Our research areas
Reimagining business, finance and economy to advance sustainability, prosperity and wellbeing for all.
Helping partners adapt to the challenges of a changing climate.
Visioning a sustainable energy future in which energy is clean, affordable and accessible to all.
Transforming food systems to ensure healthy, thriving and food-secure communities and businesses.
Working in partnerships to end poverty and ensure sustainable development for everyone.
Advancing a systemic approach to production and consumption through stewardship and circular resource flows.
Improving the liveability of urban environments with social, infrastructure and resource solutions.
Collaborating to develop restorative, sustainable and resilient water management approaches.
Cross-sector research
Healthy environments
Transforming urban systems and food systems to adapt to climate change and other pressing challenges to promote human and planetary health. We work with our partners in these areas to improve planning, design and strategy to optimise the health of the built and natural environment.
Organic resources
We use innovative approaches and a focus on management and partnerships to transform food waste, wastewater and other organic resources into closed-loop value chains, to enable optimal utilisation of organic resources in the circular economy.
Circular economy
We find solutions to the problems of resource depletion and waste through our work in Circular economy for sustainable resources and Circular economy for water, energy and waste. Our holistic approach considers strategies, policies and business models in making transformative change.
Research approaches
Working with stakeholders to understand, navigate and facilitate transformation towards sustainable futures.
The greatest challenges facing the sustainability sector today cannot be solved by a single point of view. At ISF, we believe that transdisciplinary research is the key to tackling complex, messy and wicked sustainability problems such as water and food security, poverty, and climate change.
Achieving a sustainable relationship between people and planet requires a transformative response involving profound, systemic changes that reach across social, cultural, political, economic and technical domains.