Natural resources are to be used more sustainably, further reducing any adverse impact on the environment. That is the goal of the German government, and that is why it has revised and updated the 2012 German Resource Efficiency Programme.
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The Cabinet has acknowledged the report.
The progress report on the German Resource Efficiency Programme II has now been finalised. It gives an overview of the implementation of the programme over the last four years. The indicators reviewed demonstrate that economic growth has been decoupled from the use of natural resources.
The programme has already triggered a wide range of activities and initiatives at all levels. At international level too resource efficiency is becoming an increasingly important issue. The efficiency programme is to be updated. It builds on the lessons learned over the last four years.
The progress report describes a number of measures designed to help reduce raw material consumption in Germany. Some examples include:
In 2012 the German government adopted the ProgRess Resource Efficiency Programme. It aims to underpin a high quality of life in the long term. As part of the programme, the German government undertakes to report once every four years on trends in ensuring resource efficiency in Germany, to assess progress achieved, and and to update the programme accordingly. The first progress report has now been submitted to the Cabinet.
Natural resources including water, soil and air are the prerequisite for continued life on Earth and with it ecological diversity. This is equally true of flow resources, such as wind, tidal and solar power. Many resources, like natural gas, coal, oil and mineral ores are finite, making it vital to protect them.
Sustainable building and sustainable urban development are becoming more and more important, as is resource efficiency in ICT products. In future separate chapters are to be dedicated to these areas, reflecting their significance.
Associations and other civil society actors were strongly involved in producing the progress report. Ideas and proposed solutions elaborated by citizens within the scope of a nationwide dialogue process supplement the programme.