conflicting objectives is of particular importance because resource efficiency policy affects areas like climate, energy, mobility and infrastructure. All economic sectors, including the service sector, directly and significantly use all types of raw materials. So-called anthropogenic material storage, which comprises all buildings of technical infrastructure and building construction, housing technology, capital goods, and durable consumer goods, is estimated at 28 billion tonnes for Germany alone. This is of great future significance according to the vision of a resource efficient circular economy, which must first transform from the primary to the secondary raw material economy. The Circular Transitions Research Unit's multidisciplinary team uses a wide range of methods to develop contributions and solutions aimed at improving resource efficiency.