PERVORMANCE INTERNATIONAL WINS SME ENTERPRIZE AWARD 2023

PERVORMANCE INTERNATIONAL WINS SME ENTERPRIZE AWARD 2023

 

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.

PERVORMANCE INTERNATIONAL HONOURED WITH THE SUSTAINABLE IMPACT AWARD 2023

PERVORMANCE INTERNATIONAL HONOURED WITH THE SUSTAINABLE IMPACT AWARD 2023

 

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.