Dortmund businesses are amongst Germany’s top 3 ‘Most sustainable large companies 2018’ Düsseldorf/Dortmund. The Wilo Group was awarded the renowned 2018 National German Sustainability Award last Friday in Düsseldorf as one of the top 3 of ‘Germany’s most sustainable large companies 2018’. In making the award, the high-profile jury – under the patronage of the President of Germany Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier – stated the emphasis Wilo puts on resource-saving high-efficiency products and the holistic approach of the globally active group.

“Future-oriented company management means sustainably maintaining the balance between the economy, the environment and social issues. We see this as our obligation and our responsibility, also for the sake of future generations,” commented Oliver Hermes, CEO of WILO SE, on the prize which was awarded at the gala event hosted at the Düsseldorf Maritim Hotel and attended by approximately 2,000 guests, including representatives from research, politics and business. This obligation and responsibility is true for both the company’s digital transformation as well as its making of inroads into new markets. Within this context, Oliver Hermes made explicit mention of intelligently networked conurbations, the so-called ‘smart urban areas.’ “These are the future markets, in which urban infrastructures and many spheres of life will be interconnected, both digitally and smartly,” explained Hermes. “Today already, half of mankind is living in urban areas, with this trend rapidly on the rise.” All the challenges of current mega trends are therefore concentrated in these areas, e.g. digitalization, water shortages, power shortages or urbanization. As a digital pioneer of the pump industry, Wilo will also be developing resource-efficient smart solutions to meet these demands. Dr Markus Beukenberg, chief technology & strategy advisor of the Wilo Group and responsible for sustainability management, warmly welcomed this outlook, “Only when you know the direction in which you are heading can each and every employee contribute on a daily basis. Wilo has a clear heading; the sustainability commitment of our colleagues is exemplary and continues to grow.”

‘Benchmarking our efforts with the best is important’

The prize was awarded for the tenth time in 2017 and is one of the most renowned prizes of its type in Europe. Wilo has been able to compete with companies such as IKEA and now ranks in terms of sustainability with companies such as Deutsche Telekom and TUI. “The field of entrants shows how the bar has been raised this year,” concluded Prof. Dr Günther Bachmann, chairman of the jury of experts and general secretary of the German Council for Sustainable Development. Nobody should think they can “rest on their laurels,” said Bachmann, “Commitment and competence meet at the German Sustainability Awards. Because, when talking about sustainability, it is the benchmarks and yardsticks of the best that are important.”

Highly efficient and resource-saving

Wilo won over the jury with factors ranging from its product portfolio to the building of a new company headquarters. In 2001, the innovation leader in the pump sector had already invented the first high-efficiency pump in the world, which to this day still meets the ever higher EU benchmark. Further innovations have followed – more recently, Wilo presented the Wilo-Stratos MAXO (in 2017), which is the first smart-pump in the world. Wilo’s high-efficiency product portfolio was a decisive factor for the jury in awarding the prize to the Ruhr-based technology company. Another aspect was the building of a new headquarters under the project name Campus 2020, where Wilo also internally focused on energy efficiencies by using particularly efficient building equipment. In addition, the Smart Factory production site, which belongs to the campus, will be powered entirely by ‘green’ electricity from a captive photovoltaic system. At the Dortmund production site, resource efficiency is also on the increase. It is already possible to remove the permanent magnets from pumps and recycle valuable raw materials in this way, such as rare earth elements.

About the National German Sustainability Award

The National German Sustainability Award is the national award for top performance in sustainability in business, municipalities and research. The award is the largest of its kind in Europe, featuring five competitive categories (including the Next Economy Award for “green founders”), with over 800 candidates and 2,000 guests attending the ceremonies. The National German Sustainability Award celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. The prize is awarded by the National German Sustainability Award Foundation in collaboration with the German government, the Association of German Cities, business associations, civil society organizations and research institutes. The backdrop for the event is the German Sustainability Conference in Düsseldorf, the most attended annual communication platform on issues of sustainable development.

About Wilo

Wilo SE is one of the world’s leading premium suppliers of pumps and pump systems for building services, water management and the industrial sector. Wilo sets new standards as a leader of innovation. We offer our customers tailored products with high system efficiency and maximum energy savings. Our aspiration: as individual as necessary and as efficient as possible. Using smart solutions that bring together people, products and services, the Wilo Group is on the path to becoming the digital pioneer in the sector. Around 7,600 employees support the company worldwide.