Status Quo: Politischer Rahmen für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften in Deutschland

The industry is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Germany after the energy sector. Therefore, companies play a crucial role in decarbonisation and reducing the overall consumption of resources in the economy. However, over the past 30 years, industrial energy consumption has barely decreased despite increasing efficiency. To implement the necessary climate protection measures, industrial investments of around 50 billion euros are required by 2030. Of this, approximately 20 billion euros are allocated to increasing energy efficiency through replacement investments in equipment and the decarbonisation of process heat, as well as new equipment.

To ensure these investments are actually made, additional regulation is necessary, as the current policy framework does not mobilise sufficient investments. Furthermore, to ensure the measures implemented are ecologically effective, any increase in demand for energy or materials induced by these measures ("rebound effects") must be prevented. The policy framework can and must create an environment in which this is possible. The main question is what such a policy framework looks like and how companies will respond to it.

The ENRI research project examines companies as an important part of a sustainably operating society and aims to identify which factors influence sustainable (re-)investment decisions in companies and the impact of sustainable re-investment behaviour on the occurrence of rebound effects in companies. The policy framework represents a group of factors in this context. This article examines this policy framework in Germany within the European context, focusing on promoting sustainable (re-)investments. The fact that policy instruments can also induce rebound effects in companies will also be considered in this article.

The research questions are as follows:

1. What conditions must a policy framework provide to promote sustainable (re-)investments in companies in an ecologically effective manner? What role do rebound effects play, and how do relevant policy  instruments and rebound effects interact in companies?
2. What is the current status of this policy framework in Germany within the European context?
3. How can this policy framework be interpreted in light of the research literature?

To answer these research questions, a literature analysis was conducted to examine the effects of relevant policy instruments on mobilising sustainable (re-)investments in companies and to identify criteria essential for designing an appropriate policy framework. Based on this, an initial inventory of relevant policy measures in Germany is taken. The resulting policy framework in Germany is then critically assessed in light of the research literature.