Through our research and innovation, we are contributing to the transformation toward a sustainable and climate-neutral economy and society. This also includes taking responsibility for our own greenhouse gas emissions.
The Executive Board of the Fraunhofer Society has set itself the goal of reducing the organization's emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
We at Fraunhofer IAO actively support this goal and are taking responsibility as pioneers in its implementation.
Since 2023, our research has been powered exclusively by green electricity! The electricity is generated from 100 percent hydropower (supplied from Europe, certified by the German Federal Environment Agency's register of certificates of origin). This has enabled us to reduce a large proportion of our emissions. Looking ahead, we want to further reduce our electricity consumption and generate the remaining demand ourselves.
A photovoltaic installation on the campus grounds is currently being planned. We expect to install 450 m² of new generator space with approximately 100 kWp on Fraunhofer IAO buildings in 2025. This will enable CO2 savings of around 42 tons of CO2 per year. This area is to be expanded further in the medium term.
Since July 18, 2025, the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) has required us, as an institute of the Fraunhofer Society, to establish an energy management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001. In cooperation with the four other Fraunhofer Institutes at the site, we have implemented and certified a corresponding energy management system (EMS) at the Fraunhofer Institute Center Stuttgart. The EMS provides a systematic framework for measuring, monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing our energy-related performance.
Until now, each of the five Fraunhofer Institutes in Stuttgart had its own vehicle fleet. From the end of 2025, these company car fleets will be merged for all campus institutes. This will improve the availability and sustainability of our company vehicles. The merger will reduce the number of vehicles by 17, increase utilization from 34 percent to 49 percent, and reduce CO2e emissions by approximately 82 tons per year through additional electrification.
Sustainability also plays a central role in the planning and implementation of our internal and external events. All correspondence is conducted digitally, including invitations and participant invoices. When selecting the venue, we look for sustainable buildings that are easily accessible by public transport. We avoid single-use products (e.g., tableware) and only use reusable alternatives. We also focus on regional, vegetarian, or vegan catering. Our name tags are made of paper or recyclable acetate silk (adhesive labels). Disused roll-ups and advertising banners are upcycled into bags or key rings as creative giveaways.
In the “Sustainability” working group, employees work together across disciplines to develop sustainable and climate-conscious measures and products. These are either implemented as concrete offerings for customers or promoted as internal initiatives by the Fraunhofer IAO's Climate Neutrality and Sustainability Officer. Measures that have been implemented include the digital data cleanup campaign, digital business cards, and the “Save Energy” lock screen. All employees can get involved in various ways, whether through digital idea collection, a book exchange on the open shelf, or a plant exchange at the summer party.
In 2022, at least one person at each of the 76 Fraunhofer Institutes was appointed by the respective institute management as a Climate Neutrality and Sustainability Officer (CNSO). At Fraunhofer IAO, the two BfKNs also coordinate climate protection measures on site and vigorously promote them to reduce emissions. In addition, the officers are in contact with climate management and other CNSOs in order to exchange and expand the extensive knowledge in Fraunhofer's internal and external networks. By collecting data, the officers create transparency and open up scope for action. One example is the institute's own greenhouse gas accounting.
In addition to new buildings with partial DGNB Platinum certification, our portfolio also includes older buildings that need to be renovated. A transformation concept was put out to tender for the first of these buildings, which dates from the 1980s. Carried out by an external service provider with specialist expertise, this transformation concept will provide us with a roadmap of concrete measures and their effects on upgrading the building. These will then be implemented step by step to make these buildings climate-neutral as well.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO