Climate rescuers' bright ideas needed for sustainability award

Startups, established companies, individual research projects and entire regions with a particularly sustainable, forward-looking concept are eligible to enter the 14th German Sustainability Award, which will be presented in various categories. The closing date varies depending on the category. The deadline for e.g., the Next Economy Award is June 11, 2021. The award will be presented at the German Sustainability Day on December 3, 2021 in Düsseldorf.

The search is now on for stakeholders in commerce, who are pioneering innovative products and services, high ecological standards in production or outstanding social commitment in their supply chains. Demand for sustainable design from all areas of life and work, such as furnishings, food, clothing, mobility, communication or leisure; founders who drive social and ecological transformation with innovative business models or architectural concepts characterized by a high quality of design, innovative solutions and holistic sustainability is also high. 

Bracenet was among the winners of the 13th German Sustainability Award. The Hamburg-based startup strives to protect the oceans with bracelets and dog leashes recycled from fishing nets. The Lüneburg-based company RITTEC has come up with technology for recovering monomers from PET waste in co-operation with the Institute for Chemical and Thermal Process Engineering at the Technical University of Braunschweig, and an interdisciplinary project development team with stakeholders in Hamburg and Bremen has developed "loopsai - Artificial Intelligence Naturally Integrated." The open-source software comes up with solutions for a sustainable, closed-loop society in urban areas.
 

Sustainability is crucial to Hamburg, which aims to achieve its Agenda 2030 with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has recently been named Green City of the Year. The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies in Dublin and the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design presented Hamburg with the Good Design Award, which recognizes outstanding design, advanced technology and sustainability worldwide. 

Hamburg is "one of the ten most sustainable cities in the world" and is becoming "greener every year", according to the initiators. The jurors praised the focus on renewable energies, high ecological standards and the development of HafenCity as a new, sustainable district. 

This year's Cross Innovation Lab, which is managed by the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, also focuses on sustainability. Creative professionals, scientists and companies have been developing sustainable innovations for the economy in interdisciplinary teams since April. The aviation team, for instance, is working on a resource-saving aircraft cabin until mid-June while the mobility team is focusing on strategies for sustainable mobility in Hamburg. Other groups are working to reduce CO2 in construction site disposal, urban infrastructure and logistics (CO2 emissions tracking). This involves companies like the Hamburg Aviation cluster, Hamburger Hochbahn, Volkswagen, hy Solutions and Tchibo. 
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