Sustainable Technology Design

The Section Sustainable Technology Design was founded in 2023 and is part of both the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Kassel Institute for Sustainability at the University of Kassel. 

Our section is dedicated to the necessary transformation of industry to meet the climate goals of Germany and Europe in the context of the energy transition. We focus on the transformational challenges in the energy- and resource-intensive basic materials industry – a focal point for sustainability. This industry converts natural resources into basic materials and thus represents not only a significant portion of global energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions (around 40% worldwide, with an increasing trend) but also plays a strategic role in global resource flows. At the same time, we see industry not only as the backbone of our economic system and the supplier of essential raw materials but also as a key social actor – as an employer and a source of identity for cities, regions, and people.

As part of the Kassel Institute for Sustainability and one of its core professorships, we aim to actively shape the transformation of these highly complex socio-technical systems. In our projects, we work interdisciplinarily and closely with stakeholders. A core aspect of our research and teaching is "future literacy" - the ability to engage competently with a highly uncertain future through scenario work.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Lechtenböhmer