Green wave in Germany: Consumers drive companies to innovation!

Green wave in Germany: Consumers drive companies to innovation!

consumers in Germany are increasingly developing “greener” attitudes and showing a higher willingness to buy environmentally friendly products. According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), these changes have measurable effects on the innovation decisions of companies. In the case of automotive manufacturers in particular, research investments increase in clean technologies such as electrical, hybrid or hydrogen drives when consumers favor environmentally friendly products. This effect of the "green" consumer preferences is even more pronounced than the influence of rising petrol prices. In addition, politics demands more transparency in relation to the environmental balance of products in order to make conscious purchase decisions easier DIW Berlin .

The increased environmental awareness in Germany is also present in the general public. Environmental issues such as climate change, the exit of the coal and movements such as Fridays for future are increasingly becoming the focus. Studies by the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) show that environmental and climate protection are among the central challenges of society, equally with topics such as education and social justice. The demand for organic products, green electricity and car sharing has increased in recent years.

consumer awareness and actual consumption behavior

Despite the pronounced environmental awareness, there are still large need for action in private consumption. This has a significant impact on the environment, especially through the high import of products. Every year, every person in Germany creates 11.61 tons of CO2 emissions, which is almost twice as high as the worldwide average. Here, the diet contributes to the emissions with 15 %, while "other consumption" - such as clothing, household appliances and leisure - makes up almost 40 % Environmental Bundesamt .

The consumption expenditure of households in Germany rose by 14 % from 2014 to 2019. Higher income often leads to higher consumption expenditure and increasing energy consumption. Despite the positive aspects such as falling greenhouse gas emissions from the consumption of private households since 2000, there are also many negative effects: The market share of environmentally friendly products grew from 3.6 % in 2012 to 8.3 % in 2017, but general consumption favors the environmental damage associated with it.

challenges for sustainable consumption

The discrepancy between the high environmental awareness and actual consumption behavior is significant. Sustainable behavior, existing habits and the feeling of fainting towards the major challenges of the environmental crisis are often convenience, existing habits. The "low-cost hypothesis" suggests that environmentally conscious action is often only realized with little waiver. In order to reduce this discrepancy, targeted sustainability communication is necessary, which promotes knowledge and behavior and reduces prejudices.

A variety of efforts to promote sustainable consumption are increased by environmental protection organizations and the federal government. The national program for sustainable consumption, launched in 2016, aims to establish environmentally friendly practices in society. In addition, the planned supply chain law should stimulate companies to comply with environmental and human rights, for which there are already broader support from the population Environmental-im-unchtricht.de.

Overall, it can be seen that consumer behavior has a significant impact on the environment and that a rethink is necessary to secure a sustainable future.