EBAE SNIPPETS
The hunt for 2020 EBAE applicants is on!
On 18-20 June EBAE was at EU Sustainable Energy Week, the biggest European
conference dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, to promote the
winners and runners-up of the 2018 edition competition and reach out to potential entrants for the 2020
edition. Indeed, applications for the 2019 national competitions – a pre-condition to enter the European
final – are currently open in many countries. Find out about each country’s key
dates on the EBAE website and get in touch with your National Coordinator or the EBAE
Secretariat for more information.
Happy reading!
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
German company Efficient Energy won the Product and Services Award
in November 2018 thanks to their revolutionary eChiller. Here is the
story behind their success, told by the CEO, Jürgen Süß.
1. What is the vision that led you to set up your company?
The two founders of efficient energy, Holger Sedlak and Oliver Kniffler had the idea to
develop an environmentally-friendly refrigeration unit and set out to turn the dream of
replacing harmful refrigerants by pure water into reality. The result is the eChiller, the only
commercially viable centrifugal chiller worldwide that uses water (R718) as its refrigerant.
This video explains the advantages of the eChiller in a very simple and entertaining way:
https://youtu.be/ew6zDr2WV34
2. Did you have a ‘lightbulb moment’ (i.e. something which led to you starting
your business, or which triggered a change in the way you did things)
To develop such an innovative product requires a lot of creativity and flexibility. To reach
commercial success, it is important to minimise the technical risk and reduce technical complexity. Therefore, we decided at a particular point in time to move forward with industrialised
components allowing us to follow our plans for a quick market penetration.
3. Can you tell us a bit more about the characteristics that make your company
an eco-innovative business?
The company grew based on the invention of the eChiller and the vision of revolutionising
the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry. The idea to build success with
environmentally-friendly and economical refrigeration solutions is internalised by every
single employee. Moreover, the eChiller is the perfect response to the F-Gas Regulation
and the Ecodesign Directive. It anticipated trends in refrigerant and energy costs which are
challenging the refrigeration industry to innovate and become more environmentally-
friendly.
4. Why did you decide to apply for the EBAE Awards?
Talking to customers but also suppliers in our industry, we have noticed that many are not
aware of the regulations that will strongly limit the use of HFC refrigerants and the
consequences this will bring. Now, being the winner of the EBAE Award we will be able to raise
awareness of this challenge and present the eChiller as an innovative and sustainable
solution.
5. What benefits did your company obtain as a result of winning an EBAE
Award?
Winning the European Business Award for the Environment increased significantly our
visibility and credibility in the National and European market. The award demonstrates our
thought leadership for sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions in refrigeration
technology.
Media coverage and attention was really huge. As a small company it is hard to gain
attention, especially on a European level and the EBAE helped us to do so. Outreach through
social media, visits on our website and attention for the respective press release was
impressive.
6. Complete this sentence: “To truly become an eco-innovation champion,
businesses must…”
…not back down but keep informing and educating the market. A well-educated market
will appreciate and reward the efforts made.
WHAT’S TRENDING
European Forum on Eco-innovation: Closing the Loop – delivering
circularity in the textiles sector
The 22 nd European Forum on Eco-innovation that took place in Vienna on 7-8 May 2019
focused on delivering circularity in the textiles sector. The public and private sector
participants agreed on the need to work together towards increased circularity in textiles
given the environmental footprint of the sector. The main areas of action should be
encouraging the efficient use of resources for the production process, achieving
changes in consumer behaviour, encouraging through incentives the development of new
business models such as reuse, repair, leasing, renting, developing enabling environment
for waste management, encouraging investment in eco-innovation through providing public
funding and through facilitating private financing especially by targeting SMEs.
More information is available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/22nd-european-forum-
eco-innovation-circularity-textiles-sector-2019-may-07_en
COORDINATOR CATCH-UP
Interview with Franz-Josef von Kempis, Senior Manager for
Environment, Technology and Sustainability at the Federation of
German Industries
1. The German competition is currently open for applications; can you tell us
more about it, and how can German companies enrol?
For the German Innovation Award for Climate and Environment (IKU) industrial
companies, business organisations, research institutes or individuals can compete with
industrially exploitable innovations that contribute to climate and environmental protection.
The applications can be submitted in seven categories until 28 June. See more details
below.
2. Germany performed extremely well in the current EBAE cycle, with one Award
Winner (Efficient Energy) and two Rising Stars (Baumann Hydrotec and
Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions)! Does it suggest that there is a growing
attention to the environment in the German way of doing business?
Germany's economy traditionally has a strong industry characterised by medium to small
businesses. Increasingly, growing environmental awareness and innovative power are
boosting each other in industry. This is also reflected in the successful application projects
at the IKU.
3. What advice would you give to a German company thinking about entering
EBAE?
I regularly receive inquiries from companies that would like to participate in the EBAE. I
then recommend them to apply for one of the IKU prizes first.
PROMOTERS’ CORNER
CSR Europe White Paper: From Urgency to Action: Business and the
Sustainable Development Goals
Four years after the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the time to
shift from urgency to action has come. However, obstacles in addressing the 17 global
goals remain significant. In its 3rd White Paper, CSR Europe together with Globescan,
draws on recent publications and studies to provide a detailed overview of the challenges
ahead, as well as progress and actions to be undertaken in the framework of CSR
Europe’s three priority areas – People, Materials and Markets.
The conclusions reached by European sustainability experts is not comforting. Even if
some improvements have been made over the past two years, society is overall still far
away from meeting the SDGs. There are multiple reasons why. Firstly, the pressure to
create value for shareholders is very much in the short term. Secondly, businesses
perceive the pressure from governments and civil society as less of a priority.
Furthermore, not only stakeholder collaboration is scattered and chaotic, but rewards for
finding solutions to complex sustainability problems are also poorly aligned.
A solution to these challenges lies in bringing together different stakeholders via multi-
stakeholder partnerships & collaborative platforms; as well as CEO engagement.
CEOs to take the lead on change
Leadership & Engagement of the top management is essential. Business leaders are
increasingly asked by the public to be more visible and proactive. Citizens and consumers
are looking for CEOs to take a lead on change and to commit to addressing social
issues.
What you can find in CSR Europe’s White Paper
- Expert assessment & indicators; potential actions for business; and case studies
addressing progress towards and challenges faced in meeting SDGs.
- A assessment of the barriers faced by companies that prevent them from acting – and how
collaboration and partnership can help in moving forward
- How CEOs should be responding
- How CSR Europe is responding
CSR Europe’s White Paper is available here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Innovation Award Climate and Environment 2020 (IKU)
Applications open until 28 June 2019
Every two years, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation
and Nuclear Safety and the Federation of German Industry awards the German Innovation
Award for Climate and Environment (IKU) to ideas that set new paths in the field of climate
and environmental protection. Seven categories recognise innovative technologies,
techniques, processes, products, services and business models for climate and
environmental protection. With the IKU, the organisers acknowledge the commitment of
industry and research for climate and environmental protection.
The application for the IKU 2020 is possible until 28 June 2019.
The selection process is scientifically accompanied by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems
and Innovation Research ISI. The scientifically sound assessment ensures that only the
most innovative and environmentally friendly applications are selected and recommended
to the jury. The jury, made up of representatives from many areas of society, will decide on
the winners on this basis.
The winners will be honoured at a festive award ceremony on 5 March 2020 at the Federal
Ministry for the Environment in Berlin and communicated as part of the IKU Press and
Public Relations.
There is a prize of 25,000 EUR per category.
CitizENV in Brussels, Belgium 19 September 2019, Brussels
EU CITIZENV is an initiative launched by the European Commission - Directorate General
for the Environment. It is designed as a citizens' dialogue (an open discussion between
citizens and an EC official) and focuses on the environment and young people (18-25
years old) as they are Europe's future.