
Are microplastics a risk for our freshwater systems? IGB scientist Saskia Rehse shows her research results. | Photo: Katharina Bunk/IGB
Within the workshop series Uncharted Waters, the IGB regularly invites interesting representatives from businesses, associations and politics to an open exchange. This time, the team of soulbottles was our guest. The young company from Berlin produces sustainable drinking water bottles without plastic, and financially supports water and sanitation projects in developing countries.
Particularly interesting: the social enterprise belongs to the employees themselves and is not obliged to any external shareholders. In addition, the team has largely dissolved traditional hierarchies and has organised its work according to a holocratic principle. In particular, these new forms of cooperation - New Work - provided a lot of aspects for discussion and suggestions on how cooperation could be better organised in the daily research process.
For the soulbottles team there were current insights into freshwater research, in particular into pollution problems caused by overfertilisation, drug residues and microplastics. The day ended with a swim, games and cool summer drinks at the lakeshore. The IGB thanks for the visit and the good exchange!

Clara Bütow from soulbottles explains the company's purpose and the way the team organizes its work. | Photo: Katharina Bunk/IGB

IGB scientist Ulrike Scharfenberger explains the relationship between eutrophication and climate change in lakes and explained concepts that can be used to determine ecosystem limits. | Photo: Katharina Bunk/IGB

IGB scientist Jörg Lewandowski spoke about drug residues in streams and showed that a richly structured streambed can play a decisive role in their degradation. | Photo: Katharina Bunk/IGB

First discuss about water, then immerse in it: the collective after-work bath. | Photo: Katharina Bunk/IGB