Foundation for Labour and Environment
of the Trade Union IGBCE

Climate change and the energy transition, digitalisation and industry 4.0, demographic change and globalisation – all these are processes that are fundamentally changing our society and economy.

German industry and its employees are right in the middle of these processes. These developments exact enormous demands and changes from us, but at the same time they also offer opportunities. Especially companies in the energy sector and industry need to gain new insights and ideas as to how transformation processes can be shaped. What strategies are needed to secure industrial value creation and employment in Germany, while at the same time driving forward the process of ecological modernisation? How can the changes and consequences of the transformation processes be shaped with the employees and to their benefit? In short: How do we combine good work and the environment?

The IGBCE’s Foundation for Labour and the Environment acts in this area of conflicting priorities. As the sustainability think tank for the IGBCE (Industriegewerkschaft Bergbau, Chemie, Energie, which is Germany’s Mining, Chemical and Energy Industries Union), we address the transformation processes on the way to sustainability from an industrial union perspective. We prepare analyses and studies, organise events and develop policy recommendations in the sustainable industrial policy and industrial work of the future topic areas.

Three questions are key to us:

• Which operational and policy frameworks are necessary to support new technologies and sustainable products and processes in industry?
• How should the associated changes be shaped for employees?
• How can social partners and employee representatives strengthen the sustainability of our economy and society?

We are convinced that social justice, good work and co-determination are indispensable components of any successful ecological and economic transformation.

The IGBCE’s Foundation for Labour and the Environment is a non-profit, legally responsible foundation under civil law. The focus of our work is predominantly on the sectors within the IGBCE’s organisational area. We carry out projects independently and in collaboration with the IGBCE or other external cooperation partners such as trade unions, think tanks, research institutions and companies. We also advise companies and works councils on organisational and corporate responsibility aspects concerned with sustainability and CSR.

The IGBCE’s Foundation for Labour and the Environment is financed by donations and contributions from the Friends of the Foundation (Förderkreis).