The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy is a German research institution explores and develops models, strategies and instruments to support sustainable development at local, national and international level. Sustainability research at the Wuppertal Institute focuses on ecology and its relation to economy and society. Special emphasis is put on analysing and supporting technological and social innovations that decouple prosperity and economic growth from the use of natural resources.

The Wuppertal Institute collaborates with universities and institutes in Germany and abroad.The Wuppertal Institute understands itself as an intermediary between science, economy and politics; therefore, its sustainability research design is application-oriented.

The staff of the Wuppertal Institute numbers approximately 170. 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.

Research
Conceiving strategies for sustainable development requires an integrated approach both to policy and to scientific research. Their interdisciplinary research teams bring together the expertise of scientists and economists as well as geographers and spatial planners, engineers, philosophers and historians.

The focus of the four Research Groups is:
Future Energy and Mobility Structures: Research Group 1 examines questions of technology and infrastructure, 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.

Energy, Transport and Climate Policy: Research Group 2 focuses on strategies and instruments for effective and integrated energy, transport and climate policies at the local, regional, national and international level. A central theme is the synergy effects of policy strategies that support the sustainable development of energy and transport systems as well as climate protection generally. Policy instruments in the field of energy end-use efficiency are a further focus.

Material Flows and Resource Management: Research Group 3 investigates material flows from extraction of raw materials through to final disposal, taking account of the global "ecological rucksack" model as well as the land use involved. It develops concepts, strategies and instruments to improve resource productivity and sustainable resource management from the regional and sectoral levels to the international level.

Sustainable Production and Consumption: Research Group 4 develops instruments, concepts and strategies to promote the transition to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption. The research centres on 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.

Cross-Cutting Subjects: Focus projects bring together core issues addressed by the research groups. In Cross-Cutting Subjects scientists from different Research Groups join forces.

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.