The program will kick off with a a two-day conference, organised by the BMU, in Berlin, and the ministers hope that this will mark the first step towards a research programme intended to make the German economy more resource-efficient, environmentally friendly and socially inclusive.

“The way we live and conduct our economic activities has an enormous impact on our environment. That is why we want to provide society with a guideline for action to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change and the scarcity of energy and resources” Annette Schavan said. “By means of a green economy, we are pursuing the aim of one day interlinking sustainable approaches from production to corporate management to consumption and recycling in a single system.”

Peter Altmaier, who also spoke at HusumWind 2012, added that the process of greening the German economy is actually at a very advanced stage with lower emissions and less energy consumption. “Opportunities on the market are enormous: energy and resource efficiency are increasingly becoming a competitive factor; environmental and efficiency technologies are drivers of growth along the entire industrial value added chain” he said.