The DNP has cooperated with the federal government from the outset. Among other things, prizes have been awarded in collaboration with the BMZ, BMBF, BMI, the current BMWE and BMUV (see below). Federal ministers present the awards. For over ten years, the DNP was a measure of the German Sustainability Strategy.
With her patronage and commitment to be the guest of honour at the 18th German Sustainability Award, Julia Klöckner emphasises the central role of parliament in a successful transformation – as a place of democratic decision-making, legislative policy-making and social orientation.
The cooperation includes the (further) development of methodology (Council for Sustainable Development), the joint awarding of prizes (including the BMBF Research Prize), regular patronage, the participation of federal ministers in the award ceremonies (annually since 2008) and the anniversary speech by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (2022).
The DNP Start-up Award was launched in 2015 in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and was supported by the BMWE in its early years. Guests included the then Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier and State Secretary Matthias Machnig (photo). The NEA became one of the most successful awards for ‘green entrepreneurs’.
The German Federal Government and the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) were partners of DNP and DNT from the very beginning. Since 2008, various ministries and policy-related institutions have been using the project for political communication to explain and discuss government action, to publicise and support transformation-related support services (e.g. for start-ups, the green economy, global partnerships) and to recognise exemplary achievements through high-profile awards with best practice transfer via congress formats.
In recent years, the German government has presented sustainability-related initiatives such as the ‘Green Button’, the ‘Joint Sustainability Initiative’ and the ‘Alliance for Development and Climate’ at the DNT.
The German government made the DNP part of the German Sustainability Strategy over 10 years ago. In the version valid until 2025, it was mentioned in three places. Also as a measure of the German government:
‘Part of the communication strategy is also the high-profile support of the German Sustainability Award, which has been highlighted by peers as best practice, by the federal government. The German Sustainability Day has so far been supported by various federal ministries (BMZ, BMBF, BMWi, BMU) and the BPA. The awarding of sustainability prizes and project funding thus strengthens this sustainability platform, which is unique in Germany.’
The strategy was peer-reviewed in 2018 by an international commission of experts headed by Helen Clark.
‘We welcome the German Sustainability Award as a best practice that provides valuable insights into the dynamics, seriousness and culture necessary for the creation of a sustainable economy. (...) We recommend that the German federal government (...) make a strategic commitment to the German Sustainability Award.’
Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave the keynote speech at the 15th anniversary celebrations. He was joined on stage by Peter Tschentscher, President of the Bundesrat, and Bärbel Bas, President of the Bundestag.
On November 6, 2019, initiator Stefan Schulze-Hausmann and jury chairman Prof. Günther Bachmann presented six DNP award winners to German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. The CEOs/board members of Grüner Punkt, REWE Group, Deutsche Telekom, Sodasan and Knipex explained their successes and took a position on the German Sustainability Strategy.
Since 2012, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has presented an award for outstanding scientific achievements related to sustainability. Since then, special successes in changing subject areas have been awarded. The competition is currently on hold.
From 2018 to 2022, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, together with the SKEW of Engagement Global, honoured German stakeholders who cooperate closely with partners in the Global South to implement the goals of the 2030 Agenda. In 2023 the award became the International GSA, implemented in cooperation with Wilo.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior has been a partner of the new GSA Sport since 2023 and presents the award for transformative achievements in the world of sport together with the DOSB and other sponsors.
The guests were Federal Ministers Olaf Scholz and Brigitte Zypries (2008), Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Thomas de Maizière and Franz-Josef Jung (2009), Dr. Norbert Röttgen (2010), Ilse Aigner and Ronald Pofalla (2011), Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble and Dr. Guido Westerwelle (2012), Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (2013), Peter Altmaier, Prof. Johanna Wanka (2014), Dr. Barbara Hendricks (2015/2016), Katarina Barley, Svenja Schulze and Gerd Müller (2018), Dr. Franziska Giffey (2019), Olaf Scholz (2020), Anja Karliczek (2021), Nancy Faeser (2023), as well as Klara Geywitz, Prof. Karl Lauterbach and Claudia Roth (2024).
The first patron of the German Sustainability Award was the then acting Federal President Prof. Horst Köhler in 2008. Subsequently, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel took over the patronage for several years. This was followed by numerous politicians who backed the award with speeches and greetings. The patron of the tenth anniversary in 2017 was Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier.