Adele and Gottlieb Duttweiler established the "Im Grüene" Foundation as far back as 1946 with the aim of setting up an institute that could conduct scientific research in the cooperative-society and merchandise-sourcing fields.

The inscription at the entrance of the institute states the following: Built 1963 in the spirit of its founders as a meeting place and a place of reflection the insight of science the experience of professionals the strength of the cooperative unified in the aim of helping to solve some of the hardest challenges of our time fight scarcity with abundance gaining freedom and initiative through the voluntary acceptance of responsibility transforming the conflict of producer and consumer into true partnership turning trade into a true service to the common good strengthen the individual in the time of the mass society As a meeting place and knowledge hub, the GDI has four main focuses of activity: It is a research centre and innovative think tank, trains executives with leadership programmes, develops innovation strategies with companies and is available as a venue for events.

Specialist meetings organised in cooperation with international partners and universities, and evening events dealing with society-related issues, provide further opportunities for exchanging views and experience.

The Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize is awarded to extraordinary individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the well-being of the wider community and who are distinguished by courage, persistence, commitment and the successful initiation and implementation of sustainable changes.

The award-winners include media entrepreneur Roger Schawinski in 1998, German foreign minister Joschka Fischer in 2004 and the former United Nations Secretary-General and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Kofi Annan in 2008.

The "Switzerland: a Prison" speech that writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt delivered on the occasion of the award of the prize to the then President of Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel, in 1990 aroused great interest.