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

    Growth and fatty acid composition of Acutodesmus obliquus under different light spectra and temperatures

    Helamieh, M., Gebhardt, A., Reich, M., Kuhn, F., Kerner, M. & Kümmerer, K., 09.2021, In: Lipids. 56, 5, p. 485-498 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Legacy effects of pre-crop plant functional group on fungal root symbionts of barley

    Roy, J., van Duijnen, R., Leifheit, E. F., Mbedi, S., Temperton, V. M. & Rillig, M. C., 09.2021, In: Ecological Applications. 31, 6, 16 p., e02378.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    On the frontiers of collaboration and conflict: how context influences the success of collaboration

    Schoon, M., Chapman, M., Loos, J., Ifejika Speranza, C., Carr Kelman, C., Aburto, J., Alexander, S., Baggio, J., Brady, U., Cockburn, J., Cundill, G., Garcia Lopez, G., Hill, R., Robinson, C., Thondhlana, G., Trimble, M. & Whittaker, D., 09.2021, In: Ecosystems and People. 17, 1, p. 383-399 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Principles for the application of life cycle sustainability assessment

    Valdivia, S., Backes, J. G., Traverso, M., Sonnemann, G., Cucurachi, S., Guinée, J. B., Schaubroeck, T., Finkbeiner, M., Leroy-Parmentier, N., Ugaya, C., Peña, C., Zamagni, A., Inaba, A., Amaral, M., Berger, M., Dvarioniene, J., Vakhitova, T., Benoit-Norris, C., Prox, M., Foolmaun, R. & Goedkoop, M., 09.2021, In: International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 26, 9, p. 1900-1905 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    sPlotOpen – An environmentally balanced, open-access, global dataset of vegetation plots

    Sabatini, F. M., Lenoir, J., Hattab, T., Arnst, E. A., Chytrý, M., Dengler, J., De Ruffray, P., Hennekens, S. M., Jandt, U., Jansen, F., Jiménez-Alfaro, B., Kattge, J., Levesley, A., Pillar, V. D., Purschke, O., Sandel, B., Sultana, F., Aavik, T., Aćić, S., Acosta, A. T. R., Agrillo, E., Alvarez, M., Apostolova, I., Arfin Khan, M. A. S., Arroyo, L., Attorre, F., Aubin, I., Banerjee, A., Bauters, M., Bergeron, Y., Bergmeier, E., Biurrun, I., Bjorkman, A. D., Bonari, G., Bondareva, V., Brunet, J., Čarni, A., Casella, L., Cayuela, L., Černý, T., Chepinoga, V., Csiky, J., Ćušterevska, R., De Bie, E., de Gasper, A. L., De Sanctis, M., Dimopoulos, P., Dolezal, J., Dziuba, T., El-Sheikh, M. A. E. R. M., Enquist, B., Ewald, J., Fazayeli, F., Field, R., Finckh, M., Gachet, S., Galán-de-Mera, A., Garbolino, E., Gholizadeh, H., Giorgis, M., Golub, V., Alsos, I. G., Grytnes, J. A., Guerin, G. R., Gutiérrez, A. G., Haider, S., Hatim, M. Z., Hérault, B., Hinojos Mendoza, G., Hölzel, N., Homeier, J., Hubau, W., Indreica, A., Janssen, J. A. M., Jedrzejek, B., Jentsch, A., Jürgens, N., Kącki, Z., Kapfer, J., Karger, D. N., Kavgacı, A., Kearsley, E., Kessler, M., Khanina, L., Killeen, T., Korolyuk, A., Kreft, H., Kühl, H. S., Kuzemko, A., Landucci, F., Lengyel, A., Lens, F., Lingner, D. V., Liu, H., Lysenko, T., Mahecha, M. D., Marcenò, C., Martynenko, V., Moeslund, J. E., Monteagudo Mendoza, A., Mucina, L., Müller, J. V., Munzinger, J., Naqinezhad, A., Noroozi, J., Nowak, A., Onyshchenko, V., Overbeck, G. E., Pärtel, M., Pauchard, A., Peet, R. K., Peñuelas, J., Pérez-Haase, A., Peterka, T., Petřík, P., Peyre, G., Phillips, O. L., Prokhorov, V., Rašomavičius, V., Revermann, R., Rivas-Torres, G., Rodwell, J. S., Ruprecht, E., Rūsiņa, S., Samimi, C., Schmidt, M., Schrodt, F., Shan, H., Shirokikh, P., Šibík, J., Šilc, U., Sklenář, P., Škvorc, Ž., Sparrow, B., Sperandii, M. G., Stančić, Z., Svenning, J. C., Tang, Z., Tang, C. Q., Tsiripidis, I., Vanselow, K. A., Vásquez Martínez, R., Vassilev, K., Vélez-Martin, E., Venanzoni, R., Vibrans, A. C., Violle, C., Virtanen, R., von Wehrden, H., Wagner, V., Walker, D. A., Waller, D. M., Wang, H. F., Wesche, K., Whitfeld, T. J. S., Willner, W., Wiser, S. K., Wohlgemuth, T., Yamalov, S., Zobel, M. & Bruelheide, H., 09.2021, In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. 30, 9, p. 1740-1764 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    The Relationship between Stakeholder Theory and Corporate Social Responsibility: Differences, Similarities, and Implications for Social Issues in Management

    Dmytriyev, S. D., Freeman, R. E. & Hörisch, J., 09.2021, In: Journal of Management Studies. 58, 6, p. 1441-1470 30 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    A proposal of personal competencies for sustainable consumption

    Frank, P., 30.08.2021, In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 22, 6, p. 1225-1245 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Sustainability learnings from the COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for resilient industry and business development

    Schaltegger, S., 26.08.2021, In: Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal. 12, 5, p. 889-897 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published
  11. Published

    Assessing social-ecological vulnerability of coastal systems to fishing and tourism

    Lazzari, N., Becerro, M. A., Sanabria-Fernandez, J. A. & Martín-López, B., 25.08.2021, In: Science of the Total Environment. 784, 13 p., 147078.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review