About us

ifeu conducts research and provides consulting services worldwide on important environmental and sustainability issues for numerous international and national funding agencies and clients. With over 45 years of experience, it is one of the leading ecologically oriented, independent and non-profit research institutes in Germany. Around 120 scientists from the natural sciences, engineering and social sciences are employed at its locations in Heidelberg and Berlin. ifeu seeks answers to pressing social questions and develops these in a transdisciplinary approach in close dialogue with stakeholders from politics, business, science and civil society: locally, in Germany and worldwide. ifeu's areas of expertise include resource conservation and circular economy, the sustainable and environmentally friendly design of products, material flows and processes, future-oriented mobility concepts, a successful energy transition, nutrition, biomass, biodiversity and land use. The institute's scientific and methodological work goes hand in hand with supporting pilot projects, advising ministries, local authorities, associations and companies, and communicating its findings to society.