A simple LED bulb today consumes only about a tenth of the energy a traditional incandescent bulb once required. This advancement in energy technology wasn’t immediately embraced by everyone. What helped the industry and ultimately led to the breakthrough of LED technology was a clear political framework, says Dr. Norbert Reintjes, Professor of Industrial Ecology in the Department of Applied Natural Sciences at TH Lübeck. Prior to his academic career, he led environmental product innovation at a consultancy, contributing to the development of environmental labels, the EU’s Ecodesign Directive, and the Energy Labeling Regulation.

Household lighting is just one example of how, since the 2000s, regulatory tools in EU product policy have played a critical role in improving the energy efficiency of products used in households, buildings, and industry. In light of the massive climate crisis, however, a rapid and complete transition to renewable energy sources is essential, Reintjes emphasizes. Legal regulations and incentive systems are integral to this consistency approach, as they establish the conditions that significantly influence the pace of implementation.

Far more challenging for political, economic, and societal systems is the third approach: sufficiency. Sufficiency is often associated with painful deprivation or technological regression, but at it’s core it simply means ‚enough or adequate‘, explains Reintjes. Reduced consumption can, in fact, be positively perceived and contribute to a higher quality of life.

In the broader picture, efficiency and sufficiency reduce overall energy demand, which then must be met by renewable energy sources. The developments of recent decades show that while efforts to enhance efficiency and transition to renewables are essential, sufficiency plays a central role in tackling the climate crisis, Reintjes concludes.