The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy (official German name: ) is a German research institution for
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
focusing on impacts and practical application. It explores and develops models,
strategies and instruments to support
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
at local, national, and international levels.
Research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
at the Wuppertal Institute focuses on
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
and its relation to
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
and
society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...
. Special emphasis is put on analyzing and supporting technological and social innovations that decouple prosperity of
economic growth
Economic growth can be defined as the increase or improvement in the inflation-adjusted market value of the goods and services produced by an economy in a financial year. Statisticians conventionally measure such growth as the percent rate of ...
from the use of
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
s. The organization's activities focus on developing transformation processes aimed at shaping a climate-friendly and
resource-efficient Resource efficiency is the maximising of the supply of money, materials, staff, and other assets that can be drawn on by a person or organization in order to function effectively, with minimum wasted (natural) resource expenses. It means using the ...
world.
Organization and networks
The Wuppertal Institute collaborates with universities and institutes in Germany and abroad. It has formal cooperation agreements with the
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion [Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...]
Beijing, the
University of Osnabrück
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
, the
HafenCity University Hamburg
The HafenCity University Hamburg (german: HafenCity Universität Hamburg, abbreviated ''HCU'') — also known as the University Of The Built Environment And Metropolitan Development — is a public university in Hamburg, Germany which is focuse ...
, th
Center for Environment and Energy Research and Studies(CEERS) in Teheran and the
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
The University of Wuppertal (''Universität Wuppertal'') is a German scientific institution, located in Wuppertal, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The university's official name in German is ''Bergische Universität Wuppertal'' ...
. A cooperation agreement was also reached with the
University of Kassel. Joint research projects with th
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies(IGES) in Japan and
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India are regularly conducted. The institute is also a member of the Johannes Rau Research Association and the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet).
The Wuppertal
Institute understands itself as an intermediary between
science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
,
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
and
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
; therefore, its
sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
research design is application-oriented. It has the legal status of a non-profit
limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
(gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, according to German law). It receives basic funding from the Federal State of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...
, the sole owner of the Wuppertal Institute. The major part of its funding derives from
third-party research projects. The Wuppertal Institute's clients cover governmental organizations ranging from local authorities to ministries at both state and national levels; business and industry ranging from medium-sized companies to corporate groups and industrial associations; civil society ranging from environmental associations to churches, trade unions and foundations.
The Wuppertal Institute is based in
Wuppertal
Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and to ...
and employs approximately 250 workers. Two-thirds are research staff and come from a wide variety of background disciplines: natural and environmental sciences, geography, systems sciences, engineering, planning, law, economics, and political and social science. The staff consists of roughly as many men as women. The Berlin office promotes cooperation with scientific institutes and research partners in the capital.
An International Advisory Board stands for the independence and the Institute's scientific quality and provides advice with regard to strategic basic research issues.
History
The Wuppertal Institute started its research work in 1991, headed by
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker. The Institute's mission – formulated in its partnership agreement – was first of all to "promote measures and initiatives to secure the climate situation, to improve the environment and to save energy, as an interface between the scientific pursuit of knowledge and its practical application”. Founding President
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker advocated a resource strategy founded on reducing resource use by means of what he called an "efficiency revolution" pointing the way towards new models of prosperity.
Efficiency
Efficiency is the often measurable ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time in doing something or in producing a desired result. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without ...
is the cornerstone of the book ''Factor Four - Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use'' by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker,
Amory and
Hunter Lovins
L. Hunter Lovins (née Sheldon, born February 26, 1950 in Middlebury, Vermont) is an American environmentalist, author, sustainable development proponent, co-founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, and president of the nonprofit organization Natural ...
(
Rocky Mountain Institute, US). They assembled fifty examples of successful products using half the usual amount of natural resources, including hypercars, "
Passivhaus
"Passive house" (german: Passivhaus) is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or coo ...
", superwindows, long-lasting furniture and a summer holiday in the Austrian Alps. The book was accepted as a report to the
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a nonprofit, informal organization of intellectuals and business leaders whose goal is a critical discussion of pressing global issues. The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy. It consists ...
, and was on the best-seller lists for several months. It has been translated into more than ten languages.
Peter Hennicke studied and worked on using efficiency potentials in the field of energy use before he came to the Wuppertal Institute. He intensified research in this area as head of the Energy Division; later on he succeeded Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker as president from 2000 to 2008. Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek, the vice-president at that time, found a large audience proposing his
MIPS concept for gauging material input per service unit and identifying "ecological rucksacks" that "carry" products and services when they arrive at the consumer. He was aware of the fact that the then prevailing environmental policy was not paying enough attention to the great material flows; he advocated that besides already existing successful legal measures for pollutant
emissions
Emission may refer to:
Chemical products
* Emission of air pollutants, notably:
**Flue gas, gas exiting to the atmosphere via a flue
** Exhaust gas, flue gas generated by fuel combustion
** Emission of greenhouse gases, which absorb and emit rad ...
limitation, it would be necessary to reduce the material flows in order to conserve the finite material, energy and
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
s. With his concept of the “Ecological rucksack” he introduced his ideas into scientific and political debates.
In 2001, the Tokyo-based
awarded
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker and Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek a price worth one hundred million Japanese yen for their concepts "Factor Four", "MIPS" and "ecological rucksack", an expression of the Wuppertal Institute's international recognition.
Following the
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the implementation of
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action age ...
was high on the (environmental) policy agenda in many countries. The first attempts were very timid and showed the lack of experience in implementing the new leading principle called
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
. The 1995 report Zukunftsfähiges Deutschland (published as “Greening the North”), commissioned by
BUND and Misereor, was to remedy this: The Wuppertal Institute team, headed by
Reinhard Loske and
Raimund Bleischwitz, pioneered a new methodology. Beginning with an estimate of the Earth's carrying capacity, the "environmental space", the study developed leading principles to help Germans avoid overusing the environmental space to which they are "entitled". The principles are based on concepts such as efficiency and
sufficiency.
Prof. Dr.
Wolfang Sachs, a well-known scientist of the Wuppertal Institute, member of the Club of Rome and lead author at the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) a ...
(IPCC), directed the study “Sustainable Germany in a Globalized World”. It was published as a book in October 2008 by Friends of the Earth Germany (
BUND), Church Development Service (Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst - EED) and "
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
" to stimulate the social discussion on a globally sustainable development.
Agreed in 1997, the
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...
took the global nature of the
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
into account , even if it was ratified only many years later. The Kyoto Protocol was the first international agreement to limit
greenhouse gas emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
. The Wuppertal Institute's Climate Policy Division was closely involved in setting this milestone in the international climate debate.
At the
Earth Summit 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, took place in South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss ustainable developmentorganizations, 10 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. (It was the ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, ten years after the Rio Conference, the international agreements on
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
were updated with new timetables and priorities for action. The World Summit also formulated an integrated concept of science and policy in its Plan of Implementation. This plan was implemented both methodologically and in terms of its content in the Wuppertal Institute's research programme in 2003, whose conceptual research agenda was restructured under the keyword “Sustainability Research”.
In August 2005, the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
(UNEP) and the Wuppertal Institute jointly founded the
Center on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP). As a member of the globally cooperating UNEP Centers, its mission is to develop practically oriented contributions to the ten-year Sustainable Consumption and Production programme that was agreed upon at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.
In September 2004, the Wuppertal Institute's Berlin office was established under the direction of Hermann E. Ott. Wolfgang Sachs took over the management in 2009,
Maja Göpel
Maja Göpel (born 27 June 1976) is a German political economist, transformation researcher, and sustainability scientist with a focus on transdisciplinary work. As a speaker and author, she has increasingly specialised in science communication s ...
in 2013 and Daniel Vallentin and Timon Wehnert in 2017. Since 2019 Timon Wehnert and Stefan Werland are heading the Berlin office.
Since its foundation, the Wuppertal Institute has been working on visions for a sustainable and low-CO
2 society. Based on the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 80 percent by 2050, the Wuppertal Institute has developed various long-term scenarios for the German energy system. They serve as a basis for the long-term energy study of the German government and also the climate protection policies of municipalities strategies towards the long-term goal of a low-carbon society. A study commissioned by
Siemens AG for the city of Munich shows what this could look like. Long-term energy scenarios, such as those developed by the Wuppertal Institute together with research partners for the German
Federal Ministry of the Environment, contributed to the German government's decision after the
Fukushima reactor accident to abandon
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
generation and initiate the energy turnaround.
Uwe Schneidewind became the third president of the institute on March 1, 2010. He took over as successor to
Peter Hennicke after he had been retired for more than two years. Schneidewind holds a professorship at the
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
The University of Wuppertal (''Universität Wuppertal'') is a German scientific institution, located in Wuppertal, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The university's official name in German is ''Bergische Universität Wuppertal'' ...
. At the Wuppertal Institute, Schneidewind placed the transdisciplinary understanding of science within the conceptual framework of transition research. In 2011 the
German Advisory Council on Global Change
The German Advisory Council on Global Change (German: ''Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen'', WBGU) is an independent, scientific advisory body to the German Federal Government, established in 1992 in the ...
(WBGU) published its main report "World in Transition – A Social Contract for Sustainability", which calls for a fundamental change, a shift from a fossil to a post-fossil society. The task of research, it states, is to examine these transition processes and to support the transformation through specific innovations in the relevant sectors. This approach characterizes the scientific work at the institute. It also includes the question of securing prosperity, the "good life", beyond unrestrained economic growth. In the sustainability discourse, it is becoming increasingly clear that more efficient use of resources is eminently important, but it is not enough because rebound effects often reduce efficiency gains. The Wuppertal Institute is conducting ever more concrete research into how sufficiency strategies can be effective and how they can be used politically, in fields such as construction, energy or local politics.
In summer 2018, the book "Die Große Transformation – Eine Einführung in die Kunst gesellschaftlichen Wandels" by Uwe Schneidewind (
S. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main) was published. The book aims to find answers to the question of how the transformation to a socially and ecologically just world can succeed. For this, it needs “Zukunftskunst” ("future art"), writes Schneidewind. It refers to the ability to combine cultural change, smart politics, new economic activity and innovative technologies, and on this basis to make creative contributions to the implementation of the energy turnaround, mobility turnaround, food turnaround or sustainable change in cities.
Uwe Schneidewind left the Wuppertal Institute on 30 April 2020. Since May 1, 2020, Manfred Fischedick has been leading the Institute as Scientific Managing Director. Manfred Fischedick, who studied engineering and is Professor of Economics at the Schumpeter School of Business and Economics at the
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
The University of Wuppertal (''Universität Wuppertal'') is a German scientific institution, located in Wuppertal, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The university's official name in German is ''Bergische Universität Wuppertal'' ...
, deals in his work with system analytical questions, aspects of innovation dynamics and the market introduction of new technologies.
Research
Conceiving strategies for sustainable development requires an integrated approach both to policy and to scientific research. The quest to live and work in a way that conserves resources often raises questions that cannot be answered by one area of policy alone or by a single scientific discipline. This is the Wuppertal Institute's starting point. Its
interdisciplinary
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
research teams bring together the expertise of scientists and economists as well as geographers and spatial planners, engineers, philosophers and historians.
The Wuppertal Institute has been conducting research at the international level since its foundation. The Institute's international research activities follow a transformative approach, where researchers work in transdisciplinary and multicultural teams that address global and context-specific sustainability challenges. In its research projects, the Wuppertal Institute cooperates closely with stakeholders at various levels and incorporates their perspectives and scope for action.
The Institute's main research areas at international level include the energy and industry system transitions, the global climate governance, the low-carbon urban transformation (incl. mobility), the sustainable production and consumption, and the circular economy.
In the course of 2019, structural changes were implemented as the institute grew in size. 13 new Research Units organised within the four divisions began their work. With the new structure, the institute intends to take into account the higher management complexity and also to position the research fields more clearly.
In its scientific activities, the Institute advises ministries at the federal and state level as well as the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and is thus frequently in the public eye. On 2 March 2020,
Svenja Schulze
Svenja Schulze (born 29 September 1968) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She serves as Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development in the cabinet of Olaf Scholz. Schulze has been serving as member of the German ...
(German Federal Minister of the Environment) and Manfred Fischedick presented the federal government's first "Digital Policy Agenda for the Environment" at a federal press conference. It contains 70 concrete measures that combine digitalisation and climate protection such as The Federal Environment Agency is to create a registry for data centers as a data basis for future efficiency targets. Smartphones and tablets are to be given a longer life through new rules at EU level, thereby saving resources. Under the European Union's
Ecodesign Directive, manufacturers will be required to make batteries and displays replaceable and offer spare parts or updates for a minimum period of time. The Wuppertal Institute intensively accompanied the
Federal Ministry of the Environment in the preparation of the environmental digital agenda and provided scientific advice.
The scientific work of the institute is mainly conducted in four divisions, which are divided into Research Units.
The Division Future Energy and Mobility Systems examines questions of
technology
Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
and
infrastructure
Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...
, taking a systems analysis approach. In the fields of energy and mobility it explores what technical and social innovations will facilitate the transition to sustainable structures, what implications this process has and what chances it offers. It sees key challenges in the decarbonisation of energy systems, the climate-friendly restructuring of energy-intensive industries, and the sustainable modernisation of our cities. The following Research Units belong to the division:
:*''International Energy Transitions''
This Research Unit develops solution paths for sustainable energy systems and industrial transformation in developing regions - especially in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the MENA region.
:*''Sectors and Technologies''
This research team develops strategies for the
climate neutrality
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...
of the energy, transport and industrial sectors, taking into account their energy and resource impacts.
:*''Structural Change and Innovation''
This Research Unit shapes sustainable structural change, contributes to increasing the innovative capacity of industrial regions and evaluates opportunities from climate change and resource conservation.
:*''Systems and Infrastructures''
This Research Unit analyses the interaction of technologies, infrastructures and energy sources for the transformation to a sustainable energy system.
The Division Energy, Transport and Climate Policy focuses on strategies and instruments for effective and integrated energy, transport and climate policies at the local, regional, national and international level. Central themes are the
synergy
Synergy is an interaction or cooperation giving rise to a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The term ''synergy'' comes from the Attic Greek word συνεργία ' from ', , meaning "working together".
History
In Christia ...
effects of policy strategies that support the sustainable development of energy and transport systems as well as
climate protection
Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...
generally as well as policy instruments in the field of energy end-use efficiency. The following Research Units belong to the division:
:*''Global Climate Governance''
The unit sees itself as a navigator of international governance processes and, as an architect of transformative solutions on a global level, develops integrated strategies and instruments for the transformation to sustainability.
:*''Energy Policy''
This Research Unit analyses policy packages and instruments for the transition to a sustainable, largely carbon-free, energy-efficient and
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
system.
:*''Mobility and International Cooperation''
The research team develops implementation-oriented global concepts that combine local demand, expertise and policy advice with financing institutions.
:*''Mobility and Transport Policy''
The researchers investigate which policies and actors can shape the transformation of the transport system towards sustainable mobility in Germany.
:*''Urban Transitions''
The Research Unit develops innovative concepts and instruments that enable sustainable transformations in cities and regions.
The Division Sustainable Production and Consumption develops instruments, concepts and strategies to promote the transition to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. The division explores opportunities for creating a sustainable, resource-light society, and a socio-ecological market economy in which products and services offer a high quality of life and are produced in a sustainable way, globally and locally. One of the main elements is the development and market launch of products considered sustainable in terms of their entire
life cycle as well as production processes optimised right the way along the added
value chain
A value chain is a progression of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver a valuable product (i.e., good and/or service) to the end customer. The concept comes through business management and was firs ...
. The research focuses on the social-ecological balance of entrepreneurial, social, and technological changes and innovations in line with the implementation of the United Nations' international
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
(SDGs). The following Research Units belong to the division:
:*''Innovation Labs''
This Research Unit develops open innovation processes for sustainable production and consumption patterns in companies and municipalities, politics and society.
:*''Production and Consumption Systems''. The research team analyses and evaluates production and consumption structures from the perspective of resource efficiency and sustainability.
The Division Circular Economy focuses its research on how to succeed in transforming the resource-intensive, linear economy into a circular economy in which the value and the raw materials contained in products are preserved in the best way possible after their usage phase. The division develops targets and instruments for environmental services and digitalisation, which enables closed material cycles and creates the conditions for sustainable digitalisation.
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
target a comprehensive transition towards a
circular economy
A circular economy (also referred to as circularity and CE) is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. CE aims ...
, in which
waste
Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor economic value. A waste prod ...
should be avoided, products and their components should be used as long as possible, and waste is regarded as a potential
resource
Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their ...
. Related challenges and questions focuses on the design of infrastructures, policy mixes and governance structures. Necessary innovation processes are the starting point for the institute's research. The following Research Units belong to the division:
:*''Digital Transformation''
The Research Unit examines the perspectives of digitalisation and how it can be used for sustainability transformation and to achieve a sustainable digital transformation.
:*''Material Loops''
The focus of this Research Unit is the closing of material cycles as a central prerequisite for a sustainable, globally viable level of resource consumption.
Berlin Office
As a branch of the Wuppertal Institute, the Berlin office
promotes cooperation between the Wuppertal Institute and other academic and research institutions in Berlin.
Communicating sustainability
The Institute has always sought to communicate research results to its different target groups, addressing them in their own ‘language'. The research is communicated actively:
* to the scientific world, by means of numerous scientific publications, by organising and participating in lectures, symposia, workshops and conferences and by engaging in
networks with research partners in Germany and abroad;
* to decision makers in the realms of policy, business and society, through scientific research and consulting projects, projects that launch innovations (model projects, pilot projects), dialogues with partners from business and industry, and also through publications oriented towards the users' needs;
* to the general public, by means of
popular science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
books, public events as well as articles and reports in the press, on radio and television;
* to young people, through projects carried out with schools and other educational institutions, through supporting young scientists in collaboration with universities, and through teaching and educational materials.
See also
*
Factor 10
Factor Ten is a social and economic policy program developed by the Factor Ten institute with the stated goal of "provid ngpractical support for achieving significant advances in sustainable value creation, in particular through increases in reso ...
*
Material input per service unit
Material input per unit of service (MIPS) is an economic concept, originally developed at the Wuppertal Institute, Germany in the 1990s. The MIPS concept can be used to measure eco-efficiency of a product or service and applied in all scales from ...
External links
Wuppertal InstituteCollaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and ProductionWBGU, World in Transition - A Social Contract for SustainabilityDigital Policy Agenda for the Environment
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wuppertal Institute For Climate, Environment And Energy
Buildings and structures in Wuppertal
Climate change in Germany
Climate change organizations
Research institutes in Germany
Sustainability organizations
Environmental organisations based in Germany
Environmental organizations established in 1991
Research institutes established in 1991
1991 establishments in Germany
Culture in Wuppertal