Sustainable consumption and procurement: from Germany to the world

In Germany, industry has long since discovered the brand potential of the environment. Manufacturers strive to introduce more sustainable production processes, while sustainability criteria and labels such as the Blue Angel scheme inform consumer decisions. Policy-makers generate initiatives and establish settings for sustainable consumption patterns – such as through the European REACH regulation on chemicals or the European Ecodesign Directive on energy-using products.

In many other countries, awareness of environmental, climate and nature conservation issues is still in its infancy. This presents particular challenges in regions in which economies are growing just as rapidly as their consumption and levels of energy and resource demand.