eco-innovation in germany - european commission · this brief builds on the 2014-2015 country...

Eco-innovation in Germany

EIO Country Profile 2016-2017

Eco-Innovation Observatory

The Eco-Innovation Observatory functions as a platform for the structured collection and analysis of an extensive range of eco-innovation and circular economy information, gathered from across the European Union and key economic regions around the globe, providing a much-needed integrated information source on eco-innovation for companies and innovation service providers, as well as providing a solid decision-making basis for policy development.

The Observatory approaches eco-innovation as a persuasive phenomenon present in all economic sectors and therefore relevant for all types of innovation, defining eco-innovation as:

“Eco-innovation is any innovation that reduces the use of natural resources and decreases the release of harmful substances across the whole life-cycle”.

To find out more, visit www.eco-innovation.eu and ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap

Any views or opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission.

Eco-Innovation Observatory Country Profile 2016-2017: Germany

Author: Meghan O’Brien

Coordinator of the work package: Technopolis Group Belgium

Acknowledgments

This brief builds on the 2014-2015 Country Profile developed by Bettina Bahn-Walkowiak and Henning Wilts.

A note to Readers

Any views or opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union.

A number of companies are presented as illustrative examples of eco-innovation in this report. The EIO does not endorse these companies.

The report is based on an updated methodology for calculating the Eco-Innovation Index, which has also been applied retroactively to all previous years, hence the outcome in the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard (Eco-IS) for 2017 presented in this report can be compared with the analysis in the previous reports to a limited extent.

Comments and suggestions on this document can be sent to Asel Doranova [email protected]

This brief is available for download from https://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/country_profiles_en

Table of contents

Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................... 2

1 | Eco-innovation performance ....................................................................... 3

2 | Selected circular economy and eco-innovation areas and new trends ........ 6

3 | Barriers and drivers to circular economy and eco-innovation in Germany .. 9

4 | Policy landscape in Germany ..................................................................... 11

ANNEX: Policy measures addressing circular economy and eco-innovations in Germany 20

1

Summary

Germany ranks third of all EU Member States in the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard and performs particularly well in the categories of eco-innovation inputs and activities. As regards trends toward a circular economy, Germany is a well-established front runner in the field of waste management. However, it is lagging behind other European countries when it comes to transforming the economy into a circular system of production and consumption. Start-ups in the green economy are relatively high and companies in the large German productive sector estimate their own material efficiency potentials to be only around 6% on average, with large discrepancies between small and large enterprises, pointing to potential barriers related to knowledge. Further barriers to a circular economy have been created by investments in waste-to-energy facilities, leading to lock-ins and competing incentives for “recycling” waste. While recent policies such as Germany’s revised Sustainable Development Strategy, National Programme for Sustainable Consumption, new packaging law and revised Resource Efficiency Programme place more emphasis on a systemic lifecycle perspective, in particular as regards ecodesign and public procurement, Germany still has a long way to go to develop a framework for promoting the circular economy that moves well beyond the waste management sector.

2

Introduction

Germany is a front runner in Europe as regards its strong manufacturing industry and strict waste management policies. However, progress toward a circular economy seems to be more mediocre at best. A systematic strategy for developing towards a circular economy is missing. Germany lags behind countries like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for recycling of recovered secondary raw materials in industry, and instead incinerates large amounts of waste, which could otherwise be recovered and reused. Around 15% of the materials used in industry come from recycling in Germany, meaning that around 85% stems from raw virgin material. One challenge is that statistics account for “energy recovery” as recycling, leading to mixed incentives for the energy transition versus the circular economy transition. A transition to a circular economy must move beyond the waste sector to include product policy (across the lifecycle) and sustainable consumption if it is to be successfully implemented in Germany,

While there is a strong foundation for research and development leading to innovations on the supply side, programmes are just starting to emerge which promote sustainable consumption practices and social innovations. Start-ups in green economy sectors with disruptive innovation ideas seem to struggle with breaking through political frameworks that they see as favouring existing business models and companies. Smaller companies also appear to have a harder time identifying opportunities for eco-innovation related to energy and material efficiency, pointing to a knowledge and skills gap for implementing the circular economy transition.

Despite key barriers, Germany is a leader in Europe when it comes to eco-innovation. The majority of German people appear to support the idea of environmentally friendly consumption. Movements across the country related to re-use, repair and sharing have boomed and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research related to social-ecological challenges is more and more widespread. The challenge remains moving from niche movements to reach the mainstream.

This country profile looks into these trends, the barrier and drivers as well as the policy framework for developing the circular economy and promoting eco-innovation in more detail. It begins with an assessment of data trends from the eco-innovation performance scoreboard.

3

1 | Eco-innovation performance

The analysis in this section is based on the EU 28 Eco-innovation Index (EcoI Index) for the year

2017. The Eco-innovation index demonstrates the eco-innovation performance of a country

compared with the EU average and with the EU top performers. EcoI Index is a composite index

that is based on 16 indicators which are aggregated into five components: eco-innovation inputs,

eco-innovation activities and eco-innovation outputs as well as environmental outcomes and

socio-economic outcomes.

Germany ranks third in the 2017 Eco-Innovation Index (Figure 1.1). It has moved down in the ranking since 2015, when Germany ranked first. Germany’s above average performance in all five components of the eco-innovation index are central to its leading position. Figure 1.2 depicts this more clearly.

Figure 1.1 EU-27 Eco-innovation Index 2017, composite index

Source: EIO, 2018

Germany ranks well above average as regards both eco-innovation inputs and eco-innovation activities. Regarding the former, Germany ties for second place with Denmark, with Finland ranked first. This is in particular due to its high performance in the indicator “Governments environmental and energy R&D appropriations and outlays (Share of GDP)” and well above average performance in the indicator “green early stage investments”. Germany is ranked 7th for

4

the indicator “Total R&D personnel and researchers (Share of total employment)”, corresponding to Germany’s mid-level performance also in socio-economic outcomes (see below).

As regards eco-innovation activities Germany ranks 2nd in the EU behind Finland. Enterprises within Germany report leading levels of activity as regards implementing eco-innovations with environmental benefits for both the enterprise and their customers. Germany ranks poorly as regards the indicator of ISO 14001 registered organisations (5th from last in the EU). This is due to the fact that EMAS registrations seem to be preferred within Germany, leading to a lower level of ISO certificates than one might otherwise expect.

Figure 1.2 Components of the Eco-innovation index for Germany, 2017

Source: EIO, 2018

In terms of eco-innovation outputs Germany ranks 8th in the EU. While Germany is the highest performer (together with Sweden) when it comes to “eco-innovation related patents”, it demonstrates below average performance on the indicators “eco-innovation related publications” and “eco-innovation related media coverage”. This is consistent with performance in past years, showing much potential to increase scientific and public awareness concerning the potential of eco-innovation.

Germany ranks 10th as regards performance in resource efficiency outcomes. Germany performs slightly above average in the categories “material productivity”, “energy productivity” and “GHG emissions intensity”. As regards material productivity, Germany ranks 9th behind countries like Spain, Italy, the UK, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Ireland. With Germany’s dedication to resource efficiency in the policy programme ProgRess (see Chapter 4), one would expect further improvements in this indicator in the future.

As regards socio-economic outcomes, Germany ranks 6th with the top performers beings the Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania. Germany performs first with regards to the

020406080100120140160180

1.Eco-innova1oninputs

2.Eco-innova1onac1vi1es

3.Eco-innova1onoutputs4.Resourceefficiencyoutcomes

5.Socio-economicoutcomes

EUaverage Germany

5

indicator “exports of products from eco-industries”, but is below average in its performance regarding “employment in eco-industries” and “turnover in eco-industries”.

Altogether Germany’s performance in the Eco-Innovation Index reveals a strong performance on the input and activities side, whereas outputs and outcomes, while still above EU average performance, are more moderate. Room for improvement is especially in employment opportunities. While resource efficiency outcomes have improved in performance relative to past years, there is still significant scope for progress.

6

2 | Selected circular economy and eco-innovation areas and new trends

The waste management side of the circular economy is one of Germany’s clear strengths. Germany has high environmental and safety standards for disposing waste and a technical infrastructure for waste sorting systems that is highly advanced, which has led to high levels of recycling rates for many years (Wilts, 2016). The waste management sector has an annual turnover of around 40 billion, employing almost 200,000 people in around 3,000 companies (UBA, 2014). High-tech German solutions are in high demand across the world, with German companies possessing a global market share of 64% for automatic material separation technologies (Wilts, 2016).

Recycling rates are also relatively high, in particular for specific sectors. For example, 96.1% of demolition waste from streets and 78.3% from construction were recycled in 2012 (last statistical monitoring) (BGR 2017, KW BAU 2015). However, for the transition to a circular economy, the question is, how is this waste used. In Germany C&D waste is primarily downcycled, used for example in noise protection walls for the autobahn, indicating that Germany lags behind countries like Switzerland with more advanced reuse of C&D waste in e.g. cement production. According to the German Association for Glass Industries (Bundesverbandes der Glasindustrie e.V.) around 87% of sold packaging made from glass was recycled in 2013, with around 60% recovered glass used in the production of new glass bottles (BVG, 2016). Despite well established recycling technologies, around 57% of aluminium, 41% of copper and 43% of Steel were produced from secondary sources in 2016 (Figure 2.1), similar to previous years.

Figure 2.1 Share of secondary resources used in German aluminium, copper (Kupfer) and crude steel (Rohstahl) production

Source: BGR 2017 based on 2016 preliminary data

Overall, the German Association for Waste Management (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft) found that just around 38% of waste was actually returned to production as secondary raw materials in 2013 (DGAW, 2016). That implies that two-thirds of waste is not used

Deutschland – Rohstoffsituation 2016

26

Die Einsatzmöglichkeiten von Sekundärrohstoffen sind jedoch begrenzt. In zahlreichen industriellen Prozessen kann nur ein bestimmter Anteil des Sekundärrohstoffs in der Produktion eingesetzt werden. Neben der Quantität ist auch die Qualität des Sekundärrohstoffs von großer Bedeutung für die Industrie.

Zudem sind Sekundärrohstoffe nicht unbegrenzt verfügbar. Die heute theoretisch zur Verfügung stehende Menge eines Sekundärrohstoffs ist abhängig von der durchschnittlichen Lebensdau-er der Produkte, in denen der Rohstoff gebunden ist. Die Lebensdauer der Produkte bestimmt die Zeitspanne des Rücklaufs. Die tatsächlich zur Ver-fügung stehende Menge eines Sekundärrohstoffs hängt von weiteren Faktoren wie der Sammelquo-te, Verlusten im Prozess und der Recyclierbarkeit der Produkte ab.

Recycling von Metallrohstoffen

Metallische Rohstoffe werden in der Regel nicht ver- sondern gebraucht. Ein großer Anteil steht am Ende der Lebensdauer der Produkte, in denen sie gebunden sind, durch Recycling wieder zur Verfü-gung. In der deutschen Raffi nade- und Rohstahl-

produktion stammten, ähnlich wie in den letzten Jahren, etwa 57 % des Aluminiums, etwa 41 % des Kupfers und etwa 43 % des Rohstahls aus sekundären Rohstoffen (Abb. 3.10). Global ist der Anteil der Produktion von Metallen aus Sekundär-material meist jedoch weit geringer als in Deutsch-land. Die deutsche Importabhängigkeit für Metall-erze und -konzentrate (Primärrohstoffe) liegt bei 100 %. Durch das Recycling von Metallrohstoffen und den Zukauf von Schrotten und Abfällen, über-wiegend aus EU-Staaten, wird die Abhängigkeit von Primärrohstoffi mporten deutlich reduziert.

Sekundärrohstoffe werden wie Primärrohstoffe weltweit gehandelt. Die Entwicklung beider Märkte ist für metallische Rohstoffe eng miteinander ver-knüpft. So steigt das Angebot an Sekundärrohstof-fen in Phasen hoher Preise von Primärrohstoffen an, während sich in Phasen mit niedrigen Preisen das Schrottangebot verringert. Die Preisentwick-lung auf den Schrottmärkten ist deutlich volatil. Durch wettbewerbsverzerrende Maßnahmen ist, ähnlich wie bei den primären Rohstoffen, der freie Handel zudem teilweise eingeschränkt. Staaten, die Exportzölle auf Schrott erheben, sind u. a. die Russische Föderation und China. Seit einigen Jah-ren ist zu verfolgen, dass in den aufstrebenden Industrienationen zunehmend Kapazitäten zur

Abb. 3.10: Anteil sekundärer Rohstoffe an der deutschen Aluminium-, Kupfer- und Rohstahlproduktion (2016 vorläufi ge Zahlen; berechnet auf Grundlage der Daten von ICSG, BDSV, WV Stahl, WBMS).

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2013 2014 2015 2016

An

teil

seku

nd

äre

rV

ors

toff

e[%

]

Aluminium

Kupfer

Rohstahl

7

as a resource (instead waste is “recycled” through e.g. energy recovery). This is consistent with the finding that only 14% of the raw materials used in Germany were gained from waste (IdW, 2010).

According to the German Advisory Council on the Environment’s Environmental Report 2016:

“The goal of implementing a circular economy reaches well over waste-oriented recycling

quotas and requires new business models, as well as a change in product design and citizen

behaviour.” --SRU, 2016, P. 26.

Wilts (2016) argues that Germany still possesses enormous development potential with respect to circular economy activities such as product design, reuse, repair and extending service life. For example, the rate of reuse after disposal is just 1% for electronic devices in Germany. In comparison, other countries and regions, such as Austria and Flanders achieve reuse rates that are in the case of certain products ten times better than Germany’s (Wilts et al., 2014). Although the annual volume of repair services in Germany is already about € 2.8 billion, it remains considerably less than 1% of the market for new products.

Circular economy and resource efficiency are concepts that go hand in hand. In particular in Germany with a large industrial sector and high import dependency. A survey of around 1,600 German manufacturing companies revealed that around 40% of companies implement energy efficiency measures and 73% material efficiency measures (Mattes et al., 2015). On average companies estimate their savings potential at around 14% for energy and 6% for materials. However, there are large discrepancies based on the size of the company. Around 50% of small companies estimated no material savings potential (Figure 2.2), most likely indicating a lack of knowledge and resources to identify material saving opportunities. This assumption is strengthened by the fact that large companies implement management instruments to systematically identify resource efficiency savings potentials, whereas such instruments are largely absent from small and middle sized companies (Mattes et al., 2015).

Figure 2.2 Estimated material efficiency savings potential according to company size

Source: Mattes et al. 2015

The “Green Economy Start-Up Monitor”1 develops indicators and assesses trends regarding start-ups in the areas of green technology, renewable energy, energy efficiency, circular economy and

1 https://www.borderstep.de/projekte/green-economy-gruendungsmonitor/

23%

34%

50%

38%

33%

24%

26%

20%

16%

12%

13%

10%

more then 249employees

up to 249employees

up to 49employees

none up to 10% 10% to 20% more as 20%

8

climate protection (lumped together as consisting of the “green economy”). In 2015 it analysed the trends of 5,625 start ups and young companies between 2006 and 2013. It found that around 17% of all new start-ups in 2014 were in the green economy, making it the second largest area for start-ups behind trade companies. The energy sector is a key area for start-ups in Germany, where Germany is a front runner in comparison to other European countries. Inside Germany, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein have the highest intensity of start-ups.

Ugly Food / Querfeld

Key words: food waste, lifestyles, social innovation

Acccording to the start-up Querfeld 18 million tonnes of food are thrown out in Germany annually. One reason for food loss is the removal of “ugly food” that is bent or twisted in a way that does not fit supermarket quality standards. In Munich and Berlin the company Querfeld UG aims to buy “B-class” fruit and vegetables from farmers to supply especially schools and kindergartens with fresh fruit and vegetables

copyright Photo: Querfeld and WirtschaftsWoche; https://www.wiwo.de/?footerhp=scroll

More information: http://querfeld.bio/

REMONDIS TetraPhos® recovers phosphorus from sewage sludge ash

Keywords: recovery, waste management, phosphorus

Phosphorus is a cornerstone of life. It is mostly used in fertiliiser to replace the phosphorus that plants remove from the soil. There is no substitution for phosphorus and Europe is highly dependent on imports. The German founded company REMONDIS has developed a process to recover high quality phosphate from sewage sludge on an industrial scale. It uses diluted

phosphoric acide to treat sewage sludge ash with various products available at the end of the process, including RePacid® phosphoric acid, used for producing phosphates to manufacture fertilisers, gypsum for the building supplies industry and iron and

aluminium salts.

Photo: REMONDIS; http://www.remondis-aktuell.com/en/032014/water/phoenix-from-the-ashes/

More information: http://www.remondis-aktuell.com/en/032014/water/phoenix-from-the-ashes/

9

3 | Barriers and drivers to circular economy and eco-innovation in Germany

According to the newly founded “Eco-Innovation Alliance”2, consisting of German start-ups and innovative companies:

“Germany has lost it’s edge in important international markets of the future. The needed digitalization of key sectors is sluggish at best and Germany’s former frontrunner position in the energy transition and climate change mitigation branch is barely noticeable. To blame is the political framework, which protects traditional business models and established companies, leaving little space for disruptive new actors to enter the playing field”. – Eco-Innovation Alliance

The Eco-Innovation Alliance promotes building innovation friendly and fair competition conditions for the green economy in Germany. It argues that the number of start-ups in the green economy underscore the growing importance of these sectors for Germany’s future and aims to remove key barriers to future growth. In particular, they identify 3 areas, or key hindrances, for change:

• Increase the attractiveness of investing in green start-ups, especially for venture capitalists by providing special conditions for start-ups in green, future-oriented sectors

• Make it easier for start-ups to reach independence by removing unnecessary bureaucracy and providing more support, in particular by e.g. digitalizing and streamlining administrative processes, putting outdated rules and regulations through a reality check, increasing the number of small, innovative start-ups that receive public contracts and commissions, increasing consulting services and establishing a “Start-Up Centre” for green innovative start-ups.

• Sector specific suggestions such as bundling support programmes in the building sector, enabling new forms of mobility, and removing the hurdles for electromobility, amoung others.

These findings are supported by looking at the types of eco-innovation needed to meet Germany’s Sustainability Development Strategy (adopted on 11 January 2017; see Chapter 4). Meeting those goals3 will require eco-innovations directed, geared or steered toward reaching those aims. This requires strategic eco-innovations in a specific direction, which go beyond just technical solutions. Such eco-innovations reflect the wide scope of innovation processes in innovations systems that connect production and consumption systems. The current policy focus in Germany on traditional research and development politics and monitoring must be expanded to meet this challenge (Walz, 2016, Mazzucato et al., 2015). Eco-Innovation to meet goals will require multiple actors, system innovation and social innovation and requires technology oriented measures to be

2 https://www.energynet.de/2017/10/15/eco-innovation-alliance/

3 Elements of this challenge were already present in the High-Tech Strategy (2010; see Chapter 4) which aimed to address societal challenges, making the direction and type of innovation extremely important (Polt et al. 2014 und Dachs et al. 2015).

10

complimented by measures on the demand side. This will mean a larger scope and number of eco-innovative policies, requiring better coordination between sectors and policy areas.

For the circular economy transition in Germany, one of the main challenges will be moving beyond the notion that circular economy means just better waste separation and technically optimised waste management (Wits, 2016). On the contrary, Germany’s highly developed waste sector appears to generate key technical lock-ins to building-up a circular economy. In particular, industry and citizens may have little incentive to pursue waste avoidance when the waste regime offers attractive alternatives. This is reinforced by overcapacity in the waste incineration market. Incinerators such as those in Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, with an annual capacity of up to 400,000 tonnes, were built with large investments and long payback periods. They were planned and designed for a service life of decades. Indeed most of the first-generation incinerators were built in the 1970s and are still in operation, “competing” for waste. All in all, the interests of producers, consumers and recyclers are not aligned toward developing a circular economy in Germany. For that reason,

“It is therefore essential to launch initiatives for improving product design, while preserving

the internal market, upholding competition and enabling innovation”. (Wilts, 2016)

Wilts (2016) additionally points out that because products are generally not manufactured for individual national markets alone, these are also important issues for the European Commission.

While a number of key barriers remain to be overcome, there are also key drivers to a circular economy transition in Germany, including a populace that seems ever more receptive to environmentally friendly consumption. For example, almost two-thirds of Germans agree that the environment can only be protected in the long run if everyone adopts consumption patterns that conserve resources (BMUB et al., 2018). One key driver for Germany is its high level of import dependence for resources. This is particularly evident when compared to other European countries (also due to Germany’s larger population), and makes a circular economy in Germany which utilises secondary resources to their fullest potential a smart path to ensuring that Germany maintains its competitive edge well into the future.

Figure 3.1 Total imports to Europe (million tonnes), 2014

Source: Wilts 2016 based on data from McKinsey 2016

10FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG – ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL POLICY

Source: data from McKinsey 2016.

Figure 2Total imports to Europe (million tonnes), 2014

Figure 3Potential cost savings in the circular economy

Renewable energy and raw materials

Collective use

Optimisation of production processes

Closed materials cycles

Digitalisation

Innovative materials

Fossil fuels

Non-metal minerals

Metal ores

Biomass

Total

Mobility, costs of € 5,500

Food, costs of € 6,600

Housing, costs of € 9,600

Sweden

Austria

Poland

Spain

Belgium

Italy

UK

France

Netherlands

Germany

0

0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 %

100 200 300 400 500 600 700

75

82

120

230

243

272

271

312

360

605

Source: data from McKinsey 2016.

Annual spending in three areas representing 60 percent of household spending (EU average 2012) and optimisation potential for 2050

11

4 | Policy landscape in Germany

According to the German Advisory Council on the Environment’s Environmental Report 2016:

“Until now environmental policy has primarily relied on waste management instruments to

develop aspects of a circular economy… The range of activities within the circular economy is

much wider: Fundamental innovation leaps are expected in the product planning and

production phases and are thus outside the realm of waste policy.” –SRU, 2016, p. 51

The transition to a circular economy in Germany has largely been discussed in a sectoral framework (“green chemicals”, “sustainable metalworking”) or as a side topic in the otherwise strongly energy-orientated EU Ecodesign Directive (Wilts, 2016). While there has been a strong focus on optimisation of internal company processes (e.g. in the realm of resource efficiency policy, see below), an institutional gap related to product life cycles for promoting a circular economy could be seen. All major German research and innovation policy strategies (e.g., the renewed High Tech Strategy), contain elements to increase the availability of excellent knowledge and technologies (supply-side) (Sofka, 2015), while there has been a weaker focus on strengthening the demand for innovative products, processes and services (demand-side). Some of Germany’s most recent programmes and strategies aim to strengthen these demand-side aspects, such as Germany’s Sustainable Development Strategy (2017), the National Programme for Sustainable Consumption (2016) and the updated German Resource Efficiency Programme (2016). A new packaging law4, to enter into force in January 2019, raises recycling targets and aims to reduce packaging waste. While it represents an important step toward further developing a circular economy, in particular by introducing regulations for ecodesign in packaging, large potential for a greater rollout of circular economy principles in Germany remains.

The updated Sustainable Development Strategy outlines how Germany shall meet the goals of the international Sustainable Development Goals (see the good practice box on the Strategy below). It contains two targets related to SDG Goal 12 (to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) related to products. First the market share of goods independently verified by sustainability labelling schemes should reach 34% by 2030. Currently, there are there are 102 ecolabels in Germany according to the Ecolabel Index5. However, surveys have revealed that while German consumers are in general open to more sustainable patterns of consumption, they are confused by the number of eco-labels, and sceptical of their reliability. There is a desire for an honest label that is well communicated (Walz et al., 2017). For example, the BMZ/GIZ6 project “Siegelklarheit.de” (label clarity) aims to help promote sustainable trade by supporting customers, governments and businesses to better understand environmental and social labels and to promote stronger international standards. Secondly, Germany has set a target to increase EMAS eco-management schemes to 5,000 organisation locations by 2030. EMAS site registrations have been going up in Germany over the past 4 years (see Figure 4.1), with around 2230 sites in 2018 so far.

4 https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/neues-verpackungsgesetz

5 http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/?st=country,de

6 Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Society for International Cooperation

12

Figure 4.1 EMAS trends in Germany

Source: UGA, 2018

The National Programme for Sustainable Consumption (BMUB et al., 2018) aims to help consumers better understand the impacts of their consumption (see the description in the good practice box below). It has an explicit aim to pay greater attention to lifecycle-based principles and practices in ecodesign, in addition to promoting credible and ambitious labels, promoting sustainable public procurement and encouraging social innovation. For the circular economy, especially the focus on shifting the focus from products to systems and from consumers to users is particularly relevant (promoting e.g. more sharing and leasing, as well as using alternative modes of consumption). As regards ecodesign, the German government advocates that ambitions ecodesign requirements be introduced for product groups. However, it also stresses that requirements must be technology-neutral as well as economically justifiable and reasonable. Specific actions of the Programme include rather soft measures, such as advocating for a stronger European Ecodesign Directive, strengthening market monitoring, reviewing research products, expanding and supporting the German Ecodesign Award, strengthening consumer information in e.g. user-friendly instruction manuals, and paying greater attention to service life through e.g. voluntary agreements or incentive systems. As regards sustainable public procurement, the German government aims to set a good example. A number of initiatives for increased training of public administration officials have begun in Germany. These include for example the Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement at the Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (offering advice and information), the Alliance for Sustainable Procurement (which involves collaboration of the federal government, Länder and local authorities working on topics like social standards) as well as the Competence Centre for Innovative Procurement (aiming to strengthen public procurement as a driver of innovation). The German Resource Efficiency Programme (ProgRess II, see the good practice box below) was updated in 2016 with some relevant policy approaches for promoting a circular economy and

* bis zum 20.08.2002 wurden gemäß UAG in der Statistik Standorte erfasst, danach Organisationen, die sich aus einer Mehrzahl von Standorten zusammensetzen können.Durch die EMAS III Verordnung sind seit Jan. 2010 Sammelregistrierungen möglich, die in den Standortzahlen erfasst sind.

1795

2339

2669 2671

2368

1799

1564

1958 1985 1956 1917 1906 1913 1903 1834 1877 18752031 2111

2233 2230

1491 1490 1466 1408 1354 1332 1269 1212 1228 1211 1216 1225 1240 1234

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Deutschland-Trend Sites Organisationen

Grafik/Statistik: UGA-GS | Daten: DIHK (Stand: 01.03.2018)

13

meeting the goal of doubling resource productivity by 2020 compared to 1994. The new programme 2016-2019 encompasses in total 116 different proposals for resource efficiency measures. The waste and circular economy policy realm in the programme was fundamentally and strongly expanded and gained the rank of a focus area besides raw material supply, production, consumption, and overarching instruments. As regards incorporating resource efficiency in product development, the Programme promotes the following approaches:

• “Investigation and, if appropriate, introduction of minimum requirements and information requirements for producers on the material efficiency, lifetime and recyclability of products in implementation of the EU Ecodesign Directive and the EU Energy Labelling Directive �

• Assessment of the adoption and enhancement of legal instruments in favour of longer lived products and sustainable consumption �

• Greater support for resource efficiency through standard setting � • Retention of the Federal Ecodesign Award as a platform for product excellence in

environmental performance and design � • Establishment of study modules on ecodesign in the academic training of designers and

technical product developers” (ProgRess II).

The ProgRess programme has also generated momentum for looking at the whole lifecycle of product life when promoting a circular economy. In contrast, for example, Germany’s Recycling Act still focuses strongly on the waste side of the equation (Wilts, 2016). Germany has a Waste prevention Programme (2013) and Waste Management Act (2012) (see the good practice boxes on each below). Nevertheless, Germany refrained from defining concrete targets in its waste avoidance programme on the grounds of lack of adequate data, despite the majority of Member States having set some kind of quantitative target for waste avoidance (Wits, 2016).

As regards Germany’s Eco-innovation Action Plan (Eco-AP), this is still under development. In 2013 Germany decided to work towards a German Eco-AP as a national contribution to EU Eco-AP. Between 2014 and 2016 a research project developed the basis for a German Eco-AP by developing a framework for environmental innovation policy and identifying 60 political instruments and measures at the national and European level. These were used to derive action fields of the Eco-AP and finally to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the measures portfolio. In 2017 a second call for a 3-year research project was issued to further develop the German EcoAP along 8 areas of action with concrete suggestions for goals and measures.

Germany has a wide range of framework and support programmes with aspects relevant to the promotion of eco-innovation and development of a circular economy. Of particular relevance is the High-tech strategy (see the good practice box below). The programme Materials Innovations for Industry and Society (WING) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) was already launched in 2004 intending to provide new impetus for materials technologies that have an interdisciplinary approach. The framework programme is interconnected with different support and funding programmes. The innovation programme for SMEs (Central Innovation Programme SME – ZIM) of the Federal Ministry of Economy addresses small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) but does not yet have an explicit focus on eco- innovation. Germany has established particularly strong policy frameworks in the areas of climate, renewable energy and waste management. In the programme SME Innovative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), there is an explicit research and support area for resource efficiency and climate

14

protection. The German Research for Sustainable Development programme (BMBF), for example, has a strong focus on social-ecological research, with three flagship initiatives on the Green Economy, the City of the Future and the Energy Transition in Germany.

The Sustainable Development Strategy, 2002/2017 On 11 January 2017, the Federal Government approved an updated Sustainable Development Strategy, which is the most extensive enhancement of the Strategy since its first adoption in 2002. The Sustainable Development Strategy is based on a holistic, integrated approach, finding that long-term, viable solutions can only be achieved if interdependencies between the three dimensions of sustainability are taken into account. The Strategy aims at economically efficient, socially balanced and environmentally sustainable development, whereby the planetary boundaries of our Earth together with the objective of a life in dignity for everyone form the ultimate constraints for political decisions (see the Sustainability goal triangle). It presents Germany’s measures to implement the 17 SDGs at three levels and contains 63 “key indicators”, mostly associated with quantified targets.

The Strategy states that the guiding principle of sustainability should be considered in every law and every decree from the start. Sustainability is therefore enshrined in the Joint Rules of Procedure of the Federal Ministries as a mandatory criterion when assessing the impact of the Federal Government’s proposed laws and regulations.

Source and further information: www.deutsche-nachhaltigkeitsstrategie.de

National Programme for Sustainable Consumption, 2016 The Programme aims to help consumers better understand the impacts of their consumption and to identify alternatives, without removing the right of consumers to make their own decisions. It shall strengthen incentives for innovative approaches aligned with the market, while also stimulating a broader national discussion regarding lifestyles and value change. It addresses multiple stakeholders from the principle of shared responsibility, including consumers, business community, commerce, civil society, scientific community, academia, media, local authorities and public sector. initiates a process to drive structural change towards sustainability in the economy and society. It describes relevant fields of actions for promoting sustainable consumption and details specific measures for each one. It is based on 5 key ideas:

Dialogue

The Federal Government relied on dialogue and cooperation to compile the new version of the Strategy.

Between autumn 2015 and spring 2016, there were five public conferences with high-level at-tendees including representatives of the Federal Government, Länder governments and local au-thorities, a large number of non-governmental groups and members of the public. At the end of May 2016, the German Chancellor gave the go-ahead for the second phase of the dialogue re-garding the draft Strategy published online. Rep-resentatives from more than 40 associations par-ticipated in a subsequent central consultation event in the Federal Chancellery, and lots of opin-ions were expressed. The suggestions that emerged from the dialogue process proved valu-able.

The Länder, the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development in the German Bun-destag, the Sustainable Development Council and the municipal umbrella organisations have once again made their own contributions to the Strat-egy.

Strategy aim/implementation of 2030 Agenda

The Sustainable Development Strategy is based on a holistic, integrated approach: long-term, via-ble solutions can only be achieved if interdepend-encies between the three dimensions of sustaina-bility are taken into account. The Strategy aims at economically efficient, socially balanced and en-vironmentally sustainable development, whereby the planetary boundaries of our Earth together with the objective of a life in dignity for everyone form the ultimate constraints for political deci-sions.

The Strategy bundles the contributions of the various policy areas to sustainability and works towards greater coherence and the resolution of conflicting goals in light of the large number of systemic interdependencies. It thus directs glob-ally responsible, intergenerationally equitable and socially integrative policy.

The Sustainable Development Strategy presents Germany’s measures to implement the 17 SDGs at three levels. Alongside measures with effects in Germany, there are also measures by Germany with a global impact. In addition, there is also the support of other countries in the form of bilateral cooperation (measures with Germany). Germany thereby shows that it is committed to the full im-plementation of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and is taking on this challenge comprehensively as its own.

Sustainability management

At the heart of the German Sustainable Develop-ment Strategy is a sustainability management system: goals with time frames for their attain-ment, indicators for continuous monitoring, rules for management and definitions for institutional configuration.

Management rules

The twelve management rules define general re-quirements for sustainable policy-making.

“Each generation is required to solve the chal-lenges facing it and must not unload them onto future generations. It must also make provisions for foreseeable future problems”, according to the first fundamental rule of the strategy.

Measuring success with targets and indicators

The Sustainable Development Strategy contains 63 “key indicators”. The indicators are mostly as-

ϯ

GERM AN S US T AI N ABLE D EVELOPMEN T ST R ATEG Y 2 016

15

• “Making sustainable consumption a feasible option for consumers

• Taking sustainable consumption out of the niche into the mainstream

• Ensuring all sections of the population participate in sustainable consumption

• Looking at products and services from a lifecycle perspective

• Shifting the focus from products to systems and from consumers to users”

The programme addresses cross-cutting approaches to systematically strengthen and expand sustainable consumption. This include: “a debate within society, education, consumer information, environmental and social labels, ecodesign, sustainable public procurement, research on sustainable consumption, social innovations, and monitoring sustainable consumption.

Source and further information: BMUB et al. 2018

ProgRess: The German Resource Efficiency Programme, 2012/2016

Keywords: resource efficiency, natural resources, decoupling, circular economy

In 2012 the German government adopted the ProgRess Resource Efficiency Programme which aims to strive for a more sustainable use of natural resources and the reduction of any adverse impacts on the environment. ProgRess II is based on the structure of ProgRess. The entire value chain is considered. Measures include improving the efficiency consulting for small and medium- sized enterprises, support for environmental management systems, the increased procurement of resource efficient products and consumer information as well as a stronger technology and transfer of knowledge to developing countries and improved services by the public sector.

As part of the programme, the German government undertakes to report once every four years on trends for resource efficiency in Germany, to assess progress achieved, and to update the programme accordingly. The first progress report was recently submitted to the Cabinet.

The updated version of ProgRess has extended the scope to several circular economy measures, including:

• Avoiding waste: strengthening waste prevention initiatives through dialogues and networks

• Strengthening product responsibility: in particular through voluntary commitments and with a focus on plastics

• Supporting recycling and recovery structures in emerging and developing countries: in particular through the German ReTech Partnership promoting German resource and efficiency technologies for recycling and waste management abroad

• Improving the collection and recycling of resource-relevant bulk waste streams: in particular metals in scrap and recycled aggregates, especially to reduce downcycling

• Better exploiting recycling potential in organic and gree waste: in particular by increasing the amount of separately collected organic waste nationwide

16

• Increasing the collection and recycling

Source and further information:

https://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/EN/Artikel/2016/03_en/2016-03-01-

ressourceneffizienzprogramm_en.htm

High-Tech Strategy, 2006/2010/2014 The National High-Tech Strategy as a resort-spanning guiding policy document was first released in 2006, updated in 2010 and renewed in 2014 in order to support R&I (BMBF 2014). It was set up as a strategy on innovation policy to systematically support priority fields. The High-Tech Strategy introduced new instruments such as the innovation alliances–a strategic long-term cooperation between industry and public research in key technology areas that require strong funding. According to the last RIO Report, industrial production and technology receive the highest share of public R&D funding. At the same time, Germany has increased R&D funding for energy and health themes but not for environment themes (Sofka 2015). The new six priority tasks comprise the digital economy and society, the sustainable economy and energy, the innovative workplace, intelligent mobility, and civil security. The circular economy is presently not an explicit topic of the high-tech strategy. Indeed, the renewed high-tech strategy extends the concept of innovation, which covers not only technological, but also social innovations.

Waste Prevention Programme, 2013

In July 2013, the Federal Cabinet adopted the first German Waste Prevention Programme, which comprehensively introduces and promotes waste prevention approaches, such as the reuse of products, the design of minimal-waste products, and the extension of the life span of products. Along with information policy, awareness rising and support of R&D, the Waste Prevention Programme pursues further objectives, for example, the support of the EU Ecodesign Directive, organisational and financial support of reuse and multiple use of products, repair centres, encouraging a more intensive use of commodities by a larger group of users (such as car sharing), minimise food waste at every stage of the production and supply chain, and the extension of the Blue Angel scheme to widen the range of product groups, etc. The programme was developed in cooperation with the German federal states which are responsible for the implementation of waste regulations.

Waste Management Act, 2012

Germany’s Waste Management Act (KrWG) entered into force on 1 June 2012 and replaced the Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act (KrW-/AbfG) of 1994, thereby transposing the corresponding EU waste framework directive into German law. It is the central act of the German waste legislation. One of its core provisions is the five-step waste hierarchy (formerly three steps) according to which waste management is ranked as follows: waste prevention, preparation for recycling, recycling, other types of recovery (particularly for energy recovery)

17

and disposal (UBA 2016). The aim of the act is to achieve a waste management that protects human health and the environment at the best possible rate.

Since 1 January 2015, waste sorting has been mandatory for organic waste, as well as for paper, metal, plastic and glass for some time. In order to promote the recycling, recovery rates are stipulated and will become mandatory in 2020. Furthermore, a landfill ban for untreated MSW has been in force since 2005. The landfill ban is partly controversial because of counter-effects, such as increased waste incineration rates induced by overcapacities and waste imports.

18

References BGR, 2017, Deutschland – Rohstoffsituation 2016 [Germany—Resource Situation 2016], Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover

BMUB, BMJV, BMEL, 2018, National Programme on Sustainable Consumption: From Sustainable Lifestyles towards Social Change, Berlin.

BVG, 2016, Umwelt und Energie [Environment and Energy], Bundesverband der Glasindustrie E.V., Available at http://www.bvglas.de/ umwelt-energie/glasrecycling (Stand 06.10.2016)

Dachs, B., Dinges, M., Weber, M., Zahradnik, G., Warnke, P., and Teufel, B., 2015, Herausforderungen und Perspektiven missionsorientierter Forschungs- und Innovationspolitik. Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem [Challenges and perspectives of mission-oriented research and innovation politics. Assessing the German innovation system], Nr. 12-2015, AIT/Fraunhofer ISI, Wien/Karlsruhe.

DGAW, 2016, Pressemitteilung Quotenzauber. Neue Berechnungsgrundlagen als Herausforderung für die deutsche Kreislaufwirtschaft [Press Release--Quota magic. New calculation basis for the German circular economy], Deutsche Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft e.V., Available at http://www.dgaw.de/files/uploaded/pressmessages/dgaw-pressemitteilung-quotenzauber- 20160129_1454320087.pdf

Federal Government, 2017, German Sustainable Development Strategy: Summary, Berlin.

KW BAU, 2015, Mineralische Bauabfälle Monitoring 2012 [Mineral construction waste monitoring 2012], Kreislaufwirtschaft Bau, Berlin, available at http://kreislaufwirtschaft-bau.de/Arge/Bericht-9.pdf (Stand 27.10.2016)

idW, 2010, Anteile der Sekundärrohstoffe in Deutschland [Share of secondary resources in Germany], Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, Cologne.

Mattes, K., Lerch, C., Jäger, A., 2015, Ressourceneffiziente Produktion jenseits technischer Lösungen: Der Beitrag organisatorischer Instrumente bei der erfolgreichen Umsetzung einer energie- und materialeffizienten Produktion, Mitteilungen aus der ISI-Erhebung "Modernisierung der Produktion" [Resource efficient production beyond technical solutions: the contribution of organization instruments for the successful implementation of energy and material efficiency production, findings from the ISI-Survey “modernisation of production”], No. 69, Available at http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0011-n-3748869

Mazzucato, M., Cimoli, M., Dosi, G., Stiglitz, J.E., Landesmann, M.A., Pianta, M., Walz, R., Page, T., 2015, Which Industrial Policy does Europe Need? Intereconomics 50(3): 120-155.

McKinsey, 2016, Circular Economy: Werte schöpfen, Kreisläufe schließen [Creating value, closing loops], Berlin, Available at https://www.mckinsey.de/sites/mck_files/files/20160125_ circular_economy_germany.pdf (22.4.2016).

Polt, W., Berger, M., Gassler, H., Schiffbänker, H., and Reidl, S., 2014, Breites Innovationsverständnis und seine Bedeutung für die Innovationspolitik [A broad understanding of

19

innovation and its meaning for innovation policy], Arbeitsdokument Gesschäftsstelle SWIR 1/2014, Bern.

Sofka, W., 2015, RIO (Research and Innovation Observatory) Country Report - Germany 2014. European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville.

SRU, 2016, Umweltgutachten 2016: Impulse für eine integrative Umweltpolitik [Environmental Report 2016: an integrated approach to environmental policy], German Advisory Council on the Environment, Berlin.

UBA, 2014, Die Umweltwirtschaft in Deutschland, Umweltbundesamt, Dessau-Roßlau, Available at https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/ medien/378/publikationen/hgp_umweltwirtschaft_in_deutschland.pdf (22.4.2016).

UGA, 2018, EMAS in Zahlen, Umweltgutachterausschusses.

Walz, R., 2016, Indikatorik von Innovationen im Kontext der deutschen Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie-Reflexion bisheriger Erfahrungen und Überlegungen zur Weiterentwicklung [Indicators for innovation in the context of the German Sustainable Development Strategy--Reflection on experiences so far and considerations for further development], Kurzgutachten im Auftrag des Rates für Nachhaltige Entwicklung [Short assessment for the sustainable development council], Fraunhofer, ISI, Karlsruhe.

Walz, Rainer; Gotsch, Matthias; Gandenberger, Carsten; Peters, Anja; Günther, Edeltraud (2017) : Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften: Stand der Transformation zu einer Green Economy, Working Paper Sustainability and Innovation, No. S03/2017, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0011-n-4357743

Wilts, H., Wolff, A. et al., 2014, REUSE – One Step Beyond, Vortrag im Rahmen der 46. SCUPAD-Konferenz „No Time to Waste: Planning to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle“, 16.–18.5.2014, Salzburg.

Wilts, H., 2016, Germany on the road to a circular economy? Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, WISO Diskurs 10, 2016.

20

ANNEX: Policy measures addressing circular economy and eco-innovations in Germany

Group of policy measures Type of policy measure

Specific measure

Please provide reference to or brief summary of specific measures (national, regional)

add cells if necessary

Focus of policy measure (tick if relevant)

Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement

Energy efficiency improve

ment

Reduction of emissions incl. CO2

Other relevant

areas (e.g. renewable

energy, etc)

SUPP

LY S

IDE

FOCU

S

Equity/business support

Publicly co-funded venture capita funds

- Business Angels Network Deutschland e.V. (BAND) is responsible for the development of the Business Angels culture in Germany, organizing the exchange of experiences and supporting cooperation among business angels.

x

Public guarantee funds

The “Mikrokreditfonds Deutschland” was established in 2009 as a guarantee fund and sponsors mainly SME; among others start ups which developed eco-innovations benefit (ca. 400 loans per month in 2015).

x

Support for R&D in public sector

and industry R&D funding

National High-Tech Strategy: strategic reorientation priority future tasks (digital economy and society, sustainable economy and energy, innovative working, healthy living, intelligent mobility and civil security)

6. Energy Research Programme - Research for an environmentally friendly, reliable and affordable energy supply

BioEconomy 2030 - Developing a systemic monitoring�

Research and development projects, as well as measures for the technology and transfer of knowledge in organic farming

Research and development projects, as well as measures for the technology and transfer of knowledge for a sustainable production, processing and marketing of agricultural products

SME-innovative: Resource and energy efficiency

Renewable Resources: projects are supported in the following areas: sustainable production and renewable resources, Raw materials and residual stock preparation and processing, biobased products and bioenergy

x

x

X

x

x

x

x

x

X

x

x

x

x

x

X

x

x

x

x

x

X

x

x

x

x

21


Specific measure




Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement


ment


Other relevant


energy, etc)

Collaborative grants

The National Climate Initiative's programmes promote climate protection in municipalities, and in social and cultural institutions, innovative projects in industry and in the consumer, education and municipal sector, highly efficient small combined heat and power systems (mini CHP systems) and, commercial cooling and air-conditioning plants.

x

R&D infrastructure

The funding program “IT goes green” supports technology based eco- innovations associated with resource and energy efficient computer technology and the information and communication infrastructure.

The expansion of wastewater systems is subsidised by “Support of waste water facilities”. Expenditures for such systems will be subsidised up to 60 %, depending on various factors.

The programme “Material efficiency in production processes” subsidised projects to improve the environmental effects of all processing, manufacturing, warehousing and transport processes in SME as well as large-scale companies

The Federal State of Bremen supports demonstration projects relating to the development and application of new environmentally friendly products as well as innovative waste recovery and prevention technologies

Subsidies from the Federal State of Bremen for investments to build of a pioneering environmentally friendly recycling and disposal infrastructure, as well as for projects that comply with the prevention principle aspired in the recycling and waste management act

X

X

x

x

x

Fiscal measures

Tax incentives for R&D and start-ups

Tax incentives for R&D personnel

Education, training and

mobility

Tailored training courses for companies, entrepreneurs

The funding program “Umweltbildung, -erziehung und -information” finances measures for environmental education, such as seminars, congresses and workshops in enterprises, etc.

22


Specific measure




Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement


ment


Other relevant


energy, etc)

Advise/consulting for start ups, companies, entrepreneurs

The funding program “Informations- und Schulungsveranstaltungen sowie Workshops” of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control supports training events, workshops, etc. for start ups. Among others events regarding environmental protection are to be financed / subsidised.

The Efficiency Agency NRW (EFA) offers the PIUS check (product integrated protection of the environment). In this context consultants analyse the relevant material and energy flows of enterprises and reveal possible saving potentials, such as the reduction of various inputs, a cut of production costs, increase of quality and possible emission abatement measures.

VDI Zentrum Ressourceneffizienz GmbH: Since 2009, covering and promoting an integrated application of environmental, resource and climate protection technologies; offering consultancy and know-how

X

x

X

x

Placement schemes for students

Support for R&D workers recruitments

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in the areas resource efficiency, recycling, decentralisation of the natural resource management, waste management, resource efficient economy, sustainable tourism

x x x

Networks and partnerships

Competence centres, clusters, science-technology

parks

The “Umweltcluster Bayern” in an initiative which facilitates the collaboration between the actors of environmental industry and science in Bavaria.

The “Cluster Umwelttechnologie NRW” aims to improve North Rhine- Westphalia’s position in the GreenTech industry.

In order to pool the knowledge of the efficient use of resources the German Environment Ministry established the national “Network Resource Efficiency”.

X

x

x

Technology platforms and innovation networks

Netzwerk Ressourceneffizienz (NeRess) - combines interdisciplinary and practice-oriented know-how and experiences to resource-saving production, products and management and is used for the exchange of information and networking of different actors by network conferences on a regular basis, targeted information for SMEs, expert workshops, etc.

Netzwerk Innovative Kreislauftechnologien (NIK) - handles a wide range

x

23


Specific measure




Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement


ment


Other relevant


energy, etc) of circular economy and waste: it deals with products in recycling management, disposal logistics in industry, trade and services, external logistics’ structures and strategies, as well as business development and future strategies.

x

Foresight and common vision building

Bürgerdialog - Ressourcenschonend leben (Civil dialog Resource-efficient living) - For the latest update of the Resource Efficiency Programme (ProgRess), the Federal Government was interested in the opinions and ideas of citizens on the subject of resource conservation. A public dialogue, including various workshops was launched over a period of ca. 6 month in order to contribute to the vision building for ProgRess II.

x

Market intelligence and other forms of information

sharing

The task of the BINE Information Service is to support the transfer of knowledge and information from energy research to practical application. To this end, BINE is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

There are also a number of initiatives at the level of states. For example the portal umwelt-bw.de provides information on a wide range of environmental and sustainability topics for Baden-Württemberg and www.invest-in-hessen.com is an information portal from Hessen to sustainably develop Hessen as a centre of economic and technology development.

DEM

AND

SIDE

FO

CUS

Regulations and standards

Regulations, targets, cap & trade schemes

Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz (Renewable Energies Law) – a fixed compensation for the feed-in of renewable energies (feed-in tariffs) for 15- 20 years incl. a degression

Biokraftstoffquotengesetz: regulating the blending of biofuels into the fuel for motor vehicles

Waste management Act , 2012

x

x X

x

Performance standards, labeling, certification

The “Saarländisches Umweltmanagement-Förderprogramm” assists the integration of the EMAS-System in small enterprises (up to 50 employees) by external experts.

The national eco-label scheme “Blue Angel” facilitates the identification of eco-friendly products (around 12,000 environmentally-friendly products and services from around 1,500 companies have been awarded).

x

x

24


Specific measure




Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement


ment


Other relevant


energy, etc)

Public procurement

“Green“ public procurement of goods and services

Germany’s platform for green public procurement (Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement) provides information for many different product groups for public administrations.

x

R&D procurement

Pre-commercial procurement

Technology Transfer

Advisory support for technology adopters

The KfW bank programme “Energy efficiency advice for SMEs” advises to find possible saving potentials. The program “Energieeffizienzberatung” takes over a part of the consulting fees and helps to overcome bureaucratic barriers.

x

Financial or fiscal support for technology adopters

(e.g. grants for purchasing new technology)

BMU-Umweltinnovationsprogramm supports large-scale facilities with demonstration character, i.e. the planned technology is not yet applied in Germany or known techniques are combined in a novel way.

KfW-Bank Umweltprogramm – (up to 100%) loans at reduced interests and repayment grants for investments of domestic and foreign companies for resource efficiency/ material saving production processes, reduction or prevent air pollution and noise, vehicles with electric drive and hybrid vehicles with bivalent drive, low-emission light vehicles, charging stations for electric vehicles and refuelling facilities for hydrogen, waste prevention, treatment and recycling, sewage treatment, reduction and prevention, soil and groundwater protection, brownfields and land rehabilitation

x

x

x

x

x

Support of private demand

Tax incentives for consumers (e.g. for purchasing

environmentally efficient products)

The “Government programme electro mobility”: Tax exemption extended to electric vehicles of all vehicle categories for five years for first-time registration of such vehicles in the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020.

x x x x

Tax reductions for products and services (e.g. VAT

reductions)

Demand subsidies (e.g. eco-vouchers, consumer

subsidies)

The German government subsidised the purchase of soot particle filters for diesel-engine cars. x

25


Specific measure




Circular economy

Generic focus on

eco-innovation

Resource efficiency

improvement


ment


Other relevant


energy, etc)

Awareness raising and information provision

There exist various funding programmes raising the awareness of environmental issues (e.g., BMU-Umweltinnovationsprogramm). x x x x x

About the Eco-Innovation Observatory (EIO)

The Eco-Innovation Observatory (EIO) is the initiative financed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment. The Observatory is developing an integrated information source and a series of analyses on eco-innovation trends and markets, targeting business, innovation service providers, policy makers as well as researchers and analysts.

Visit EIO and DG ENV EcoAP website and register to get access to more information

and to access all EIO resources

www.eco-innovation.eu ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap

eco-innovation in germany - european commission · this brief builds on the 2014-2015 country...

Documents