Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt

Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt der IGBCE is the sustainability think tank of Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IGBCE), one of Germany's largest industrial unions. Founded in 1990 by the then IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, it was Europe's first environmental foundation established by a trade union and remains so today. Its headquarters have been in Hannover since 2001, with an additional office in Berlin since 2018. The foundation is a member of the Bundesverband deutscher Stiftungen (Association of German Foundations) and has foundation assets of around 3 million euros. The foundation describes itself as a think tank, network and consultancy. It works in a scientifically grounded and practice-oriented manner for forward-looking industrial policy and sustainable development from the perspective of employees. It brings together actors from trade unions, science, politics and civil society, and provides knowledge for workplace co-determination and the transformation of industry. Its publications include studies, analyses and discussion papers that serve as a basis for discourse and political classification. Since a realignment in 2017, the foundation has focused on four main thematic areas: energy transition and sector coupling, transformation of industry, CSR and co-determination, and transformation of work. Its empirical focus is on the sectors within IGBCE's organizational domain, namely the energy industry and energy-intensive industries. It also trains and supports works councils on current transformation processes. In 2021 it launched the series Branchenausblicke 2030+, which analyses the social and ecological challenges of the sectors within IGBCE's remit. The foundation is nationwide in scope and, according to its statutes, exclusively funds projects in Germany, though these may cooperate with foreign partners. Some projects are supported by third-party funding. Its guiding vision is a "sustainable and future-compatible development", meaning that the present generation should live and work in a way that meets its own needs without jeopardizing the future opportunities of subsequent generations.

Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt was founded in 1990 by IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik (IG CPK) on the occasion of the union's 100th anniversary. It was Europe's first environmental foundation established by a trade union and remains so to this day. The initial foundation capital was 1 million Deutsche Mark, and the foundation's seat was Bitterfeld. In spring 1991, IG Chemie, Glas, Keramik in East Germany was dissolved; its dissolution congress decided to increase the foundation's capital by 6 million DM from the available assets. Initially, the foundation pursued above all the goal of addressing the pressing issues of environmental remediation and qualification in the ongoing transformation process, especially in East Germany after German reunification. Based on its own studies, it began advising companies, conducting further training and accompanying concrete environmental projects. Studies on the work and environmental situation in the chemical industry in the former GDR were conducted and discussed at events. On this basis, recommendations for sustainable regional structural change were developed, with particular emphasis on cooperation with affected workers. While most projects initially dealt with the organization of environmental protection in companies, later projects were added in which waste management in the new federal states was reorganized through cooperation with municipalities and companies, taking up local experience in recycling and resource protection. In 1994, the new environment minister in the Kohl V cabinet, Angela Merkel, became deputy chair of Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt and remained so until 1999. In 1997, IG CPK merged with IG Bergbau und Energie (IG BE) and Gewerkschaft Leder (GL) to form Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie (IGBCE). The foundation's headquarters have been in Hannover since 2001, and an additional branch has existed in Berlin since 2018. The foundation is a member of the Bundesverband deutscher Stiftungen. Its foundation assets currently amount to around 3 million euros. In 2017, the foundation was realigned in terms of content as a sustainability think tank with a distinctly industrial-union and employee-oriented perspective. From 2018, it organized several location conferences on structural change and coal phase-out in Lusatia and North Rhine-Westphalia, and published studies focusing on regional and structural policy following the coal phase-out. Further events followed from 2019 on key topics such as employment effects of German climate policy, socially just CO2 pricing models, possible employment effects and technological options of a transport transition, digitalization and work quality, and union design options with regard to the workplace use of artificial intelligence (AI). Since 2017, the foundation has placed a focus on analyses and studies that are presented at events, in specialist circles and in public, and developed into political recommendations for action in the thematic areas of sustainable industrial policy and industrial work of the future. The empirical focus is on the sectors within IGBCE's organizational domain (the energy industry and energy-intensive industries). In addition, works councils are trained and supported on questions of current transformation processes. Since 2019, the foundation has set four central thematic priorities: energy transition and sector coupling, transformation of industry, CSR and co-determination, and transformation of work. In 2021, it launched the series Branchenausblicke 2030+, which primarily analyses the social and ecological challenges of the sectors within IGBCE's responsibility. In September 2021, shortly before the federal election, the foundation organized a Transformationscamp together with IGBCE on the topics of socio-ecological transformation, good work and co-determination.

• 2021

  Launched Branchenausblicke 2030+ series; organized Transformationscamp with IGBCE before the federal election.

• 2019

  Four central thematic priorities established: energy transition and sector coupling, transformation of industry, CSR and co-determination, transformation of work.

• 2018

  Additional office opened in Berlin; location conferences on structural change and coal phase-out in Lusatia and North Rhine-Westphalia.

• 2017

  Realignment as a sustainability think tank with an industrial-union and employee-oriented perspective.

• 2001

  Foundation headquarters moved to Hannover.

• 1997

  IG CPK merged with IG BE and GL to form IGBCE, the foundation's parent union.

• 1994

  Angela Merkel became deputy chair of the foundation, serving until 1999.

• 1991

  IG Chemie, Glas, Keramik in East Germany dissolved; foundation capital increased by 6 million DM.

• 1990

  Founded by IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; Europe's first trade union environmental foundation.

Sustainability think tank, network and consultancy for industrial policy and good work from an employee perspective.

• Branchenausblicke 2030+

  Series analysing social and ecological challenges of sectors within IGBCE's responsibility.

• Studies and analyses

  Scientific studies on industrial policy, structural change, climate policy and work transformation.

• Discussion papers

  Papers on topics such as digital tools in due diligence, hydrogen ramp-up, and European raw materials.

• Training for works councils

  Further training and support for works councils on transformation processes.

1. 1Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt der IGBCE - official websitearbeit-umwelt.de
2. 2Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt - Wikidatawikidata.org