Indeed, the general consensus is to make sustainable consumption an integral part of everyday life, which requires solutions from governments and businesses alike, as well as, in some cases, changes to consumer behavior. However, sometimes, even if the consumer is informed and ready, the means to follow a sustainable lifestyle are not always available. A classic example in Germany are varying waste separation rules for recycling, which may differ not only by federal state, but by district within one city. Currently, the most environmentally friendly state in the country is Baden-Württemberg in the south, based on such indicators as traffic safety, noise reduction, and air quality, among others.
Delving deeper into shopping behavior specifically among German consumers following LOHAS (lifestyle of health and sustainability), almost 88 percent looked for regional products on grocery shelves, while around 76 percent also checked whether the product originated from appropriate animal husbandry, where animals were involved. On the other hand, as of 2022, roughly a quarter of the German population thought it was important to save energy. This attitude could be put to a severe test as energy prices rise. Sustainable consumption across various areas therefore proves to be a necessity not only in terms of environmental protection, but also for (household) budget reasons.
German cities scored across the board in the national Smart City Index. As of 2022, Paderborn in western Germany was in the lead in terms of using smarter energy and putting environmentally friendly concepts into practice. In this case, the indicators defining the evaluation were smart streetlights, electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, low-emission buses and some others. Paderborn scored 87.3 points out of 100, followed by Ulm in the south with 80.1 points and Trier in the southwest with 79.8 points.
