Indirect Rebound Effects. Lifestyle-segmentation and Interventions
with Efficiency-Feedback and Sufficiency
Funding Measure „Rebound-Effekte aus sozial-ökologischer Perspektive“
The iReliefs project contains four subprojects (SP):
The subproject “Microeconomic Quantification”, which is, like the subproject “Tracking indirect rebounds via feedback application”, located at Kiel University, focuses on the quantification of direct and indirect rebound effects at consumer/household level using existing purchase data for Germany.
CAU VWL first calculates the carbon footprint (CF) for different consumption areas (consumption balance) over time on the basis of an input-output model. The calculation is carried out for the average household in Germany as well as for different household types.
Subsequently, private households’ demand for different goods and services is modelled and direct and indirect rebound effects are estimated with the help of econometric regression methods, taking into account income and substitution elasticities.


The subproject “Rebound and Backfire Effects of Sufficient Lifestyles” focuses on indirect rebound effects due to sufficient consumption practices and simple lifestyles. Via work packages SP2 and SP4, the subproject investigates the occurrence of indirect rebounds (order of magnitude, rebound patterns and influencing factors) and tests target-group-specific measures to reduce or avoid sufficiency rebounds.
The planned work in SP2 aims to quantify sufficiency rebounds of reduced lifestyles and consumption styles on the basis of two data sets representative for Germany and to reveal rebound patterns as well as exchange relationships between consumption areas. The quantification is carried out by a comparative shopping basket analysis for sufficient and non-sufficient lifestyles, as well as the development and testing of two different measurement approaches.
The work package SP4 aims to develop target group-specific measures to reduce indirect sufficiency rebounds and to evaluate them by means of various practical interventions (pre-survey, intervention, post-survey and follow-up). The development of measures is based on a preliminary study on target group specific rebound patterns and is being conducted in close coordination with the LMU Munich as well as the practice partners.













