Sustainability

The German Cancer Research Center is committed to conducting groundbreaking cancer research at the highest international level. Our work aims to save lives and improve the wellbeing of those affected by cancer. We strive to provide our employees with an environmentally sound and socially just workplace while practicing outstanding research in a responsible, sustainable, and climate-friendly manner.

The DKFZ recognizes the importance of sustainability and the urgency of climate action in today's world. As the largest biomedical research institute in Germany and a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, the DKFZ is committed to excellence in research and to conducting research in a sustainable manner. We believe that groundbreaking research in cancer that saves lives and improves well-being should not at the same time contribute to societal harm and environmental degradation. To conduct research in an environmentally and socially responsible manner, the DKFZ is developing a sustainability strategy in line with science-based targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, including goals in the areas of organizational development, research, human resources, construction and infrastructure, procurement, and mobility management. The strategy is based on the guide Sustainability Management in Non-University Research Organizations (German only).

The links between cancer and climate change are clear. Air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, disruptions in food and water supply, exposure to industrial toxicants, and possibly infectious causes will affect cancer research and control (Hiatt & Beyeler, 2020).

At the DKFZ, we see climate action as our moral responsibility and aligned with our mission for a life without cancer. Therefore, we strive to take actions to mitigate climate change in the execution of our research. The co-benefits that climate action offers are necessary to achieve a world without cancer.

The German government has set the goal to reach climate neutrality by 2045. Considering the special responsibility and exemplary role of science institutions, the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany, whose members include the Helmholtz Association and thus also the DKFZ, has set the goal to achieve climate neutrality in its working methods and research processes by 2035 at the latest.