Alumna Annika Trappmann receives the German Environmental Award

We are proud of our alumna, who has been honored with the German Environmental Award.

In 2014, Annika Trappmann successfully completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – Rethinking Economics  at Alanus University. In 2020, she and her brother Hugo Trappmann received the German Environmental Award.

Siblings Annika and Hugo Trappmann succeeded in making production at Blechwarenfabrik Limburg significantly more climate-friendly through digitalization. They turned the entire company upside down and, together with the factory’s engineers, planned a new building that has now been in operation for two years and has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 2,600 tons per year while saving around 100 tons of tinplate annually. All of this is made possible by state-of-the-art technology and digitalization for the conservation of resources. In the production and finishing of metal packaging such as cans and canisters, very little scrap is generated, and of course the scrap is recycled. Almost the entire roof of the factory is equipped with a photovoltaic system, so that a large proportion of the electricity required can be generated in-house. The heat from the paint oven is used to heat rooms or converted to cool production machines. Intelligent LED lights throughout the company continuously adapt to the brightness of daylight, ensuring that as little electricity as possible is used for lighting.

“For my brother Hugo and me, as the managing directors of Blechwarenfabrik, the DBU Environmental Award is both recognition and an incentive to move forward with our project for greater energy and resource efficiency as a role model for other small and medium-sized companies,” reports Managing Director Annika Trappmann, adding that she hopes other SMEs will have the courage to break new ground in order to operate more sustainably.

Annika is committed to environmental protection and the fight against climate change through her involvement in the nationwide Association of Climate Protection Companies, where she serves on the board and supports innovation for climate protection.

With prize money of 500,000 euros, the DBU award is one of the most highly endowed environmental prizes in Europe. This year, the DBU Environmental Award will be shared equally, with 250,000 euros each going to climate economist Prof. Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer and siblings Annika and Hugo Trappmann.

Background: The German Environmental Award of the DBU, presented for the 28th time in 2020, honors the achievements of individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the protection and preservation of the environment or who will make a significant contribution to environmental relief in the future. Candidates for the German Environmental Award are nominated to the DBU. A jury appointed by the DBU Board of Trustees and composed of independent and distinguished experts from business, academia, technology, and social groups recommends the prize winners for the respective year to the DBU Board of Trustees. The DBU Board of Trustees makes the final decision.

Photo © Peter Himsel/DBU