Wuppermann receives the "German Award for Sustainability Projects 2022"
by David Fleschen
Wuppermann, a traditional company in the steel industry, is one of the winners of the "German Award for Sustainability Projects 2022" in the category "Production". The prize was awarded for the second time in Berlin on 9 June 2022 by the news channel ntv, the DUP UNTERNEHMER magazine and the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ). The patron of the award was Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister. The award was accepted by Daniel Ewen, Business Development, Wuppermann AG.
Wuppermann received the award because of its comprehensive sustainability strategy. For example, the production process of the group of companies will be 100 percent CO2 neutral by 2025. "We are very pleased about the award and would like to thank the expert jury. As an energy-intensive company and a large European steel processor, the topic of sustainability has a high strategic importance for us. With our current measures, we see ourselves as a pioneer in CO2 neutrality and feel confirmed by the award," explains Kai Marwig, Head of Business Development and Marketing, Wuppermann AG.
As early as 2020, the Fraunhofer Umsicht Institute confirmed that Wuppermann's heat-to-coat process saves 31% of CO2 emissions at the Dutch Wuppermann site and up to 43% at the Austrian site in Judenburg compared to the reference process. By switching to a CO2-free electricity supply, the CO2 footprint of the group of companies improved further. Thus, since the beginning of 2021, the company has been purchasing green electricity exclusively from hydropower at its production sites in Austria. The Dutch site in Moerdijk switched completely to electricity from wind power from 1 January 2022. In parallel, the company is investing in its own electricity generation. At three sites, Wuppermann installed photovoltaic systems with a total output of three megawatts in 2021 alone. This corresponds to the electricity consumption of more than 1,700 households.
According to the organisers, the focus of the award is on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in the areas of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. On this basis, a jury from business, science and the media chaired by Yvonne Zwick (Chairwoman of B.A.U.M. e.V.) evaluated the submissions. In total, the jury awarded 64 companies and organisations for their sustainability projects.
Source and Photo: Wuppermann