"The Wuppertal Institute undertakes research and develops models, strategies and instruments for transitions to a sustainable development at local, national and international level. Sustainability research at the Wuppertal Institute focuses on the resources, climate and energy related challenges and their relation to economy and society. Special emphasis is put on analysing and stimulating innovations that decouple economic growth and wealth from natural resource use."
This is how the Wuppertal Institute's mission statement describes the Institute's activities. Based on the classic scientific disciplines, the research conducted towards this end combines their approaches to generate practical and actor-oriented solutions. Problems, solutions and networks are equally focused on global, national and regional/local levels.
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 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.