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Sustainability

We act sustainably

Protecting nature and the environment, using resources sparingly, offering all people the same opportunities for a good life - for today's generation and for all generations to come. This is what "sustainability" means.

The protection of intellectual property is our legal mandate. However, as a federal authority, we also have a duty to society. If, on the one hand, we want to grant intellectual property rights for modern technologies, on the other hand, we must act sustainably along the way. This is part of our self-image.

Acting sustainably, what does that mean? The basic idea of sustainability is as clear as it is understandable: we must not live today at the expense of tomorrow and consume more than can be provided again in the future.

Sustainability is a social challenge. It is the responsibility that is addressed to you and us, to all stakeholders at the economic and political level and also to the DPMA as a federal authority, to stand up for a future worth living for future generations. Sustainability therefore means not endangering the living conditions of future generations through our own actions and not living at the expense of people from other regions or our natural environment. It is about nothing less than ecological, economic and social sustainability and about the fair contribution that everyone can make to this. We at the DPMA want to live up to our responsibility.

Electricity from the socket - renewable and regenerative

Our office buildings in Zweibrückenstraße, Cincinnatistraße and Schwere-Reiter-Straße in Munich have been supplied exclusively with green electricity since 2018. We obtain 100% of our electrical energy from renewable wind and hydropower, also use renewable solar and geothermal energy and illuminate our office buildings with daylight-dependent LED lamps. This has enabled us to significantly reduce our electricity consumption and therefore also our CO2 emissions.

Modern video conferencing and communication technology

All DPMA locations are equipped with modern means of communication. Our staff have 19 video conferencing systems at their disposal. This has enabled us to significantly reduce business trips by plane, car or public transport.

If fleet, then climate-friendly

The DPMA maintains a small fleet of vehicles. In order to set a good example here too, existing vehicles that do not meet the objectives of the "Sustainability action program" are gradually being phased out. The average CO2 emissions of our fleet are currently 129 g CO2 per kilometer. We have carried out a comprehensive market analysis on the use of vehicles with natural gas, hybrid, electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen drives and will use such vehicles as soon as they are available and comply with the applicable maximum price limits of the Federal Ministry of Finance. We consistently implement the annual vehicle regulation when purchasing replacement vehicles.

By bus, train and bicycle to the office - or to the home office

We motivate our employees to travel to the office by bus and train and support them with the opportunity to use job tickets or Germany job tickets at reduced prices and with a standardized offer. Covered bicycle parking spaces are available at almost all DPMA locations for staff who come to work by bicycle.

Sustainable mobility also stands for location-independent working. We have set an example here: With the entry into force of the service agreement "Flexible working" on February 1, 2023, all employees will be able to work from any location, provided the tasks to be performed allow this. This measure is particularly climate-friendly (ecological sustainability) and at the same time makes it easier to balance work and private life (social sustainability).

Sustainability in IT hardware, equipment and office materials

When awarding public contracts, we pay attention to ecological, social and human rights aspects. We demand product- and case-specific sustainability criteria for all our tenders.

The majority of our IT systems, standard furniture and office materials are procured via the Kaufhaus des Bundes (KdB), the procurement office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs. The KdB takes sustainability aspects into account and ensures that IT hardware systems, standard furniture and office materials are made from recycled materials, renewable raw materials or sustainably manufactured products as far as possible.

The DPMA makes sure that the so-called "positive ecological and social footprint" is taken into account when procuring further products and services. We therefore pay attention to regional production, fair working conditions, fair trade/price, resource-conserving production, socially acceptable working conditions in production ("best of class" principle), energy-efficient consumption throughout the entire production and life cycle, economical and recyclable or reusable packaging, as little/no health burden on consumers as possible, the highest possible degree of recyclability of the product or the problem-free return of the product to natural cycles. We use the longevity and quality of the products as a benchmark.

Digitally managed through to electronic administrative files

By using suitable electronic platforms, we handle a wide range of official matters. In this way, commissioning and approval procedures are also processed digitally. In 2019, e-invoicing was introduced in all divisions of the DPMA.

With the gradual introduction of the electronic administrative file, we are benefiting from the advantages associated with digitization, such as the further reduction in paper consumption. Where we are not yet able to completely dispense with paper copies, we only use recycled paper. Our 86% share of recycled paper has led to us receiving an award from the Federal Environment Agency every year since 2014 for our exemplary use of recycled paper as part of the "Greener procurement" campaign (only in German).

More social sustainability through reconciliation of work and family/care

The balancing act between work and family responsibilities or caring for relatives can be extremely challenging. With flexible working hours, location-independent working or the option to reduce working hours, we take individual life circumstances into account and ensure a greater degree of compatibility between work and family/care.

Staying healthy - we promote this

The health and well-being of our employees is important to us. We support health maintenance with comprehensive occupational health management. We implement measures to effectively reduce or avoid harmful stresses and strains in everyday working life. Our aim is to create optimal conditions for a healthy working environment and to strengthen the potential to promote health. To this end, the stakeholders in occupational health management from the fields of occupational safety, company medical service, occupational psychology, occupational integration management and workplace health promotion work hand in hand.

Career prospects, of course! Equal participation, personnel development and promotion are not foreign words

It all depends on the staff at the DPMA. They are the guarantors of good work results and the good reputation of the office. We offer a wide range of career development and promotion prospects. Training courses for managers, comprehensive qualification programs for patent and trade mark examination, seminars and further training courses for staff covered by collective agreements as well as opportunities for civil servants to advance to the next higher career level are part of the DPMA's further training offer.

picture 1: iStock.com/pcess609, picture 2: DPMA, picture 3: iStock.com/stadtratte, picture 4: iStock.com/Tasha Vector

Last updated: 23 January 2024