Waste Prevention Programme of the German Government
The federal waste prevention programme was adopted on 31 July 2013. The programme sets out a systematic and comprehensive approach for preventing waste in the public sector, by recommending specific instruments and measures. The Federal States (Bundesländer) were involved in the drafting of the Programme. The Waste Prevention Programme outlines various approaches to waste prevention throughout the various stages of a product's lifecycle, including measures that address production, product design, retail, trade, and the use of products. Alongside the key criteria of waste prevention potential and ecological impacts, the analysis also considers economic, social and legal criteria. Only measures that are expected to have a beneficial effect with regard to all these criteria are recommended for inclusion in the Waste Prevention Programme. In addition to information, coupled with research and development, the Waste Prevention Programme also pursues the following objectives: • To actively support European research into waste-saving criteria within the context of the EU Ecodesign Directive • To provide organizational and/or financial support to structures aimed at the reuse / multiple use of products, as well as repair centres • To promote the concept of "renting or borrowing rather than buying", which encourages the more intensive use of commodities by a larger group of users (such as car sharing) • Concerted campaigns and agreements between public institutions, industry and retailers to minimise food waste at every stage of the production and supply chain • To extend the Blue Angel scheme to include more product groups; to offer practical guidance to awarding authorities and encourage them to put more emphasis on resource efficiency and waste prevention aspects. The Waste Prevention Programme was the starting point of the German Government to enter into a more long-term, in-depth dialogue with the Länder, local government and other stakeholders to promote waste prevention.
The waste prevention programme promotes sustainable practices such as the concept of "renting or borrowing rather than buying" and the prevention of food waste among others. It addresses both consumers and producers thereby protecting natural resources, human beings and the environment from the potentially harmful effects of waste generation and management.
