Germany adopted its first sustainable development strategy in 2002. Since then it has been updated at regular intervals. The most recent strategy determines the course of sustainable development in Germany.

Sustainability means only cutting down as much timber as can grow again. It means living from the yield and not from the substance. In terms of society it means that each generation must resolve the challenges facing it rather than passing them on to the generations to come.

Everyone decides when it comes to sustainability. Decisions on sustainability affect those who invest, manufacture and consume. It is not only a question of the ethics of making do with less. Imagination, creativity and technical expertise are called for in order to forge ahead with environmentally sound production and consumption that makes economical use of natural resources. If this is to work, everybody – the workforce and businesses, trade unions and business federations, universities and research facilities, must do their bit to actively shape structural change.