The Leibniz Association takes responsibility for sustainability. It bases the further development of its science and research, its research-based knowledge and technology transfer and the design of its science-related processes on this commitment.

In 2019, at its General Assembly, it adopted its first mission statement on sustainability, which was updated and refined in 2025. Assuming responsibility for sustainability extends both to the research processes of the Leibniz Association and to the organisational and operational framework conditions that enable research. When implementing its sustainability commitment, the Leibniz Association continues to follow the Guideline to Sustainability Management in non-university research organisations (LeNa).

Sustainability research

The Leibniz Association stands for scientific quality and social relevance. In line with environmental and social challenges, the Leibniz Institutes address sustainability aspects in a variety of ways within the focus areas of the five scientific sections – Humanities and Educational Research; Economics, Social Sciences, Spatial Research; Life Sciences; Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Engineering; and Environmental Research. Through their research and transfer activities, many Leibniz Institutes enable greater sustainability and climate protection in society and industry.

As part of their programme planning and joint initiatives – such as Research Alliances, Research Networks, ScienceCampi, Labs and collaborative projects funded through the Leibniz Competition programme – the institutes contribute their expertise to the promotion and understanding of sustainability in their respective fields. This can also include strategic processes pursued in cooperation with external partners from science, politics, business and society.

Sustainability Mission Statement

The Sustainability Mission Statement, in the latest version adopted by the annual meeting of the General Assembly in December 2025, provides a framework for a culture of sustainability in the Leibniz Association and its member institutes – a culture that must be established in the association’s various spheres of activity and continuously strengthened. The mission statement is also intended to encourage the employees of the Leibniz Institutes to reflect on their actions and to contribute to the sustainable development of the association.

The members of the Leibniz Association fulfil their environmental, social and institutional responsibility by ensuring that this mission statement is implemented in a transparent manner through individual strategic and operational concepts that take account of their individual starting points, implementation options and local site conditions.

Executive Board Representatives for Sustainability

Prof. Barbara Sturm (Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy) and Dr Martin Mittelbach (Senckenberg Society for Nature Research), who are both members of the Leibniz Association Board, are currently the Executive Board Representatives for Sustainability.

From 2022 to 2025, the Executive Board Representatives led the Sustainability Steering Group. As well as updating the Sustainability Mission Statement, the steering group initiated and accompanied the Pilot Project on Climate-Neutral Research Operations (2023/2024), laying the groundwork for conducting pilot projects and best-practice measures in the area of climate protection.

Leibniz Association activities for climate protection

From spring 2023 to summer 2024, the Leibniz Association funded a total of ten pilot projects geared towards achieving climate-neutral research operations. Fourteen Leibniz Institutes, including three institute alliances, carried out a comprehensive audit of their greenhouse gas emissions, which they used to draw up ideas for specific climate protection measures. The experiences from the pilot projects were shared in two workshops and informed the Sustainability Mission Statement of the Leibniz Association.

Building on these results, sustainability remains a strategic cross-cutting mission and key concern of the Leibniz Association. The two-year Strategy Fund project “Leibniz Climate Neutral by 2035” (launched in March 2025) follows on directly from the pilot phase and translates the lessons learned into long-term, application-oriented implementation. The focus is on tailor-made support offerings for the Leibniz Institutes – (individual) advice, practical information processing and exchange formats – that they can use to systematically plan, embed and implement climate protection measures, including, for example:

  • building a central knowledge base in the Leibniz Wiki (good practices and funds overview),
  • developing and testing formats for initial consultancy on climate protection management,
  • developing information and training offerings on Germany’s Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) and on the introduction of energy management systems (EMS) and
  • developing guidelines on standardising greenhouse gas inventories.