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.