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. 2016
  2. Published

    Social and ethical aspects in sustainability performance measurement and assessment. A systematic literature review

    Silva, S. L., Beske-Janssen, P. & Schaltegger, S., 2016, 20th EMAN Conference: Two Decades of Corporate Environmental and Sustainability Accounting - What has been achieved?; Proceedings of the 20th Conference of the Environmental and Sustainability Management Accounting Network (EMAN), Lüneburg, 2016. Centre for Sustainability Management, p. 228-230 3 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksPublished abstract in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Social Entrepreneurship: The foundation of tomorrow’s commercial business models?

    Halberstadt, J. & Kraus, S., 2016, In: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing. 8, 3, p. 261-279 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Software and Web-Based Tools for Sustainability Management in Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

    Johnson, M., Halberstadt, J., Schaltegger, S. & Viere, T., 2016, Advances and New Trends in Environmental and Energy Informatics: Selected and Extended Contributions from the 28th International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection. Gómez, J. M., Sonnenschein, M., Vogel, U., Winter, A., Rapp, B. & Giesen, N. (eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 259-274 16 p. (Progress in IS).

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

  5. Published

    Soziale Medien als Technologien der Überwachung und Kontrolle

    Leistert, O., 2016, Handbuch Soziale Medien. Schmidt, J.-H. & Taddicken, M. (eds.). 1. ed. Wiesbaden: Springer Verlag, p. 1-17 17 p. (Springer Reference Sozialwissenschaften).

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

  6. Published
  7. Published

    State of the art in research on higher education for sustainable development

    Barth, M. & Rieckmann, M., 2016, Routledge handbook of higher education for sustainable development. Barth, M., Michelsen, G., Rieckmann, M. & Thomas, I. (eds.). Abdington: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 100-114 14 p.

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

  8. Published

    Sustainability and Ecosystems

    Wehrden, H., von Oheimb, G., Abson, D. & Härdtle, W., 2016, Sustainability Science : An Introduction. Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland, p. 61-70 10 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  9. Published

    Sustainability Communication

    Fischer, D., Lüdecke, G., Godemann, J., Michelsen, G., Newig, J., Rieckmann, M. & Schulz, D., 2016, Sustainability Science: An Introduction. Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, p. 139-148 10 p.

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

  10. Published

    Sustainability Ethics

    Oermann, N. O. & Weinert, A., 2016, Sustainability Science: An Introduction. Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Verlag, p. 175-192 18 p.

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

  11. Published

    Sustainable Development: Background and Context

    Michelsen, G., Adomßent, M., Martens, P. & von Hauff, M., 2016, Sustainability Science: An Introduction. Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland, p. 5-29 25 p.

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

  12. Published

    Sustainable Development and Law

    Peeters, M. & Schomerus, C.-T., 2016, Sustainability Science: An Introduction. Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, p. 109-118 10 p.

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

  13. Published

    Sustainable Entrepreneurship as a Research Field? Evidence from a Systematic Literature Review

    Johnson, M. & Schaltegger, S., 2016, Academy of Management Proceedings 2016. Academy of Management (Briarcliff Manor, NY) , Vol. 62. 16175. (Academy of Management Proceedings; vol. 2016).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  14. Published
  15. Published

    Teaching and Learning in Sustainability Science

    Barth, M., 2016, Sustainability Science : An Introduction . Heinrichs, H., Martens, P., Michelsen, G. & Wiek, A. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, p. 325-333 9 p.

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

  16. Published

    The Austrian way of TEMI

    Hofer, E., Abels, S. & Lembens, A., 2016, In: Chemistry in Action!. 107, p. 23-29 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesEducationpeer-review

  17. Published

    The development of an eco-label for software products: A transdisciplinary process?

    Kern, E., 2016, INFORMATIK 2016. Mayr, H. C. & Pinzger, M. (eds.). Bonn: Köllen Verlag, p. 1285-1296 12 p. (Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings - Series of the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI); vol. P-259).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  18. Published

    The diffusion of sustainable family farming practices in Colombia: an emerging sociotechnical niche?

    Ortíz, W. & Vilsmaier, U., 2016, International Sustainability Transitions Conference. p. 1 - 69 70 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksPublished abstract in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  19. Published

    The growth-welfare dialectic: What might hegel say?

    Fischer, M., 2016, In: GAIA. 25, 2, p. 80-83 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. Published

    The links between biodiversity and ecosystem services

    Balvanera, P., Quijas, S., Martín-López, B., Barrios, E., Dee, L., Isbell, F., Durance, I., White, P., Blanchard, R. & de Groot, R., 2016, Routledge Handbook of Ecosystem Services. Potschin, M., Haines-Young, R. & Fish, R. (eds.). London: Taylor & Francis, p. 85-104 20 p.

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

  21. Published

    The research process of understanding biographical learning processes of sustainability entrepreneurs

    Timm, J.-M., 2016, Routledge Handbook of Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Barth, M., Michelsen, G., Rieckmann, M. & Thomas, I. (eds.). 1 ed. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 383-395 13 p. 26. (Routledge international handbooks).

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