Among Germans, there was a large spectrum of opinions on the connection between personal consumer behavior and sustainability. Respondents to a corresponding survey mainly agreed with the following sustainable practices in their daily routines: buying regional groceries, paying attention to sustainable grocery shopping in general, and being ready to spend more money on sustainable and climate-friendly products. Delving deeper into opinions specifically among German consumers following LOHAS (lifestyle of health and sustainability), almost 90 percent looked for regional products on grocery shelves, while around 77 percent also checked whether the product originated from appropriate animal husbandry, where animals were involved. On the other hand, as of 2021, roughly a third of the German population thought it was important to save energy. This attitude could be put to a severe test as energy prices rise. Sustainable consumption across various areas therefore proves to be a necessity not only in terms of environmental protection, but also for (household) budget reasons.
German cities scored across the board in the national Smart City Index. As of 2021, Hamburg in the north was in the lead in terms of using smarter energy and putting environmentally friendly concepts into practice. In this case, the indicators defining the evaluation were smart streetlights, electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, low-emission buses and some others. Hamburg scored 78.52 points out of 100, followed by Heidelberg with 76 points and Stuttgart with 75.6 points in the south.
