The project unfolded in several key phases, each marked by distinct research activities and outputs that contributed to both academic knowledge and policy relevance. In the initial stage, a steering committee was established and this was followed by the recruitment of three PhD candidates, who each took responsibility for different aspects of the research project. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken to map existing knowledge on environmental crime, natural resource laundering, and green criminology. The first meetings served to refine the research objectives, methodologies, and case selection.
Subsequently, the project entered its data collection and analysis phase. During the first phase of the project the team collected laundering cases using online databases. The collected data were processed and analyzed to identify characteristics and clusters of laundering natural resources by joint crime ventures. This resulted in different subtypes of laundering practices. This phase also included the organization of the first expert meetings, which brought together scholars and practitioners to discuss preliminary findings and refine the analytical framework.
The second phase of the project aimed to explore the socio-economic, political, and ecological conditions that facilitate the laundering of natural resources. To this end, the research employed a naturalistic qualitative methodology, enabling an in-depth analysis of the interactions between criminal groups, corporate actors, and state institutions in the commission and concealment of environmental crime. This phase involved multi-sited fieldwork conducted in three key regions when it comes to laundering natural resources: Indonesian Borneo, the Surinamese Amazon, and the Greater Kruger Area in South Africa. These sites were selected for their strategic importance in the laundering of natural resources, with a particular focus on timber, gold, and rhino horn.
The fieldwork substantially strengthened the project’s empirical foundation by revealing how the laundering of natural resources is embedded within broader socio-economic and political and ecological conditions. It highlighted the coercive, economic, and political interactions that facilitate green laundering. Moreover, the data illuminated the environmental harms resulting from these practices, demonstrating how such impacts are mediated by local governance structures, economic precarity, and ecological conditions.
To enhance knowledge exchange and promote practical implementation, expert workshops were organized and the research team participated in several conferences where they presented their findings. These engagements facilitated dialogue with scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, contributing to the broader dissemination of the project's insights.
