The Hamburg-based climate tech company Novocarbo has been honored with the “German Sustainability Award Company 2025” in the “Chemical Industry” category. The German Sustainability Award (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis, DNP) rewards pioneering contributions to the transformation towards a sustainable future and was being presented for the 17th time. The award ceremony took place on 28 November 2024 as part of the “German Sustainability Day” in Düsseldorf.
Biochar climate solution convinces with high transformation potential
The DNP jury from research, associations, consulting and civil society emphasized how important the use of waste-based raw materials, closed material cycles and green energy generation are for sustainable change, especially in the chemical industry.
Novocarbo processes plant residues into biochar, thereby capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and generating renewable energy. The Hamburg-based company uses the captured carbon to create sustainable products for industry and agriculture. The Biochar Carbon Removal solution from Novocarbo contributes to climate protection in several ways: it reduces the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, closes material cycles, accelerates the heat transition and reduces fossil raw materials in hard-to-abate industries.
“Receiving the German Sustainability Award is particularly important to us, as it recognizes our commitment to decarbonizing the economy and contributing to climate protection in Germany. Climate neutrality can only be achieved together. With our scalable biochar climate solution, we are supporting industries on their way to Net Zero by rethinking carbon. Because the key to the transformation to a sustainable future lies in using our natural resources wisely and innovatively,” says Caspar von Ziegner, CEO of Novocarbo.
Europe's leading award for ecological and social commitment
The German Sustainability Award is presented annually since 2008 by the “Stiftung Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis e.V. “ (German Sustainability Award Foundation) in cooperation with the German government, municipal head associations, business associations, civil society organizations and research institutions. The prize honors companies that are particularly successful in meeting ecological and social challenges with their products and services and thus use sustainability as an economic opportunity. The award is based on the goals of “Agenda 2030” and thus on the key areas of transformation such as climate, biodiversity, resources, supply chain and society. With six competitions and 3,000 guests at the closing events, it is the most wide-ranging award of its kind in Europe.
Novocarbo offers innovative solutions for sustainable plant growth and climate protection. Using modern pyrolysis technology, we convert plant residues into biochar, which stores carbon for the long term and offers numerous benefits for horticulture and landscaping - from improved soil structure and increased microbial activity to binding water and nutrients and promoting root growth.
Our biochar improves soil quality and helps green spaces to better withstand periods of drought and flooding. It is ideal for use in 'sponge city' projects, as the sponge-like structure of biochar can absorb large amounts of water and release it slowly, making green spaces more resilient. Biochar also offers a sustainable alternative to conventional soil additives such as peat, perlite and expanded clay.
Through the pyrolysis process, the carbon from plant biomass is permanently bound in biochar instead of escaping into the atmosphere as CO₂. This bound carbon remains stored in the soil in the long term, which helps to reduce greenhouse gases.
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