INEC – Institute for Industrial Ecology

The Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC) is a research institute at Pforzheim University and was founded in 2010. Research areas include energy and material flows analyses at the interface of technosphere and ecosphere, ecological and economic optimization of product life cycles and operational production processes, and many other aspects of industrial ecology and quantitative sustainability assessment.

INEC is conducting research projects in scientific, industrial, and political settings that are funded by third parties including the Federal Ministries for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and for Education and Research (BMBF), the European Commission, and the state of Baden-Württemberg. Knowledge transfer has taken place in a large number of projects with companies of all sizes and industries. Research results have been used for the development of methodologies and software, which are used internationally.

INEC research activities support and enrich Pforzheim University’s study programs on resource efficiency management (B.Sc.), Life Cycle & Sustainability (M.Sc.), as well as cooperative PhD programs.