Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) was established by Gunter Pauli in 1994 at the United Nations University (UNU) with the support of the Japanese Government. Three years before the Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon in 1997, Pauli directed a team of scientists to design a new business model that operates without emissions and without waste. Inspired by the way ecosystems work, the research initiative proposed to cascade nutrients, materials and energy so that our production and consumption system uses all that is available.
The principle of ZERI is that the only species capable of making something no one desires, is the human species.
In 1996, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Gunter Pauli decided to create the ZERI Foundation with the goal to translate the designs into pioneering experiences. Originally, ZERI was headquartered at UNDP in Geneva, and later at IUCN in Gland. However, by 2008 the members decided to convert the central organization into a decentralized, time and place specific structures. By 2014, there are 34 project offices around the world.
Emphasizing the vast potential of such innovations, Gunter Pauli initiated The Blue Economy concept in 2009. The book was accepted on November 2, 2009 as a Report to the Club of Rome.
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