News

Open letter: Paving the way for a sustainable future

Open letter from the German Council for Sustainable Development and 14 other German federal government advisory boards and bodies to the federal chairs, general secretaries and the chairs of the parliamentary groups of the SPD, Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen, FDP and CDU/CSU.

Read Post

“We don’t need to own the mobile phone we use for work”

Around the world, electronic waste is piling up. Dr Rüdiger Kühr, co-author of the Global E-waste Monitor and director of the Sustainable Cycles Programme at the United Nations University in Bonn, shares some ideas on how we can stop this from happening.

Read Post

Improving sustainability: On the home straight

Green energy, reusable packaging and social engagement – clubs, athletes and their fans can all play a major role in sustainable development. A great example of this is RENN.west’s “Goals Need Actions – Sport in the West” campaign. Among those breaking new ground are prominent football clubs.

Read Post

What’s new from the Sustainable Shopping Basket

Would you like to live more sustainably? The Sustainable Shopping Basket from RENN.süd gives you lifestyle tips, connects you with like-minded people and shows you what goes where – with plans to expand services with partner input.

Read Post

Actions speak louder than words

From influencers and podcasters to transport activists and bakeries – never before have so many different people taken part in the German Action Days on Sustainability as this year. In their own way, they all spotlight how consumption, mobility and the very lives we lead can be designed to meet the needs of the future.

Read Post

„We on the sustainability scene must reach those beyond the usual suspects"

As founding Secretary-General of the German Council for Sustainable Development from 2001 to 2020, Günther Bachmann advanced the topic of sustainability on all levels and in all areas of politics. He could hardly have dreamt of the changes that would be achieved – but in his opinion they are still not enough. We asked him for his personal view on the developments, successes and failures of those two decades.

Read Post

SDG Moment: A compass out of the crisis

On 20 September, the United Nations held the virtual SDG Moment with more than 30 heads of state and government to report on the status of the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Read Post

Voluntary National Reviews: consensus-building as a driving force

There is little measurable progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda – but more and more institutions are working to change just that. Examples from all over the world show what methods can be used to transfer the Sustainable Development Goals into domestic policymaking. Many of those involved recently came together at the High-Level Political Forum hosted by the United Nations in New York.

Read Post

"Sustainability must be a matter for the boss!"

Excerpt from an interview by Dr Werner Schnappauf, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development, with the Sustainability & Change Communications department at Daimler.

Read Post

Germany needs a shoe size

The German Sustainable Development Strategy is currently being revised. The RNE demands that the global ecological footprint of our consumption be recorded in it. The data and methodologies are there.

Read Post

EU–Africa partnership for peace: joining forces for sustainability

In light of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Council for Sustainable Development advocates a stronger partnership of equals with Africa. Council member Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul speaks about the need for and opportunities offered by a new EU–Africa strategy.

Read Post

The impact of COVID-19 on the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The international community of states intends to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, the worldwide pandemic is setting back many states’ action plans – and multilateralism is not faring well in the current environment.

Read Post