Germany awards Blue Angel for software for the first time

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) will award the Blue Angel eco-label for software products for the first time today. The two companies Nextcloud Server and Green Metrics Tool will receive the eco-label, the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin told the AFP news agency. The companies are being recognized for resource and energy-efficient, open-source software. 

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"Digitalization is becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives and enriching them," Schneider told AFP. This makes it all the more important to keep an eye on our resource consumption, avoid dependence on individual manufacturers, and shape digitalization sustainably. "This requires smart, efficient software solutions." The Blue Angel gives software manufacturers a competitive advantage, and customers "reliable guidance for efficient and long-lasting products." 

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The Federal Environment Ministry emphasized the advantages of open source software, whose source code is public and can be viewed, used, modified, and improved by others free of charge. Open source ensures "long-term reusability of software, and thus long-term hardware use."

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Monopolistic provider structures, on the other hand, often lead to long-term commitments to individual manufacturers. Software-related obsolescence, as observed, for example, with the impending end of support for Microsoft's Windows 10, is particularly problematic: "A huge number of fully functional devices worldwide are at risk of being taken out of service simply because security-relevant updates are no longer being provided," the ministry continued. This is leading to a "massive" increase in electronic waste. 

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According to the ministry, resource-efficient and sustainable digitalization is a goal in the public sector. The Blue Angel is part of the award criteria for public administration, the award of the environmental label for software products is thus also intended to serve as a benchmark for programming sustainable solutions.