Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) was founded by Gunter Pauli in 1994 at the United Nations University (UNU) with support from the Japanese Government. See Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives. Originally headquartered at UNDP in Geneva, and later at IUCN in Gland, ZERI now is decentralized in a global network of 34 project offices around the world. The common vision of the ZERI network is to find and improve sustainable social solutions, working with diverse groups ranging from isolated communities to corporations, inspired by what is locally available.

History

ZERI participated in the World Expo in 2000 in Hanover, Germany. For the event they built a bamboo pavilion. They were recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America in 2009 for their 15 year project using waste from coffee farms in Columbia to grow Shitake mushrooms. It was estimated to have produced 10,000 jobs. 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 and was published in 2010. At the 20th anniversary of the creation of ZERI on November 12, 2014 at the UNU in Tokyo, it was reported that 34 organizations from around the world associated and inspired by this initiative of Gunter Pauli, have implemented 188 projects, mobilized €4 billion in capital and generated approximately 3 million jobs.

ZERI International board

The board consist(ed) of the following people: