Environment minister recognizes green companies
Minister of the Environment Mati Raidma handed out awards to the most environmentally friendly companies in Estonia. The main award went to Estonian Cell for its new biogas production complex. The award comes with a prize money of 35,000 euros from the Institute of Sustainable Development.
Estonian Cell, running an aspen pulp mill, became the largest producer of biogas in Estonia after opening its new wastewater pre-treatment and biogas production plant in 2014. This allowed the company to substitute more than five million cubic meters of imported natural gas with biogas. The 11-million-euro plant was financed by its Austrian owner Heinzel Holding.
Loodusvägi was recognized for using a green manufacturing process and Sümbio got a special prize for combining business and biodiversity, by growing blueberries and cranberries on abandoned milled peat fields.
The award in the business management category went to Logistika Pluss, which recently built a new energy-efficient logistics center near the Iru power-plant.
Cityntel won the "Green product or service" award for its new generation smart street light control solution based on self configuring wireless mesh network technology. The system enables to save up to 80 percent of operational energy costs. Green real-estate developer Hepsor, courier firm Rohekuller, and the Tartu Environmental Education Center were also recognized in the same category.
The awards recognizes companies which, over the past 12 months, have used environmentally friendly practices and shown social responsibility in both manufacturing and business management.
Editor: M. Oll