Organisation profile

Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.

Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.

Main research areas

Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.

Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.

Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.

We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.

Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.

Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.

With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.

Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses

In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.

  1. 2021
  2. Published

    Crisis-induced disruptions in place-based social-ecological research - an opportunity for redirection

    Hermans, K., Berger, E., Biber-Freudenberger, L., Bossenbroek, L., Ebeler, L., Groth, J., Hack, J., Hanspach, J., Hintz, K. S., Kimengsi, J. N., Kwong, Y. M. C., Oakes, R., Pagogna, R., Plieninger, T., Sterly, H., van der Geest, K., van Vliet, J. & Wiederkehr, C., 15.07.2021, In: GAIA. 30, 2, p. 72-76 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Theorising individual agency within sociotechnical sustainability transitions frames: A social psychological review

    Upham, P., Bögel, P., Klapper, R. G. & Kašperová, E., 16.07.2021, Research Handbook of Sustainability Agency . Teerikangas, S., Onlika, T., Koistinen, K. & Mäkelä, M. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 29-45 17 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  4. Published

    Reducing Environmental Pollution by Antibiotics through Design for Environmental Degradation

    Leder, C., Suk, M., Lorenz, S., Rastogi, T., Pfeifer, C., Kietzmann, M., Jonas, D., Buck, M., Pahl, A. & Kümmerer, K., 19.07.2021, In: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 9, 28, p. 9358–9368 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Die Krise in der Krise. Sozial-ökologische Perspektiven auf Zuschreibungen, Bestätigungen und Verluste des ‚Reproduktiven’ in Zeiten von ‚Corona’

    Mölders, T. & Hofmeister, S., 21.07.2021, In: Gender. 13, 2, p. 48-63 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  6. Published

    Towards the design of active pharmaceutical ingredients mineralizing readily in the environment

    Puhlmann, N., Mols, R., Olsson, O., Slootweg, J. C. & Kümmerer, K., 21.07.2021, In: Green Chemistry . 23, 14, p. 5006-5023 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  7. Published

    Connecting consumers to producers to foster sustainable consumption in international coffee supply – a marketing intervention study

    Weber, H., Loschelder, D. D., Lang, D. J. & Wiek, A., 24.07.2021, In: Journal of Marketing Management. 37, 11-12, p. 1148-1168 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Negotiation complexity: a review and an integrative model

    Zhang, H., Zhang, K., Warsitzka, M. & Trötschel, R., 27.07.2021, In: International Journal of Conflict Management. 32, 4, p. 554-573 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    A social-ecological assessment of food security and biodiversity conservation in Ethiopia

    Fischer, J., Bergsten, A., Dorresteijn, I., Hanspach, J., Hylander, K., Jiren, T. S., Manlosa, A. O., Rodrigues, P., Schultner, J., Senbeta, F. & Shumi, G., 28.07.2021, In: Ecosystems and People. 17, 1, p. 400-410 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Statistical analysis

    Fetzer, I., Piemontese, L., Rocha, J. C. & Martín-López, B., 30.07.2021, The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems. Biggs, R., de Vos, A., Preiser, R., Clements, H., Maciejewski, K. & Schlüter, M. (eds.). Abingdon: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 252-269 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    What are social- ecological systems and social-ecological systems research?

    Biggs, R., Clements, H., de Vos, A., Folke, C., Manyani, A., Maciejewski, K., Martín-López, B., Preiser, R., Selomane, O. & Schlüter, M., 30.07.2021, The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods for Social-Ecological Systems. Biggs, R., de Vos, A., Preiser, R., Clements, H., Maciejewski, K. & Schlüter, M. (eds.). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 3-26 24 p. (Routledge international handbooks).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review