Zero-energy house and olive pit briquettes: European EMAS Awards reward eco-innovations

On 7 April, the European Union awarded six outstanding EMAS-registered organisations for their recent eco-innovations. adelphi, hosting the European EMAS helpdesk, also coordinated the work of the international jury which selected the six winners from the European member state’s nominees.

In the beginning of April, European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik handed out the 2014 EMAS Awards at the historic New Town Hall in Hanover, Germany. The ceremony’s keynote speakers included not only Commissioner Potocnik but also the mayor of Hanover, Stefan Schostok, and the chair of the 2014 EMAS Awards Jury, Elisa Tonda. Representatives of the 29 nominated organisations, stemming from 14 Member States, were also in attendance.

An impressive range of eco-innovations with a deep commitment to EMAS

These participating organisations were nominated by the Competent Bodies of the Member States. The jury, comprised of eight EMAS experts from four different countries, examined the applications and selected the winners in six categories. The following EMAS-registered organisations took home a trophy from the 2014 EMAS Awards:

• Private Large: voestalpine VAE GmbH, voestalpine Weichensysteme GmbH, voestalpine HYTRONICS GmbH (Austria)
• Private Medium: Sächsische Bildungsgesellschaft für Umweltschutz und Chemieberufe Dresden mbH (Germany)
• Private Small: Hr. Björkmans Entremattor AB (Sweden)
• Private Micro: VAS. & EK. KOTTARIDI G.P. (Greece)
• Public Large: Umweltbundesamt (Germany)
• Public Small: Aeropuerto de Menorca (Spain)

The winning organisations displayed an impressive range of eco-innovations and a deep commitment to EMAS. Their innovation measures ranged from constructing the first public energy-neutral house in Germany to new educational training programs about EMAS and the environment to producing BBQ briquettes from olive pits, thereby reducing both emissions and waste. Other innovations include a brand new, eco-friendly washing system for floor mats, applying a holistic life cycle approach to producing railway switches, and using a membrane bioreactor plant to treat wastewater.

In addition, two more very impressive organisations received honourable mentions. himolla Polstermöbel and Druckerei Lokay, both of Germany, were recognized for their excellent eco-innovation practices as well as their commitment to a continuous improvement of their organisation’s environmental performance.

Learn more about the 2014 EMAS Awards winners

EMAS Awards-Website