Award ceremony at the Federal Environment Ministry
The Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency presented the Federal Ecodesign Awards for the first time on 22 November 2012. Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier opened the award ceremony at the Federal Environment Ministry. A total of fourteen prize winners were recognized in the three award categories: Product, Concept and Young Talent. Projects ranged from a neighbour-to-neighbour carsharing scheme and innovative hybrid technology to carbon-neutral housing and junk data reduction on the Internet.
In his speech, Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said: "Up to 80 percent of a product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. We have launched this competition to show how much creative potential there is for making products more eco-friendly - and how ambitious design, aesthetic quality and environmental protection can go hand in hand. I’d like to congratulate the prize winners on their work, which perfectly illustrates how this can be achieved."
51 out of more than 300 entries were nominated for the Federal Ecodesign Award in the three competition categories (Product, Concept and Young Talent). In the final round, 14 entries won the jury over with their innovative character, design quality and eco-friendly features. The prize winners were officially announced at the award ceremony held at the Federal Environment Ministry. Federal Environment Minister Peter Altmaier and Jochen Flasbarth, President of the Federal Environment Agency, presented the awards.
In his speech, the chairman of the jury, Prof. Günter Horntrich (designer, professor for design and ecology at the Köln International School of Design, KISD), stressed the impressive range and quality of the projects submitted. He went on to say that the projects reflected a profound understanding of design and showed that the ideas of "green design" had reached the real world and become a fixture in the design process. The competition was set up by the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Environment Agency in cooperation with the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ).
A list of all prize winners in the Product, Concept and Young Talent categories can be found on the Federal Ecodesign Award website at