The Federal Cabinet adopted the German Resource Efficiency Programme (ProgRess) today. The goal of the Programme is to continuously increase raw material productivity in German industry through market incentives, research and innovation and advice, and thus to promote a further decoupling of our growth from resource consumption. ProgRess is the first comprehensive programme by the German government to address the sustainable use of raw materials.
Federal Environment Minister Röttgen referred to the Programme as a “master plan for sustainable growth”. He added that the efficient use of finite resources was “one of the biggest economic, ecological and social challenges of our time” and a “key competence of future-proof societies”. He went on to say that efficient resource use limited environmental pollution, strengthened global competitiveness and created new skilled jobs: “Germany is in an excellent position to play a leading role in the necessary global transformation towards a resource-efficient economy. We want to show how resource efficiency can be increased and raw material consumption decreased in a highly industrialised country without a decline in prosperity.” Read More
