Digital Sovereignty at Scale
How the German Trade Union Confederation partnered with THE BRETTINGHAMS to build one of Germany’s fastest and most accessible public-sector platforms
In this story
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The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) represents over six million workers and is one of Germany’s most influential public institutions. In 2024/25, the DGB partnered with THE BRETTINGHAMS to completely rebuild its digital ecosystem: a future-proof, accessible, multi-site TYPO3 platform designed to serve millions of users, hundreds of editors, and highly heterogeneous target groups ranging from journalists and works councils to young employees.
The DGB's TYPO3 relaunch took first place in the Government & Public Sector and Sustainability category at the 2025 TYPO3 awards.
Challenge
The previous system was fragmented and difficult for editors to manage. Content was scattered across multiple platforms, the information architecture had grown over time, and performance issues negatively impacted both SEO and user engagement. DGB needed a high-performance, accessibility-first digital platform that unified more than 90 subsites into a consistent system of over 20 websites, balanced political expertise with clear, human-centered communication, and delivered speed, scalability, and security.
At the same time, the platform needed to support more than 250 editors across Germany and meet strict public-sector requirements, including WCAG, DSGVO, and security standards.
Work Performed
THE BRETTINGHAMS delivered a relaunch focused on future-proof technology, user-centered design, and digital sovereignty.
Technology & Architecture
A multi-site TYPO3 enterprise platform was built to support 30–50 websites within a single system. SOLR search was implemented with faceting, autocomplete, and highlighting shared across multiple websites. External systems — including the elaine newsletter, Softgarden career portal, easyDB DAM, and social media feeds — were integrated into one unified digital platform. SEO was optimized through improved metadata, redirects, schema, and URL logic, and the entire system was built to meet 100% accessibility requirements in line with BITV 2.0 and WCAG 2.1.
UX & Content Experience
The project included six co-creation workshops with DGB teams as well as interviews with real users. Personas were developed and navigation concepts tested directly with users, leading to a reworked information architecture focused on clarity, simplicity, and fast orientation. A visual system was designed to represent diversity, clarity, and solidarity, supported by a Corporate Design Portal that serves as a digital style guide for all DGB digital products.
Editorial Empowerment
Backend workflows were designed to support more than 250 editors, with clearly defined roles and permission concepts. In addition, comprehensive training, manuals, and video tutorials were delivered to ensure long-term editorial independence and efficiency.
Outcome
Today, the DGB digital ecosystem is one of the fastest and most accessible public-sector platforms in Germany. The relaunch strengthened DGB’s role as the digital voice of workers, dramatically improved SEO performance, and established a sustainable, scalable foundation designed to support the organization for the next decade.
Behind the project
The partner who made this TYPO3 project possible.
THE BRETTINGHAMS GmbH
We design and develop TYPO3 solutions for the digital age.
Our team is located in Berlin and is specialized in digitization and B2B communication.