The Bühler technology group organised the first Greenovation Summit in Uzwil, which brought together around 150 decision-makers from various companies in Eastern Switzerland. The event, organised by the media platform ‘Die Ostschweiz’ and Galledia, offered a unique opportunity to present and discuss innovative and sustainable concepts.
The conference focussed on forward-looking solutions with which companies are responding to current challenges in the area of sustainability. Martin Oswald, Publishing Director of ‘Die Ostschweiz’ and organiser of the event, said: “The aim of the Greenovation Summit is not to philosophise ideologically about sustainability, but to show in concrete terms what companies in Eastern Switzerland are doing to act ecologically and responsibly.”
Innovations as the key to sustainability
At the summit, numerous practical examples were presented of how sustainability can be successfully integrated into the everyday life of companies. One key message was that it is only possible to turn challenges into new opportunities through a spirit of innovation and a willingness to collaborate with companies from outside the industry.
For example, the University of St.Gallen, the construction company Zindel + Co. AG, Rechenzentrum Ostschweiz and the Bühler Group presented their sustainable projects and showed how they organise their production processes in an ecologically responsible manner.
Sustainability as a core corporate value
Stefan Scheiber, CEO of the Bühler Group, opened the event at Bühler's CUBIC Innovation Campus and emphasised the importance of sustainability for his company. Bühler invests up to 5% of its annual turnover - CHF 140 million in 2023 alone - in the research and development of sustainable technologies. The goal: to provide scalable solutions by 2025 that reduce energy and water consumption as well as waste in customers' value chains by 50%. Bühler has also set itself the goal of reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030.
Breakout sessions also gave participants the opportunity to delve into topics such as sustainable construction, employee involvement in transformation processes and the balance between ecological and economic goals.
Premiere for the Greenovation Award
The summit concluded with the presentation of the first ‘Greenovation Award’ in three categories. Huber Fenster AG from Herisau won the prize in the ‘Project’ category for its commitment in Ukraine, where it has already planted 100,000 trees. Nussbaum AG from Matzingen won the ‘Product’ category for its production of aluminium bottles from 100% recycled aluminium cans. Originate GmbH from St. Gallen came out on top in the ‘Service’ category. Its digital service for measuring and analysing heating, cooling and ventilation systems enables targeted investments based on performance data as well as the optimisation of existing systems.
Sandra Banholzer, CEO of Rausch AG, emphasised the importance of the event and explained that the greatest benefit lies in the practical examples of other companies and the exchange of ideas about how they deal with challenges. “This is how we incorporate new ideas and approaches into our toolbox and implement new solutions in our company,” said Rausch.
