After a year of intensive work, the time had come: at the SASE in Iserlohn, nine committed companies and institutions were honoured for their outstanding achievements in the Ökoprofit resource efficiency project in the Märkischer Kreis district. Not only did they succeed in drastically reducing their energy costs and significantly lowering their CO2 emissions, but they also benefited economically from their measures. Ökoprofit has thus proven once again that climate protection and business success are by no means mutually exclusive – on the contrary, they reinforce each other.

As part of the project, the nine participants attended the Märkischer Kreis vocational college in Iserlohn, Diakonie Mark Ruhr Pflege und Wohnen gGmbH Hermann von der Becke retirement home (Hemer), Diakonie Mark-Ruhr Pflege und Wohnen gGmbH Diakoniezentrum Oestrich (Iserlohn), Diakonie Mark Ruhr Teilhabe und Wohnen gGmbH (Iserlohn), Emil Turck GmbH & Cie. KG (Lüdenscheid), Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH & Co. KG (Lüdenscheid), Lahme GmbH & Co. KG (Kierspe), Metoba Metalloberflächenbearbeitung GmbH (Lüdenscheid) and Wilh. Kämper GmbH u. Co KG (Lüdenscheid) took part in eight workshops. They were accompanied and given valuable support by Ökoprofit expert Dr Stefan Große-Allermann from B.A.U.M. Consult GmbH. The result: they were not only able to improve their environmental balance sheet, but also benefited economically.

ÖKOPROFIT (Ecological Project for Integrated Environmental Technology) aims to help companies increase their resource efficiency and reduce operating costs. Since its introduction in the Märkischer Kreis district, the project has established itself as a model of success. In the fifth Ökoprofit round, participants implemented a total of 64 measures, leading to annual savings of around 260,503 euros. At the same time, the companies were able to reduce their energy consumption by 842,676 kilowatt hours, which corresponds to a saving of 445 tonnes of CO2.

‘Making a profit with green ideas’

Marco Voge, District Administrator of the Märkischer Kreis, praised the companies for their commitment: ‘You have shown that economics and ecology are not mutually exclusive. Your measures make a valuable contribution to the environment, climate protection, greater sustainability and future generations.’ He also highlighted Petra Schaller, the long-standing climate protection officer who has played a key role in the project and is now retiring soon.

Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, was also impressed by the results achieved by the participating companies. ‘Ökoprofit impressively demonstrates how economic success can be combined with sustainable action. Making a profit with green ideas – that's exactly what the participants here are doing in an exemplary manner,’ he said at the award ceremony. Krischer added that, in addition to the financial benefits, the measures implemented also contribute to improving the working atmosphere.

When presenting the project results, Ökoprofit consultant Stefan Große-Allermann emphasised that more and more companies are not only pursuing monetary goals, but are also aware of their responsibility towards the environment and society. ‘Today, sustainability means more than just saving money – it is an essential part of corporate responsibility,’ he explained. Große-Allermann sees his role as encouraging companies to seize new opportunities and overcome their fears of new technologies.

Award-winning companies and institutions

The certificates were presented by Minister Oliver Krischer and District Administrator Marco Voge. The successes of the individual companies were also presented.

The success of the fifth round of ÖKOPROFIT in the Märkischer Kreis district clearly shows that resource-efficient practices not only reduce the burden on the environment, but also make good economic sense. The positive effects of the project go far beyond the savings achieved. Ökoprofit has been offered in the Märkischer Kreis district since 2016 as a joint project between the Gesellschaft zur Wirtschafts- und Strukturförderung im Märkischen Kreis mbH (GWS), the Märkischer Kreis district and selected municipalities. To date, 79 companies and institutions from the Märkischer Kreis district have taken part.

Lahme GmbH & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of high-precision plastic injection moulded products, particularly for the automotive, gas and food industries, has already implemented extensive measures, including the purchase of new compressors, energy-efficient injection moulding machines, temperature control units and the conversion to LED lighting, saving a total of 214,300 kWh of electricity and 77.2 tonnes of CO2 per year.