The Blue Angel for software not only measures energy consumption, but also requires that the software runs on hardware that is five years old and receives free updates for five years. Certification takes around three months, requires complete dockerization of the application and produces publicly available consumption data. The label is becoming increasingly relevant for software providers: In public tenders, it already brings plus points, while at the same time it acts as a marketing tool that generates extraordinary attention with a comparatively low budget.
In this episode, I talk to Anita Schüttler about the Blue Angel for software - the world's first environmental label for applications. Anita talks first-hand about how her team got a commercial software certified, why the process took three months instead of the planned one and what metrics are measured in the first place. The Blue Angel is not just a sustainability statement, but is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage in public tenders. We talk about what software testing has to do with resource efficiency and why user autonomy is an underestimated quality characteristic.
"I was pretty naive beforehand, thinking that a month should be enough." - Anita Schüttler
Anita Schüttler is a computer scientist and expert in digital sustainability, green software and circular economy. As Head of IT Sustainability at neuland, Bremen, she advises and supports companies in understanding and reducing the environmental impact of their digital products. Anita is also co-chair of the German Green Software Association, an auditor for the Blue Angel for Software and a champion of the Green Software Foundation.
Many people know the Blue Angel as an environmental label - on paper packaging, paints or cleaning products. But now this label is also available for software. What is behind it? And what does such a label actually say about an application? In Richie's podcast, Anita Schüttler explains how it works, how companies benefit and what the path to the label means.
The Blue Angel is an environmental label issued by the German government. The label has existed for software for some time, originally only for desktop applications. However, as this is hardly relevant today, the label has been adapted. Now client-server applications and mobile apps also have the chance of certification.
The eco-label for software means one thing above all: measurement and disclosure. Manufacturers publish their resource consumption figures publicly. This creates pressure to make the software more efficient. Different providers of a software category can be certified so that comparative values can be formed over time. The hope is that this will eventually lead to a kind of "energy efficiency scale" similar to that of refrigerators - only for software products.
When you look at the Blue Angel seal, you know: Energy consumption has been measured and published here. But there is more to it than that. For example, the software must be able to run on older hardware for at least five years and receive patches for five years after the end of production - free of charge. This extends hardware lifecycles and saves emissions and raw materials that are produced during device manufacture.
There is also a focus on autonomy of use: anyone using the software must be able to continue operating it if the provider drops out. This gives you a degree of digital independence.
The biggest hurdle for manufacturers: how do you actually measure the energy consumption and resource utilization of software? If you have your own data center, you measure directly in live operation. However, it is more common to use tools that have already been certified - such as the Greenmetrics tool, which even carries a Blue Angel itself. The software runs through tests in standardized usage scenarios on servers that are several years old, and the tool then outputs the necessary data and Excel tables.
However, further evidence is required in addition to the pure measurement: Seven documents must be created, which also state how the application is built, how it is operated, which interfaces and file formats it uses. The aim is transparency - so that anyone could continue to operate the system in an emergency.
Certification is not a sure-fire success for companies. The process often takes several months. The application must be dockerized, processes must be automated, documents must be filled out and auditors must be commissioned. The costs vary depending on the effort, auditor and turnover of the software. Those who offer open source can be partially exempted from the fees.
But for Anita Schüttler, there is additional value in the external impact. The seal is a powerful communication lever: it creates visibility and attention that would be difficult to achieve with traditional marketing. This is particularly worthwhile for new products.
The ecolabel is already appearing as a bonus in public tenders. It is still on a voluntary basis, but with the increasing focus on sustainability, such a certificate could become mandatory in some cases. A comparable label does not yet exist internationally - the Blue Angel is the pioneer here.
Anyone thinking about having their software certified can find all the information they need on the official Blue Angel website, including award criteria and contacts to auditors.
The Blue Angel for software is more than just a sticker. The seal stands for transparency, responsibility and the desire to make technology more sustainable. Manufacturers disclose open data - and users can compare for the first time: Which software uses resources sensibly? A step that steers the industry in a measurable, sustainable direction.