Environment Minister Oliver Krischer: North Rhine-Westphalia Benefits Sustainably from the Green Economy

On Monday, September 16, 2024, the Ministry of the Environment and NRW.BANK honored three particularly sustainable companies with the Environmental Economy Award.NRW 2024 in Düsseldorf. First place and a prize of €30,000 went to ClayTec GmbH & Co. KG from Viersen for its innovative clay building materials and production processes. Other award-winning companies were Voltfang GmbH from Aachen and HDB Recycling GmbH from Hünxe.

Environment Minister Oliver Krischer:
“We want to make North Rhine-Westphalia the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe. This transformation will require great effort and will only succeed if we actively drive the ecological transition while simultaneously turning our federal state into one of the most sustainable and competitive economic locations in Europe. The companies in the environmental economy are pioneers in this transformation. Their forward-looking ideas are building blocks for a modern Green Economy, in which competitiveness, climate protection, and social security are inextricably linked. The companies awarded the Environmental Economy Award.NRW 2024 brilliantly demonstrate how innovations from small and medium-sized enterprises can initiate transformation processes that will sustainably benefit our region.”

The Environmental Economy Award.NRW has been presented every two years since 2020 by the Ministry of the Environment and NRW.BANK. The award recognizes companies that are economically successful with innovative and sustainable products, services, or processes, while making significant contributions to climate and environmental protection.

Dr. Peter Stemper, Member of the Executive Board of NRW.BANK:
“Sustainable business practices are the foundation for a future-proof North Rhine-Westphalia. That’s why we need targeted support for dedicated companies that develop ecologically and economically convincing solutions. We help make that possible with our funding programs – and by awarding the Environmental Economy Award.NRW, we express our appreciation for the hidden champions of the environmental economy in general and the outstanding winning teams in particular.”

ClayTec GmbH & Co. KG from Viersen took first place and received a prize of €30,000. The company has been producing clay-based construction materials such as mortar and drywall panels for 40 years. Clay, which is abundantly available in Germany, is a suitable substitute for less eco-friendly materials such as gypsum and limestone. The raw material is sourced from excavated earth that accumulates as waste during gravel and sand extraction and civil engineering. Thanks to clay’s natural moisture, the material can be processed into construction products without the need for additional water.

Due to its breathable surface and thermal storage capacity, clay creates a healthy indoor climate and also provides heat protection. To further improve the climate performance of its almost fully recyclable clay products, ClayTec already operates a CO₂-neutral production site powered by renewable energy. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the company has also implemented a pilot plant for solar drying of drywall panels – the first of its kind.

Second place and €20,000 went to Voltfang GmbH from Aachen. The company developed an innovative battery storage system using “second-life” batteries that helps small and medium-sized businesses as well as industrial companies reduce their ecological footprint and save costs. The sustainable system enables intelligent electricity use by storing surplus energy – particularly from photovoltaic systems – and balancing peak loads. By reusing decommissioned electric vehicle batteries with an average remaining capacity of 80 percent, valuable resources are conserved, and the circular economy in the battery industry is strengthened.

Third place and €10,000 went to HDB Recycling GmbH from Hünxe. The company independently developed the wet-processing plant “R-Gestein Niederrhein,” which transforms mineral waste into high-quality secondary construction materials for structural and civil engineering. The plant combines washing technology, optical sorting, and density separation using a jigging machine. Unlike traditional recycling methods, the integrated washing process removes water-soluble contaminants. Over 95 percent of the water used in the process comes from rainfall. The result of this wet processing: environmentally friendly sand, gravel, and crushed stone. The recycled materials can fully replace equivalent amounts of primary raw materials.

Background Information

North Rhine-Westphalia is the national leader in the environmental economy. The Environmental Economy Award.NRW is part of a cross-ministerial environmental economy strategy led by the Ministry of the Environment. Under the motto #MilestonesGreenNRW, 2024 is entirely focused on the environmental economy as a driver and pioneer of ecological transformation.

North Rhine-Westphalia has long prioritized support for the green economy: ten years ago, the federal state launched KUER.NRW (Climate, Environment, Energy, and Resource Conservation), the first nationwide competition for environmentally oriented startups, as part of its environmental economy strategy.

Since 2014, innovation for climate and environmental protection has also been specifically supported through ERDF funding programs. Regularly published environmental economy reports ensure transparency of achievements. The environmental economy in NRW has shown consistent and above-average growth. The goal: 800,000 employees and an annual gross value added of €70 billion in NRW’s environmental economy by 2030. This shows how North Rhine-Westphalia is paving the way toward an innovative and successful Green Economy.

NRW.BANK is the development bank for North Rhine-Westphalia. In close partnership with its owner – the state of North Rhine-Westphalia – it contributes to strengthening SMEs and startups, creating affordable housing, and improving public infrastructure. NRW.BANK offers tailored financing and advisory services to individuals, businesses, and municipalities in NRW. It works in a competition-neutral manner with financing partners, especially banks and savings banks. To support transformation processes, the bank sets targeted funding impulses – moving toward a sustainable, climate-neutral, and digital North Rhine-Westphalia.

Source: Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia