For four years, the government-run certification label Green Button has been showing which companies are fulfilling their responsibility for people and the environment in their supply chains and has been marking their sustainable products – with increasing success:

• 47% of people in Germany are familiar with the Green Button and, at 67%, trust in the label is particularly high. [1]  
• From socks to hats, from cooking aprons to tents, products with the Green Button can now be found in numerous product categories and for every budget. Since the Green Button was introduced in 2019, well over 300 million labeled products have already crossed the counter. [2]
• The Green Button has also set standards in private and public procurement. In fan shops, hospitals, hotels, at the supermarket checkout or on the train - it's hard to imagine the public sphere without the Green Button.

Four years after its market launch, Christine Moser-Priewich and Florian Tiedtke therefore assess the label's performance positively. Both have been jointly managing the Green Button Secretariat since July 1st, 2023. Florian Tiedtke emphasizes the credibility of the label: "The Green Button is run by the state, which creates trust. Two out of three people who know about the Green Button have already consciously put a product with the certification label in their shopping basket. This shows that the Green Button is really used as an orientation when shopping." Christine Moser-Priewich adds: "It is particularly pleasing that more than 40 companies have already successfully completed the more comprehensive audits under the stricter standard version, the Green Button 2.0."  The Green Button 2.0 also takes into account the fibers and materials used and requires companies to take first steps towards living wages. "The success of the Green Button shows that consumers want to buy more sustainable products and that at the same time companies are focusing more on their own responsibility in the supply chain", Moser-Priewich continued.

The Green Button is not only the first certification label that evaluates due diligence requirements, it is also considered very comprehensive because it sets requirements on two levels: First, it checks whether companies are working in a way that better protects people and the environment in their supply chains. Additionally, it must be proven by recognized labels that the products carrying the Green Button have been produced socially and ecologically.

The Green Button certification bodies are independent and are monitored by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS). The DAkkS has also certified that the audits are carried out uniformly and that results are comparable. This shows the reliability of the label’s certification system and further contributes to its credibility.

Background

Many textiles are produced in countries of the Global South, mostly by women and often under inhumane conditions. The environment also suffers. To change this, companies must fulfill their due diligence obligations. The government-run certification label Green Button shows which companies meet their due diligence obligations and which products have been produced sustainably. The label is issued by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which is thus further promoting the protection of people and the environment in global supply chains.

Contact:
Green Button Secretariat
Potsdamer Platz 10
10785 Berlin, Germany
T +49 30 / 338 424 - 777
info@gruener-knopf.de
www.gruener-knopf.de

[1] Results of a representative survey conducted by the Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung GfK on behalf of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), July 2023.

[2] GIZ survey among Green Button licensees, August 2023.