On 14 November 2025, the RE4GREEN EU Social Lab on climate and mobility convened for its fourth in-person workshop at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, an inspiring setting that vividly reflects the history of nature, the environment, and all living and non-living beings. The session was organised by ECSA as part of the ongoing Social Lab process within the RE4GREEN project.

Building on insights and results from earlier meetings, this workshop focused on translating previous reflections into practice, with particular attention to the Do No Significant Harm principle and a constructive review of the micromodules developed within the project. The day provided space for evaluation, co-creation, and forward-looking visioning—encouraging participants to consider how the green transition can be shaped in concrete project contexts.

The unique atmosphere of the Natural History Museum invited us to imagine pathways towards a greener and more harmonious future, fully capturing the spirit of the Social Lab methodology and the broader ambition of RE4GREEN.

We sincerely thank all participants from diverse fields for their valuable perspectives and active engagement throughout the workshop. Special appreciation goes to our colleagues Chrysanthi Bairaktari and François Jost for their excellent organisation and coordination, which made the day both productive and enjoyable.

We are pleased to highlight the contribution of the Japanese Social Lab team of RE4GREEN, who presented their research at the International Sociology Forum, held in Morocco in August 2025. Representing RE4GREEN, Haruka Ueda (University of Tokyo) delivered the presentation titled “Lessons from Fukushima: Food and Environmental Ethics, Arts and Philosophy.”

The presentation drew on findings from a 2024 field survey conducted in Iitate Village, Fukushima, designed to examine the current state of post-disaster revitalisation and to explore new possibilities for reconstructing environmental ethics. Although evacuation orders were lifted in 2017, most residents have not returned. Through interviews and field observations—including visits to experimental farms, contaminated zones, and the village’s new art hub—the team shed light on the pivotal role played by the NPO Revitalisation of Fukushima in supporting the recovery process.

Their research highlights a notable shift in the region’s revitalisation pathway: moving from science-driven responses, to economic rebuilding efforts, and now towards approaches grounded in philosophy and the arts. This evolution has contributed to the emergence of a new “public space” where diverse actors collaborate, rethink local futures, and reconsider the meaning of “nature” as a lived, rather than purely conceptual, experience—drawing on modern Japanese philosophy and comparative perspectives.

The presentation was delivered by Haruka Ueda, with contributions from co-authors Tomohiro Akiyama (Research Institute for Humanity and Nature), Ji-Yoon Kim, Sana Sakihama, and Takahiro Nakajima (all University of Tokyo). We congratulate the Japanese Social Lab team for their insightful work and for their valuable representation of RE4GREEN at this international forum.

RE4GREEN is proud to announce the publication of its first Policy Brief, a milestone in advancing ethical, sustainable, and climate-conscious research practices across Europe.

The RE4GREEN Policy Brief calls on universities and research institutions to embed environmental and climate ethics into all aspects of research governance, strategy, and education. It presents six key recommendations—from integrating climate ethics into policies and curricula to applying justice frameworks and the precautionary principle—to ensure research actively supports Europe’s green transition and avoids perpetuating environmental harm or injustice.

By fostering ethical responsibility and systemic change, this Policy Brief aims to inspire institutions to take concrete steps toward a research culture that truly aligns with the values of sustainability and justice.

You can read, download, and explore the full Policy Brief in our new website section dedicated to Policy Briefs.

Last week, RE4GREEN had the pleasure of contributing to the ENRIO Congress 2025, joining forces with colleagues and partners to strengthen the dialogue on how environmental challenges intersect with research ethics and integrity.

As part of the satellite event “How do European funded projects promote research integrity policy and practice in the European Research Area…”, RE4GREEN co-organized the panel “Embedding sustainability principles in research to support the green transition” together with the Finnish institute LUKE and the Lyte project. We also contributed to discussions on “Developing research system resilience for times of disruption and change.”

On Wednesday, Janina Bau and Lorenzo Molina (EARMA) presented our second policy brief: “Safeguarding Trust: Ensuring Research Integrity in Climate Change Research and Innovation.”

In addition, we showcased the findings of three major reports during our poster session, which stimulated meaningful conversations and exchanges with the wider community.

We are proud to have shared our insights, engaged in dialogue, and contributed to advancing the conversation on safeguarding trust in research.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended our sessions, visited our poster, and to the organizers of ENRIO Congress 2025 for enabling such an inspiring exchange.

From 22–24 September 2025, the ENRIO Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia, brought together around 270 participants to discuss power dynamics in research and institutional responsibility to foster an open, safe and inclusive research environment as a foundation for Research Integrity (RI) in everyday practice.

At the congress, Janina Bau and Lorenzo Molina, EU Projects Officers and Research Analysts at EARMA, delivered a presentation on behalf of the RE4Green project, entitled “Safeguarding Trust: Ensuring Research Integrity in Climate Change Research and Innovation.”

The speakers began by highlighting the urgency of global environmental and climate challenges, emphasising that existing research ethics and integrity (RE&RI) guidelines are not yet fully equipped to support the Green Transition. They noted that research and innovation addressing environmental issues often involves complex ethical considerations, yet current RE&RI processes rarely account explicitly for environmental ethics.

Against this backdrop, RE4Green’s ambition is to develop a comprehensive framework for research ethics and integrity that directly supports the transition to a sustainable economy and society. To achieve this, the project employs Social Labs as its methodology, fostering collaborative experimentation and co-creation.

The presentation also introduced a set of policy recommendations for embedding environmental and climate ethics into research practice. These include: integrating environmental and climate ethics into institutional RE&RI policies, guidelines and frameworks; embedding them into research strategies and agenda-setting; incorporating justice-oriented approaches; strengthening professional training for both researchers and ethics committees; embedding environmental ethics in education and curriculum development; and operationalising the precautionary principle within institutional governance structures (for more details on these recommendations, see the 1st Policy Brief of RE4GREEN).

Bau and Molina further emphasised the importance of safeguarding public trust by ensuring scientific integrity in climate change research and innovation. They outlined complementary recommendations, such as mandating open access to data, methods and models in publicly funded projects; establishing independent oversight mechanisms; aligning EU and national frameworks; encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration; expanding training opportunities; and promoting an “ethics by design” approach (these recommendations are drawn from the 2nd Policy Brief, developed by EARMA, which will be published soon).

Through these contributions, RE4Green seeks to position research as a central actor in promoting ethics and integrity while supporting society’s transition towards sustainability.

The podcast “Earth to Research”, hosted by our colleague Dr. Lucy Sabin, has been awarded by the Open Science Community Amsterdam!

“Earth to Research” is a pioneering series dedicated to rethinking research in the context of the ecological crisis. It provides a space for researchers, educators, and students to reflect on values, explore interdisciplinary approaches, and consider how research practices can better align with environmental justice.

This recognition highlights the podcast’s impact in inspiring the research community to engage critically with sustainability and ethical responsibility in research.

You can find the podcast on multiple platforms:

• Spotify
• Podbean

We are excited to announce the launch of Earth to Research, a new podcast dedicated to rethinking research in the context of ecological crisis. This series offers a space for researchers, educators, and students to reflect on values, explore interdisciplinary approaches, and consider how research practices can align with environmental justice.

Hosted by our colleague Dr. Lucy Sabin, the podcast is supported by Vrije Universiteit Open Science. It addresses both the ethical and practical dimensions of sustainable research, offering insights and tools for anyone seeking to integrate environmental awareness into their work.

The first three episodes are now available:

Episode 1 – Transformative Research (Part One): Storytelling and Solidarity

In the inaugural episode, Lucy Sabin is joined by Josephine Chambers (Utrecht University) and Rianne Janssen (University of Amsterdam) to discuss what transformative research looks like in times of ecological and social crisis. They explore how storytelling can help researchers examine their values, imagine alternative futures, and foster solidarity.

Episode 2 – Transformative Research (Part Two): Emotions and Justice

Continuing the conversation, this episode examines the emotional and justice-oriented aspects of research. Drawing on Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, the discussion highlights how imagination, self-reflection, and confronting discomfort can connect knowledge to action and support the pursuit of more just futures.

Episode 3 – Myths and Rituals: Art-Science, Sustainable Technology, and Degrowth

Lucy Sabin speaks with Sofia Greaves, artistic researcher and cultural historian, about the intersections of art and science, sustainable technologies, and degrowth. They consider how collaborative approaches can create new narratives for environmental justice and reflect on the role of creativity, imagination, and reflexivity in research and policy.

The podcast is available on multiple platforms:

• Spotify
• Podbean

Listen to the first three episodes and join a community of researchers committed to rethinking research practices in a changing world. Stay tuned for more episodes coming soon.

On 4 September, our colleague Dr Lucy Sabin delivered an excellent talk entitled “Ecological Awareness in Research Design and Practice” within the framework of the Netherlands Research Integrity Network (NRIN).

Dr Sabin introduced emerging frameworks for ecologically aware research and showed how research is embedded within ecological, social, and political systems. She emphasised the need for relational ethics and greater response-ability towards both human and non-human communities.

She presented key outcomes from the EU project RE4GREEN, including a competence framework and a digital archive-in-progress that curates open-access resources for environmentally just Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). She also shared her experience of co-designing audiovisual content that supports sustainability-focused research cultures.

Drawing on Science and Technology Studies (STS), ecological citizenship, and decolonial feminisms, Dr Sabin reimagined with us how research ethics, practices, and epistemic justice can contribute to more sustainable research landscapes.

Explore this thought-provoking interview, conducted as part of our RE4GREEN project, featuring Emilio Beladiez, Director at Plastic Oceans Europe.

The discussion touches on several important and challenging topics.
However, we would like to highlight a particularly insightful remark by Emilio Beladiez on the subject of ethics:

“Ethics is the coherence between what you do, what you aim to achieve, and the method you use.”

Find and watch the interview here

This edition offers a comprehensive update on the project’s progress, including highlights from the midterm meeting, recent conference participation, and insights from the Stakeholder Advisory Board. You’ll also find details on newly released deliverables and an overview of ongoing work across various work packages. Stay informed and connected – you’re just one click away!