Further Development
Find out here how the Green Button is evolving.
The Green Button in development
At the launch of the certification label in September 2019 the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) emphasized the gradual further development of the government-run certification label.
With the aim of continuously adapting, improving and developing measures along the entire supply chain in the long term, the second version of the Green Button standard was published in summer 2022. These can be accessed here.
The further development of the certification label to the Green Button 2.0 standard involved various steps. Among other things, two extensive public consultations took place in which various stakeholders were able to provide feedback on the respective status of the new standard. The entire development process was accompanied by a five-member independent expert advisory board. This was made up of the following experts:
- Michael Windfuhr, German Institute for Human Rights, Berlin (chairman)
- Achim Lohrie, Sustainability Expert, Lohrie-Consulting, Hamburg (deputy chairman)
- Dr. Raoul Kirmes, Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS), Berlin
- Prof. Dr. Stefanie Lorenzen, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Berlin
- Philipp von Bremen, Federation of German Consumer Organisations, Berlin
The evaluation of the feedback as well as further information on the work of the advisory board can be found here.
Consultations on the Green Button 2.0 have been concluded
A great thank you to all who participated in the two public consultations on the Green Button 2.0. With your expert feedback, you are helping us to make the government-run label even better! We have evaluated your extensive feedback and comments in detail and have further revised the criteria and have discussed them with the expert advisory council. We are planning to release the new standard version on our website in April or May 2022 and are preparing a public launch for summer 2022.
Ulrich Plein, former Head of the Green Button Secretariat
From Green Button 1.0 to Green Button 2.0
The development of the Green Button Standard 1.0 to the Green Button Standard 2.0 mainly includes the following central innovations:
- Taking important steps towards living wages
- Successive extension of risk analysis to the entire supply chain
- Stronger anchoring of due diligence obligations in the company
- Greater involvement of local people
- Expansion of supply chain stages to include raw material extraction and requirements for fibres and materials
Overview of the development process
Introduction of the government-run textile certification label Green Button 1.0
September 2019
Development of the draft version of the requirements
By December 2020
Preparation of the draft version for the revised and expanded Due Diligence and Product Requirements of the Green Button 2.0
Consultation Phase 1
December 18th 2020 - February 7th 2021
Public consultation on the draft version of the Green Button 2.0 Due Diligence Requirements
Evaluation
March – June 2021
Evaluation of the feedback from the first consultation and revision of the due diligence requirements in light of the consultation feedback.
Consultation Phase 2
July 5th – August 9th 2021
Second, final public consultation on the entire Green Button Standard 2.0.
Evaluation
August – October 2021
Evaluation of the feedback from the second consultation and second revision of the requirements
Finalisation of the requirements for the Green Button 2.0
End of 2021
Decision on the Green Button 2.0 requirements by the scheme owner (BMZ) based on the recommendations of the expert advisory council.
Finalisation of the standard
End of June 2022
Audits according to the Green Button Standard 2.0, initial audits are only possible according to GK 2.0.
Green Button 2.0
From August 2022
First audits according to the Green Button Standard 2.0.
Transition Phase Green Button 1.0 to Green Button 2.0
By end of July 2024
By 31st July 2023 at the latest, already licensed companies must also have completed a recertification audit in accordance with the Green Button 2.0 requirements for corporate due diligence. The requirements for production processes according to Green Button 2.0 will become binding for all companies after 31st July 2024. Until then, products can continue to be produced and labelled according to Green Button 1.0. For the production stage "raw material extraction", there is a transition period until July 31rst, 2026.
Public documents on the further development
The following documents are available for download and provide background information and explanations on the consultation and further development process.
In due time, you will also find a synopsis of the second round of consultations as well as a statement of the expert advisory council on the entire standard here.
The revised draft version of the due diligence and product requirements for the Green Button 2.0 are available for download here.
This synopsis contains a summary of the feedback from the first consultation round as well as a presentation of the further developed indicators. The synopsis thus provided the basis for the second round of consultation on the due diligence requirements.
The second consultation on the due diligence requirements, which has already been concluded, aimed to revisit specific individual requirements for discussion. This primarily concerned requirements for which the feedback was particularly controversial as well as requirements that were newly added in the course of the revision.
The terms of reference of the already concluded consultation provide relevant information on the background, framework, objectives and next steps in the further development of the Green Button.
In multiple council meetings, the expert advisory council members, chaired by Michael Windfuhr (Deputy Director of the German Institute for Human Rights), discussed the draft criteria.
The statements as well as further information on the expert advisory council can be found here.
At the moment, the statement from September 2021 is only available in German. An English version will follow shortly.