The WRF transcends the current political focus on climate change and aims to bring the broader issues of global resource consumption and resource productivity onto the agenda. It aims to create a science-based, realistic vision of sustainable resource use.

It is directed towards academics, politicians, research-oriented practitioners, sustainability officers, consultants and other professionals working in the areas of sustainable development, resource efficiency, eco-innovation, and climate change.

One of the results of the first World Resources Forum (Sept. 2009) was the publication of the WRF 2009 declaration.

Based on the outcomes of the Expert Committee meeting, held in St. Gallen, June 2010, the second WRF in 2011 focuses on five clusters:

1. Security of Supply: Peak minerals, Scarcity of metals and minerals, Environmental and social burden of resource extraction, Resource extraction and socio-political conflicts, Recycling of important material flows, Secondary resources.

2. Growth, Innovation, Decoupling, Efficiency and Sufficiency: Supply chain management, Regional and global material flows, Efficiency of processes and manufacturing, Dematerialization, Low Carbon Society, Green economy, Circular economy, Resources and greenhouse gas emissions, Best practice examples and case studies

3. Assessment Methods, Resource Use Indicators and Targets: Life cycle analysis, Ecological footprint, Grey energy, Carbon footprint, other Greenhouse-gas-related indicators, Water footprint, Soil-related indicators, Material flow indicators and (per-capita) targets, Standards

4. The Social Dimension of Resources: Welfare of countries, New economic approaches beyond growth, Values and lifestyles, Consumer behavior, Social LCA, Sustainability assessment, Sustainable consumption, North/South context, Industrializing countries.

5. Communication and Education: Information systems, Product information, Youth involvement, Awareness for resource limits and sustainable resource management, Workplace training, Outreach