When Heat Becomes an Economic Factor

Heat is increasingly affecting health and everyday working life – making it an economic challenge as well. Ulm-based PERVORMANCE international develops textile cooling solutions under its E.COOLINE brand to support people in high-temperature conditions. In recognition of this forward-looking approach, the German Innovation Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization (diind) has named the company a “Company of the Future”.

Rising temperatures and longer periods of heat are increasing the need for solutions that help protect people from heat stress at work, during sports and leisure activities, and in health-sensitive situations. PERVORMANCE international specializes in addressing precisely this challenge. The company develops and distributes functional cooling garments that provide cooling directly on the body while combining functionality and comfort with a focus on responsible product development.

The “Company of the Future” award recognizes innovative entrepreneurs and organizations that identify change at an early stage, actively shape transformation and take a responsible, long-term approach. The assessment process evaluates areas including a company’s digital presence, innovative strength, future viability, social commitment and public communications.

PERVORMANCE international achieved strong results across all areas assessed. Particular recognition was given to its future-oriented business concept, its consistent focus on effective solutions for dealing with rising temperatures and its modern positioning in an area of growing relevance to society.

Cooling You Can Wear

With its E.COOLINE brand, PERVORMANCE international develops textile cooling solutions designed to support people in high-temperature conditions – whether at work, during physical activity or in health-sensitive situations. The company combines technological development with a clear focus on health, performance and well-being.

The award reinforces PERVORMANCE international’s ambition not only to respond to current changes, but also to actively develop solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. As periods of high temperatures become more frequent, protecting people from heat in the workplace and in everyday life is becoming increasingly important. PERVORMANCE international demonstrates how innovative products can contribute to safety, performance and quality of life.

“Being recognized as a ‘Company of the Future’ is a special acknowledgement of both our work and our approach,” says the management team of PERVORMANCE international GmbH. “Our goal is to support people with intelligent, practical cooling solutions for everyday use. The fact that our approach is recognized as forward-looking encourages us to continue consistently on this path.”

With the “Company of the Future” seal, PERVORMANCE international highlights its position as an innovative company that takes responsibility and develops products in response to key challenges of today and tomorrow.

What will living in 2050 look like? The ProSieben series “The Galileo House of the Future – How Will We Live in 2050?”, available on Joyn, explores this question by having families test innovative technologies, new living concepts and intelligent everyday solutions under real-life conditions.

The Galileo House of the Future combines state-of-the-art smart home technology, automated processes and new approaches to energy use with modern living comfort. AI-based systems provide support in everyday life, while connected technologies are designed to improve efficiency, safety and convenience.

Indoor Climate in the Smart Home of 2050

One of the solutions featured in the practical test was the E.COOLINE cooling curtains by PERVORMANCE.

In the Galileo House, the curtains demonstrated an innovative approach to heat management in indoor spaces. During the test shown in the programme, the use of the E.COOLINE curtains resulted in a 3°C reduction in room temperature. The cooling effect was achieved without the use of a conventional air-conditioning system.

As temperatures rise, solutions that can help improve indoor thermal comfort without conventional air conditioning are becoming increasingly relevant. The families participating in the programme were able to experience the cooling effect directly and commented positively on the resulting indoor climate.

What the Galileo House of the Future Explores

• Forward-looking smart home technology for 2050
• Automated and AI-supported living concepts
• New approaches to energy use in the home
• Cooling with E.COOLINE curtains in a practical test

🎥 Watch the Galileo episode on Joyn:
https://www.joyn.de/play/serien/das-galileo-haus-der-zukunft/1-1-alles-automatisch-wie-wohnen-wir-im-jahr-2050svg

For anyone interested in discovering how Smart Living 2050 could work in practice, the Galileo House of the Future offers a glimpse at technologies and concepts that could help shape the homes of tomorrow.

Heat Protection Is Becoming a Key Issue for the Future

Heat in the workplace is becoming an increasing challenge for companies. Rising temperatures and longer periods of extreme heat are placing greater strain on employees, making effective climate adaptation and preventive health measures essential. In an interview with the specialist magazine Betriebliche Prävention, Gabriele Renner, pharmacist and Managing Director of Pervormance international GmbH, explains how modern cooling technologies can help companies protect the health, safety and performance of their employees even under extreme conditions.

Modern Cooling Technologies for Workplace Heat Protection

The interview focuses on the differences between various cooling technologies and their practical applications in workplace heat protection. Renner explains why innovative evaporative cooling offers an alternative to energy-intensive or heavy cooling systems and highlights the benefits that modern cooling textiles can provide for employees working in industry, logistics, construction, skilled trades and other heat-intensive working environments.

Supporting Health, Safety and Performance

The interview also explores the effects of cooling on physiological factors such as body temperature, heart rate, fatigue and concentration. Modern cooling garments can help reduce heat stress and physical strain while supporting performance even at high temperatures. They can therefore make an important contribution to occupational safety and employee health.

What Companies Should Look for When Choosing Cooling Garments

Another key focus of the interview is the criteria companies should consider when selecting suitable cooling garments. In addition to proven cooling performance, factors such as wearer comfort, hygiene, ease of care and straightforward integration into existing occupational health and safety concepts all play an important role. The interview provides companies with valuable insights into selecting effective and sustainable solutions for their employees.

ULM-BASED COMPANY IS TOP OF SUSTAINABILITY IN EUROPE

At the SME EnterPRIZE 2023 event in Brussels, Generali presented the ten “Sustainability Heroes”, which were selected from more than 7,000 European SMEs as leaders in the development of sustainable companies.
The Ulm-based company of CEO duo Gabriele Renner and Sabine Stein not only received the SME EnterPRIZE Award for Germany, but also beat other finalists from Austria, Spain, France, Hungary, Slovenia and Portugal to win the European “Advisory Board Special Mention” award.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY, 90% RECYCLED FIBRES, REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN IN GERMANY AND MORE

The jury was impressed by the sustainability of pervormance international’s business concept, which has not only developed climate-friendly air conditioning with innovative textile technology, but also offers the technology itself and the products with 90% recycled fibres, regional production with a supply chain in Germany and Europe, recyclability and much more. This can save over 90% CO2 compared to air conditioning systems. No energy is required and environmentally harmful refrigerants are saved, as only water and air, as well as E.COOLINE technology, are needed for cooling.
“The climate is getting warmer and more and more people are suffering from the heat. With 1 gigatonne of CO2 and over 8% of the world’s energy requirements, air conditioning systems are not a solution,” says pharmacist and Managing Director Gabriele Renner. This is where the company’s products and technology come in.

A ROLE MODEL FOR OTHER COMPANIES

Generali and an expert advisory board with members from academia, business and think tanks assessed the applicants on the basis of their social and environmental commitment, including the implementation of notable sustainability initiatives in their business activities. The winners of the SME EnterPRIZE are thus role models for other entrepreneurs and ambassadors for sustainability.
“We are delighted with the awards,” says Sabine Stein, sports scientist and Co-Managing Director of the Ulm-based company. “Winning also shows that the topic of climate adaptation has arrived in society.”

WE CELEBRATE THE SUSTAINABILITY HEROES

The event was attended by Generali management under Generali Group CEO Philippe Donnet and high-level European politicians, including Valdis Dombrovskis – Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for an economy that works for people and European Commissioner for Trade; Paolo Gentiloni – European Commissioner for Economic Affairs; Martina Dlabajová – Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair of the Parliament’s SME Intergroup; Pina Picierno – Vice-President of the European Parliament. Academic leaders and Generali’s top management also took part. There was also a message from Marcos Neto, Deputy Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Policy and Programme Support Office.

With the “Sustainable Impact Award” (SIA), WirtschaftsWoche, together with its partners, honours medium-sized pioneers in the field of corporate sustainability. The Handelsblatt publication shows how the course is being set for sustainable business models and social responsibility in German SMEs. The aim of the initiative is to use best practices to show that, although there is still a long way to go towards holistic resource conservation, a large number of companies are already well on their way.

This year, the Ulm-based company pervormance international won the coveted award in the SIA Award category “SME EnterPrize”, which was supported by the insurance company GENERALI. This award is aimed at companies with up to 250 employees. It is not only dedicated to the partial aspects of sustainable management in medium-sized companies, but also evaluates ecological and social strategies and their implementation in their entirety with regard to the SDGs.

GAME-CHANGER

For laudator Susanna Bertschi from the German Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), pervormance’s technology is “a game-changer, as it makes air conditioning, which is becoming increasingly important in times of global warming, significantly more climate-friendly compared to air conditioning systems”.

The company develops, produces and sells functional clothing for cooling in the medical sector worldwide, but also for the protection of workers in hot production facilities, fire brigades and for all people who work outdoors in high temperatures, spend their leisure time or do sport.

The company is constantly developing the technology, which is produced in Germany, and holds patents for it worldwide in Europe, the USA and Australia. pervormance international is committed to sustainability, the environment, fair working conditions and women’s rights, is a member of the UN Global Compact, the “SENAT DER WIRTSCHAFT” and supports Plant-for-thePlanet. The product will become increasingly important in the future, as global warming is causing significantly more heat in all areas of life. This leads to health problems, deaths and loss of productivity.

SAVES MORE THAN 97% CO2

 Air conditioning systems help, but are already responsible for over one gigatonne of CO2 emissions, over 8 per cent of energy consumption and climate-damaging refrigerants. With functional clothing, people and animals can be cooled with up to 660 watts of cooling power in an environmentally and climate-friendly way. This saves up to 97 per cent CO2 compared to air conditioning systems. In addition, no external energy is required for cooling. Only water and air are used as refrigerants. The company also reduces its ecological footprint by using natural electricity, recycling/upcycling fibres and keeping production routes short.
In addition to the use of the technology in clothing and home textiles, room and vehicle cooling are development topics. Production takes place regionally in Germany and Europe. The raw materials and fabrics used also come from European and German producers. The employees – most of whom are women – are offered flexible working hours, home office and a high level of understanding for the needs of working parents.

In 2020, the company was the only German company to be recognised by UN Women/WEPs for this. As a UN Global Compact member, pervormance international has adhered to the ten principles of the United Nations organisation for over ten years and implements them within the company. The company demonstrates to the industry that sustainability makes the manufacture of products such as clothing, which previously tended to take place in so-called low-wage countries, competitive again in Germany and Europe.

The Competence Center for Growth and Sales Strategies at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences has been recognizing employers for several years in areas such as attractiveness, awareness, likeability and willingness to apply. In addition, the Employer Brand Manager Award is presented each year with a different focus. The theme of that year’s jury award was “Purpose – The Meaning and Purpose of Work”. Under the patronage of District Administrator Thorsten Freudenberger, pervormance international from Ulm received the award in the “Ecology” category.

Doing Good While Being Successful

Today, employees increasingly look for meaning and purpose in their work. A company’s values and its commitment to social responsibility also play an important role.

“Even in times of crisis, employer branding remains an important task. The ‘war for talent’ does not simply stop,” says Professor Alexander Kracklauer, Head of the Competence Center for Growth and Sales Strategies at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences.

Awareness Is Not Everything

Young and innovative companies in particular are setting new priorities in their day-to-day business. At pervormance international, this includes a conscious approach to the use of resources, energy and transportation.

In production, waste fibers are reused for certain materials. According to the company’s own information, pervormance avoids air freight for the transportation of raw materials and finished goods, relying instead on transportation by road. Electricity from renewable energy sources is used at the company’s premises.

With COOLINE SX3 technology, pervormance has also developed a form of personal cooling that works directly on the body. The cooling effect is created through the evaporation of water and requires no external power supply during use. This makes the concept fundamentally different from conventional air conditioning: instead of cooling an entire room, cooling is applied exactly where it is needed – directly to the individual.

According to an analysis by ClimatePartner, in one specific application scenario, CO₂ emissions can be reduced by more than 90% compared with cooling using conventional air-conditioning systems.* Personal cooling can be used both indoors and outdoors – an aspect that is becoming increasingly relevant as periods of high temperatures become more frequent.

*The stated CO₂ reduction refers to the specific application scenario analyzed by ClimatePartner and should not be understood as a generally applicable reduction for every use case.

pervormance international is the only German company represented in the UN Women book on gender equality published by the United Nations.

The comprehensive United Nations book, which is available in digital form, presents innovative and successful women entrepreneurs who implement the Women`s Empowerment Principles (WEP) in small and medium-sized enterprises. “Here we are presented with pervormance international as a model company and the only company from Germany,” says Managing Director Gabriele Renner proudly.

The United Nations book presents concepts and companies from UN Women’s cooperation within the “WE EMPOWER-G7 Program”. It highlights how G7 governments and companies, as well as the EU, are working together to promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.

“There are many companies that are committed to women in the workplace at UN Women, but few that are also led by women. That’s why we chose pervormance international,” said UN Women’s Sarah Merusi, praising Ulm-based managing directors Gabriele Renner and Sabine Stein and their company, pervormance international.
The Ulm-based company thus represents Germany and was given preference over stock corporations that are also active in UN Women, such as Daimler or BASF, adidas, Allianz or Hugo Boss, which, however, have no women at the top of their companies.  “The reports in UN Woman are an outstanding award for our year-long commitment to women in leadership positions and equality in the workplace,” says Sabine Stein, pleased with the positive response.

   You can READ the report HERE