Newsletter Issue # 20 – June 2013 “The proven partnership between GreenStream Network and Juno Capital Group has opened up the green business market in China, stimulating more sustainable energy generation in the country. This project has great replication potential within emerging economies, especially in countries with growing energy demands“ Claus Torp, Deputy Director-General of the Danish Ministry for the Environment and President of the EBAE 2012 jury panel The Green Stream Network has been recognised for its ‘Expanding Climate Knowledge in China: A Co- operative Business Approach’ project. This project is a joint venture between a local partner and the Chinese Juno Capital Group. Juno’s local experience and relationships, combined with Green Stream’s world-leading expertise, resulted in some 70 projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, representing an investment of approximately €5-6 billion. The total estimated emission reduction is of the order of 50 million tons of CO2 and is equivalent to the annual emissions of Finland. An additional 100 are currently in the pipeline and the project portfolio is progressively being expanded from renewable energy projects to energy efficiency and incubating CleanTech transfer. The EBAE jury nominated the Finnish company because of their high impact projects which resulted in emission reductions, and for its high replication potential. GreenStream’s success continues to grow. At the beginning of April 2013 the company announced that they had signed an Energy Management Contract (EMC) with Henglian Shandong Guanghua Paper Group Co., Ltd, a paper manufacturer in Shandong province in China. The EMC contract is the first of its kind to use state of the art Finnish technology in China. GreenStream’s project will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the paper machine’s vacuum system by using the world’s most advanced turbo blower designed and manufactured by Runtech Systems Ltd in Finland. Website: www.greenstream.net 2012 International Business cooperation category runners up The focus of the last EBAE newsletters was announcing the winners and nominees of the European Business Awards for the Environment 2012 in the Management, Product and Services, and Process categories. This edition will showcase the companies nominated in the International Business Cooperation and Business & Biodiversity Award categories. All projects were outstanding examples showing how innovation, environmental concerns and economic viability can be combined, thus leading the way towards a more sustainable way of doing business. Joining forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China The International Business award recognises business cooperation between at least one private entity from the European Union, and another from the private, public, non-governmental or academic sector in a developing or emerging country. The award winner is chosen by the EBAE high-level jury, which selected two nominees for the EBAE 2012 International Business Cooperation category. The main award winner was Inensus GmbH (Germany) with the GreenStream Network plc (Finland) winning the runner up prize.
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NewsletterIssue # 20 – June 2013
“The proven partnership between GreenStream Network and Juno Capital Group has opened up the green business market in China, stimulating more sustainable energy generation in the country. This project has great replication potential within emerging economies, especially in countries with growing energy demands“
Claus Torp, Deputy Director-General of the Danish Ministry for the Environment and
President of the EBAE 2012 jury panel
The Green Stream Network has been recognised for its ‘Expanding Climate Knowledge in China: A Co-operative Business Approach’ project. This project is a joint venture between a local partner and the Chinese Juno Capital Group. Juno’s local experience and relationships, combined with Green Stream’s world-leading expertise, resulted in some 70 projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, representing an investment of approximately €5-6 billion. The total estimated emission reduction is of the order of 50 million tons of CO2 and is equivalent to the annual emissions of Finland.
An additional 100 are currently in the pipeline and the project portfolio is progressively being expanded from renewable energy projects to energy efficiency and incubating CleanTech transfer.
The EBAE jury nominated the Finnish company because of their high impact projects which resulted in emission reductions, and for its high replication potential.
GreenStream’s success continues to grow. At the beginning of April 2013 the company announced that they had signed an Energy Management Contract (EMC) with Henglian Shandong Guanghua Paper Group Co., Ltd, a paper manufacturer in Shandong province in China. The EMC contract is the first of its kind to use state of the art Finnish technology in China. GreenStream’s project will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the paper machine’s vacuum system by using the world’s most advanced turbo blower designed and manufactured by Runtech Systems Ltd in Finland.
Website: www.greenstream.net
2012 International Business cooperation category runners up
The focus of the last EBAE newsletters was announcing the winners and nominees of the European Business Awards for the Environment 2012 in the Management, Product and Services, and Process categories. This edition will showcase the companies nominated in the International Business Cooperation and Business & Biodiversity Award categories. All projects were outstanding examples showing how innovation, environmental concerns and economic viability can be combined, thus leading the way towards a more sustainable way of doing business.
Joining forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in China
The International Business award recognises business cooperation between at least one private entity from the European Union, and another from the private, public, non-governmental or academic sector in a developing or emerging country.
The award winner is chosen by the EBAE high-level jury, which selected two nominees for the EBAE 2012 International Business Cooperation category. The main award winner was Inensus GmbH (Germany) with the GreenStream Network plc (Finland) winning the runner up prize.
In the EBAE Business & Biodiversity category 2012 3 projects were shortlisted. The winning company was Slovenské elektrárne, a.s., Slovakia. The two runners up were Cafédirect, United Kingdom and Voies Navigables de France, France.
The pilot project ‘AdapCC – Adaptation to climate change for smallholders of coffee and tea’ supports small-scale farmers confronting climate change. The project was developed over three years in four countries by Cafédirect, the leading British Fairtrade company for hot beverages, together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).
AdapCC has worked directly with the grower communities to collaboratively develop a range of technical and financial strategies, helping farmers to adapt to changing climate conditions. Specific strategies were developed for each region, including measures such as diversification of crops, application of sustainable agriculture practices, cultivation of native tree species to bind soil structures, as well as afforestation at high altitudes, with multiple benefits for biodiversity.
Wolfgang Weinmann, Head of Impact and Sustainability at Cafédirect, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. AdapCC perfectly demonstrates the unique way we at Cafédirect do business and how our direct relationships with our grower partners leads to a unique understanding of the challenges on the ground. The methodology is now being replicated around the world – something we at Cafédirect are very proud of.” Website: www.cafedirect.co.uk
Cafédirect has received more than 20 awards over the past five years and has recently won the This is Africa - Beyond Business Award 2012, a Global Sustainability Award for work in Africa in the category Small and Medium Enterprises.
Cafédirect, the British company, was recognised for the sustainability initiatives which are core to its practice. In their application they explained how their business model has improved both environmental and social practices within their producers’ partners in Africa. The group works with 38 grower partner organisations across 13 countries, six of which are in Africa.
Voies navigables de France’s (VNF) project ‘Restoring the French waterways embankments in an ecological engineering approach’ was awarded runner up in the Business and Biodiversity category. The French inland waterways operator designed and implemented an innovative ecological engineering approach to restore and maintain embankments.
The ecological restoration used natural materials such as plants, wood and biodegradable textiles which encourage biodiversity. The approach reduces ecological fragmentation between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, favours local plants and slows down the spreading of invasive species.
VNF have over 10 years’ experience. This enables VNF to adapt their technics to local hydromorphological conditions. Furthermore, ecological monitoring carried out before and after bank restoring operation allows the environmental benefits to be verified.
VNF’s ecological engineering approach is an integral part of the company’s Environmental Management System. It is widely implemented in the North Western part of France.
Website: www.vnf.fr
The EU is delivering on the triple bottom line of economic growth, new jobs and environmental benefits with a special grant scheme for eco-innovative SMEs under its Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), according to a new report.One hundred and twenty-six projects will receive a total of €86.8m in the scheme’s first three years which is set to generate a 20-fold return for every Euro invested, according to the European Commission’s first review of the scheme. Each project will on average generate eight net additional full-time jobs.
The funds are awarded to help commercialise market-ready products, processes or systems that benefit the environment – and can preferably be replicated across the EU. The projects are typically transnational and dominated by SMEs. They cover five main themes: materials and process recycling, buildings, food and drink, greening business, and water efficiency, treatment and distribution (since 2011).
So far, the primary partner inover 40% of projects is from Spain and Italy; the rest were mainly from the UK, Netherlands, Austria, France and Germany. Eastern Europe is notably absent.As well as economic benefits, the 126 projects are estimated to deliver – over their first five years – 170 million m3 of water savings and 130,000 kilograms of hazardous waste savings, equivalent to the annual water consumption of an EU city of 350.000 people.
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Helping coffee and tea farmers to cope with climate change
Success breeds success
AdapCC in Kenya - Model vegetable plot to
encourage diversification away from single cash crop farming
Beyond Business is an initiative from This is Africa (a Financial Times Ltd publication, focused
on analysis of the policy and the business environment
across the continent, as well as Africa’s strategic relationships
with other world regions) which aims to identify and reward
businesses operating in Africa for the additional work they
do to further development, by exceeding best sustainable
practices. Companies are judged on the basis of their answers to a questionnaire, which analyses
the social, environmental and developmental activities they
undertake.
Restoring waterways in an ecological engineering approach2012 Business & Biodiversity
category runners up
Ecological waterways banks restoration
EU eco-innovation funds deliver for SMEs
The total environmental gains will save €830m, nearly ten times the sum originally paid out.
The EU funds help projects in two ways: reducing the payback time for investment (by 20% to less than 3½ years) and acting as a quality label to help projects access other funding. In May the Commission launched a new call to select a further 45 eco-innovative projects to benefit from an additional €31.5m – the application deadline is 5 September 2013.More information: www.ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/apply-funds/call-proposal/index_en.htm
“Analysing and reporting the results achieved by the CIP Eco-Innovation market replication projects”, by ICF GHK for the European Commission, 2013
The European Business Awards for the Environment recognise and promote today’s pioneers in green innovation. Let’s see what other units and DGs have been doing.
Over 25 million Europeans are out of work. Many more are stuck in low-paid jobs or sense that few opportunities are available to them on the job market—sometimes due to their gender, age or disability. In October 2012, the European Commission launched a new competition—the European Social Innovation Competition—meant to address these challenges. Europeans were invited to develop solutions for creating new opportunities for work, and for improving work, through social innovation. Over 600 proposals were received, and on May 29 three top projects were awarded a prize of €20,000 at the European Social Innovation Awards Ceremony in Brussels. The jury was composed of 10 experts in social innovation, independent from the European Commission and from various countries and backgrounds.
The winning projects were: Community Catalysts (United Kingdom), which helps extend the reach and impact of sustainable, small-scale social care and health services; Economy App (Germany), a mobile app to assist the economically deprived enter the job market by making their skills more widely visible; and MITWIN.NET (Spain), which aims to reduce youth unemployment by facilitating job sharing between those entering the job market and those approaching retirement.
José Barroso, President of the European Commission, who presented each of the awards, commented: “The winning ideas show that social innovation has the potential to make a major difference in creating new opportunities for work. New markets can be developed from grass-root ideas. The current economic crisis makes this more important than
ever. We must look to social innovation to stimulate a more dynamic, inclusive and sustainable social market economy. Unlocking potential and creating work is what we dearly need in today’s difficult times.”
The 2014 round of the Social Innovation Award will be launched in Milan in October 2013. Read the official press release: www.europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-471_en.htmFor more information visit here: www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/social-innovation/profiles/index_en.htm
The UK city of Bristol in Southwest England has been selected for the 2015 European Green Capital Award. The achievement was celebrated during a ceremony in the French city of Nantes, the current year’s European Green Capital. Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for the Environment, himself delivered the award to Bristol’s mayor, George Ferguson.
Each year, one European city is selected as the European Green Capital. The award, which was established in 2010, is given to cities that hold themselves to consistently high environmental standards and are committed to ongoing and ambitious environmental improvement and sustainable development. To date, winning cities include: Stockholm in 2010, Hamburg in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2012, Nantes in 2013, Copenhagen in 2014 and, now, Bristol for 2015.
Bristol—who shortlisted alongside Brussels, Glasgow and Ljubljana—was selected for a number of reasons; in particular, its investment plans in the areas of transport and energy, and its commitment to act as a true role model for the green economy in Europe and beyond. The city has committed a budget of EUR 500 million for transport improvements by 2015 and up to EUR 300 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy by 2020. Bristol’s transport and urban policies have contributed greatly to achieving better air quality. And thanks to its efforts, the number of cyclists in the city has doubled in recent years. Bristol is a pioneer on the communication front, too, especially through its social media actions to involve citizens in improving the city’s quality of life.
“We have much to learn from these efforts to improve the environment and quality of life for citizens, whilst creating new business opportunities, and I look forward to their year as European Green Capital”, said Commissioner Potočnik in praise of Bristol.
Read the official press release: www.europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-545_en.htmVisit the European Green Capital website for more information: www.europeangreencapital.eu
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Bristol announced as European Green Capital 2015
Bristol’s mayor, George Ferguson and the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik
The 4 representatives of the shortlisted cities (Bristol, Brussels, Glasgow and Ljubljana) and the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potočnik
José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission and the three finalists
President of the European Commission awards first Social Innovation prizes
The sustainable eco-innovation competition is aimed at individuals, researchers, students, start-up companies and established small businesses. It should be a verifiable product and/or service innovation that has clear sustainability and growth potential. The product/service should be ready to be communicated to potential customers and partners. The innovation should be at early stage development before the expansion phase and clearly newsworthy. The Green Innovation Contest is financed by The Swedish Energy Agency, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth and Region Västra Götaland and is led by Innovatum, a common arena for business growth and prosperity. The contest is run in cooperation with other innovation support organisations with expertise in environment and sustainability in Sweden. The winners were awarded at a combined seminar and exhibition.After the competition, the winning innovators received coaching and match-making with experts from companies in the form of potential client or partner meetings and the continued support of the various innovation nodes.
The competition aims to create conditions that will lead to sustainable energy and a prosperous environment for future generations. It will initiate verification and showcase Sweden’s most interesting innovations as well as contribute to qualitative meetings between environmental innovators and prospective customers that support increased commercialisation. It will also carry out a learning process including verification and coaching, establishing collaboration and knowledge transfer between local, regional and national organisations supporting innovation and enterprise development. The competition will showcase the capabilities of the national innovation actors involved in and contributing to collaboration and knowledge transfer between local, regional and national organisations supporting innovation and enterprise development. The Jury nominates the Swedish entries for the EU Commission competition “European Business Awards for the Environment” from the finalists in the national competition. The Swedish national competition has Product and Process categories.
The Green Innovation Contest was one of the exhibitors during the Sustainability Day conference on April 23 in Stockholm, 2013. The conference aimed at sustainable business development. It has been running for nine years. It is organised by Miljöaktuellt and the Swedish Association of Environmental Managers. During last year’s conference, there were over 800 visitors and 30-40 exhibiting companies.
The Green Innovation Contest 2012 awards were presented during an award ceremony at the Sustainability Day. The winners were selected by the jury comprising of expert representatives included Koljern (creator Åke Mård), Optistring (creator Anders Lindgren), MicProS (creator Matilda Olstorpe) and Ejektorböjar (creator Karl-Erik Andersson).
The winning innovations represented new construction materials, technology for solar energy, how to reprocess waste food with microbes and energy saving solutions for pipelines.
The awards were presented by Hasse Johansson who is the Chairman of Vinnova Sweden’s Innovation Agency. The jury selected them as the ones with highest business- and environmental potential out of 120 contributions. During the conference Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the sustainable leadership prize.
Find out more about the Green Innovation Contest: www.greeninnovationcontest.se
A Swedish competition for sustainable environmental innovations
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How to contact usEBAE website: http://www.ebae.euYou may contact your national coordinator directly:http://ec.europa.eu/environment/awards/in_your_country.html
European Commission, Directorate-General for the EnvironmentJanice Mc Hugh tel.: +32 (0)2 299 03 83; e-mail: [email protected]
European Business Awards for the Environment LinkedIn pageThe EBAE LinkedIn page is an open group for all professionals that are interested in green business solutions and eco-innovation. DG Environment and the EBAE Secretariat invite you to join the group and look forward to your contributions.
Please find the EBAE LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/groups/European-Business-Awards-Environment-5044185
Åke Mård (Koljern), Karl-Erik Andersson (Ejektorböjar), Hasse Johansson (Chairman of Vinnova, the Sweden’s Innovation Agency), Matilda Olstorpe (MicProS) and Anders Lindgren (Opstistring).
Hasse Johansson, Jenny Järvelä (Project leader Green Innovation Contest), Martin Sjöberg, Project strategist Green Innovation Contest) and Tore Helmersson
