This article showcases our top picks for the best Germany based Sustainability companies. These startups and companies are taking a variety of approaches to innovating the Sustainability industry, but are all exceptional companies well worth a follow.
We meticulously selected companies ranging from cutting-edge startups to established brands based on their outstanding performance in the following categories:
- Innovation: Innovative ideas, Innovative route to market, Innovative product
- Growth: Exceptional growth, Exceptional growth strategy
- Management and Societal impact
Top Sustainability Startups in Germany
Data sourced from Crunchbase and SemRush.
PLAN A: A GreenTech company that develops a carbon quantification platform to measure, monitor, and reduce environmental footprint. Plan A is a corporate carbon accounting, decarbonisation, and ESG reporting software provider.
AIR UP: The first drinking bottle flavoring pure water just by scent. Air Up is so much more than a water bottle. As the world’s first refillable drinking system that flavors water through scent alone: it’s a hydration revolution. First hydration system that flavors water through scent alone.
E.GO MOBILE: Develops and produces electronic vehicles. Designed to be electric. e.GO was founded in 2015 in Aachen. The goal was to develop attractive and particularly durable electric vehicles and produce them in series. They are now about 400 employees.
QUENTIC: A computer software company for health & safety, environmental, and sustainability management. Over 900 customers strengthen their EHSQ and ESG management with Quentic software solutions. Software as a Service (SaaS) for EHSQ and ESG management.
CLIMATIQ: Build climate intelligent solutions powered by smart data. They drive climate action through data and insight. Climatiq develops an open dataset of global emission data and the technical infrastructure they need to realise meaningful reductions to their climate footprint.
BIO-LUTIONS: Offers sustainable packaging and disposable tableware solutions made of agricultural residues. Pioneering the dry molding production technology to create sustainable packaging solutions made in Germany. Renaturing the World of Materials.
STAIY: The marketplace for sustainable shopping & lifestyle. Staiy is the Berlin-based destination for sustainable shopping, spotlighting international brands that craft their pieces in a responsible way to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable fashion industry.
CARBON MOBILE: Leading the adoption of sustainable high-tech materials in personal electronics. Making them lighter, thinner, stronger, more sustainable. Carbon was created to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable high-performance materials in connected devices.
GREEN CITY SOLUTIONS: Addresses the global problem of air pollution by combining an installed moss culture with IoT technology. More than half of humanity lives in cities – and the trend is rising. Cities are clearly the living space of the future.
WESUSTAIN: Develops and sells web-based software for enterprise sustainability management. They create flexible software solutions designed to support future-focused, responsible business management – solutions to simplify and streamline their sustainability processes.
WEPROFIT: The first B2B Software Development Marketplace. They match every company with a fitting supplier to enable digital transformation. WeProfit aims to connect companies from emerging economies with the potential of international market.
CHANGERS: Uses extensive game mechanics to motivate participation in climate protection and health promotion. Changers fit App for healthy and motivated employees in the fields of corporate wellness and CSR. Health and climate change gamification software for companies and cities.
EEVIE: A engagement tool to measure & reward employee climate action and to foster a climate friendly work culture. They believe sustainable employees make climate-friendly companies. They provide organisations with an intuitive application for customised climate engagement programs.
CATLABS: Offers sustainable and modern cat accessories. CATLABS brings more sustainability and style to cat households. With their products and their community, they offer a home for modern cat parents who want stylish and sustainable products for their furry friends.
ECOLYTIQ: Building the infrastructure for Climate Action in the finance industry. The Sustainability-as-a-Service solution from ecolytiq enables banks, fintech companies and other financial services providers to show their customers the individual impact their purchasing behaviour.
TGW: is a B2B SaaS platform that provides services for innovation management. TGW helps experts plan, run, and track UX, CX, Product and innovation workshops and is fully automated. TGW works for experts and people who are just starting to explore new innovation processes.
ECO.MIO: Reach their climate targets while realizing significant incremental savings in business travel. The first employee-inclusive software to reach climate targets while decreasing travel costs. Immediately cut travel CO2e & save costs by incentivizing green travel.
HERAEUS: A holding company that produces precious metals, materials and technologies. A broadly diversified and globally leading family-owned technology company, headquartered in Hanau, Germany. The company’s roots go back to a family pharmacy started in 1660.
KLIM: Their mission is to scale up regenerative agriculture to make agriculture part of the climate solution. Klim is creating a joint movement with farmers, businesses and consumers to scale regenerative agriculture as quickly as possible, in order to sustainably reduce CO₂ emissions.
CONCULAR: Platform to digitze building materials using material passorts, recirculate them and measure the impact using a life cycle assessment. Holistic ecosystem for circular construction. The entire process is simplified and made more economical through intelligent data-based material.
KLEIDERLY: Sustainable Plastic from Textile Waste. Converting clothing to reduce the world’s fashion footprint. Reduce their carbon footprint with Kleiderly. Sustainable Plastic Made from Textile Waste. They recycle unwanted textiles to give them a new life.
PLANTURA: Develops products that combine effectiveness and sustainability. It’s inspiring contact points that make gardeners easier. Bringing nature home! They want to reconnect people with nature and make the world a little bit greener every day!
THERMOSPHR: Innovative thermal management solutions for Energy efficient buildings – SaaS. Thermosphr is a revolutionary operating system for thermal management in commercial buildings. They use a unique proprietary technology, result of years of research in thermal optimization.
ETUKTUK: Operates as a special event promotion, advertising, & tour rental company that rents electronic cars in Germany. Rent the eTuk for personal event, eye-catching appearance of the eTuk for their marketing, inspire their employees or become a partner of eTukTuk Switzerland.
GERNEOHNE: Online Zero-waste Supermarket. Hello food, bye bye plastic! They deliver their groceries to their home – in reusable jars and transport boxes. All of this goes back to them after they have used it and after thorough cleaning they bring it back to the people, freshly filled.
TRIM: The fit-to-finish mass customization solution for fashion brands, retailers and producers. Apparel production is notoriously wasteful. They’re on a mission to enable fashion companies to produce what they need when they need it.
NX FOOD: A food hub focused on sustainable food solutions, vertical farming, alternative protein sources, and food waste reduction. NX-FOOD stands for Next Generation Food. Their recipe: expertise, network and implementation. Advises its clients on the implementation of innovation.
SOLAR MATERIALS: Primarily engages in the development of technologies for the sustainable and economical recycling of solar modules. They develop technologies to recycle photovoltaic modules cleanly and economically. Raw material recovery from solar panels.
HARPOCRATES: Provider of Forward Compliance for B2B and B2C Customers in context of GDPR, Basel III/IV and other regulations. HARPOCRATES is a RegTech company offering a SaaS platform to automate compliance and contract understanding with AI and NLP.
SUNDAY NATURAL: Develops various kinds of organic, plant-based, and healthy products. Sunday Natural arose from a long-term commitment to and research into holistic health. Premium nutrition inspired by nature. Over 1,500 products of the highest quality and purity.
PLANETICS: Revolves around “sustainable and fair sporting goods”. This means clothing, equipment, and nutrition. As the name already indicates, PLANETICS stands for ensuring a sustainable lifestyle in sports: PLANET +ATHLETICS.
PREDLY: Builds the earth’s first digital twin and provides companies with high-resolution environmental data. Predly is an investment vehicle dedicated to advancing humanity through passionate, dedicated and contrarian thinkers.
DER GRUNE PUNKT: Founded in 1990 as the first dual system, and is nowadays a leading provider of take-back systems. Since 1990, the Green Dot has set up and organized the world’s first dual system for the consumer-oriented and high-quality recycling of sales packaging.
J. RETTENMAIER & SOHNE: Specializes in organic fiber technologies that deliver functional and natural products using renewable resources. With their functional fiber materials they create solutions for many product applications and chemically.
SHIPZERO: Data-driven services for sustainable transport partner management and precise emission calculation. They are fully committed to pushing global transportation towards a greener, more sustainable, and data-driven path.
CARMINO: Carbon reduction & offset manager for sustainable mobility & travel. Track, reduce and offset their mobility carbon footprint. Employee engagement tool to travel in companies. They help them to automatically manage, reduce and offset your corporate mobility emissions.
CIBUSCELL: Provides an open Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for climate neutral energy suppliers. CibusCell Cloud helps hydrogen producers and providers scaling commercially viable green hydrogen by four to seven years. They scale commercially viable Green Hydrogen.
GOFLUX: Startup. Mobility, Carpooling, Whitelabel. goFLUX is their ride-sharing app for regional trips: form suitable ride pools quickly and easily. Provider of regional carpooling. Through their goFLUX ride-sharing app of the same name.
UTOPIA.DE: Asustainable development company for economy and society. Utopia.de is the leading platform for sustainability in German-speaking countries. Since 200, they have stood for journalism with attitude: They want to motivate as many people as possible to live more sustainably.
PALAMO: Offers delivery services with its labels, pouches, shipping boxes and packaging. Their first end-to-end partner for individual and high-quality labels & packaging. Customize their products with Palamo and benefit from services according to your needs.
BOOKITGREEN: Redefining how travelers book sustainable holiday accommodations. Bookitgreen ambassadors are committed to bringing sustainable travel to the forefront worldwide. Easy to understand and simply good for the environment.
RESTADO: Europes largest platform to buy and sell construction materials coming from leftovers or demolition. The leading platform bringing the circular economy into the construction sector. They are matching the supply and demand for construction materials from demolition and leftovers.
SAAS.DO: The technology company is an innovation lab turning sustainable business ideas into simple and tangible products. With saas.do, the no-code platform developed and hosted in Germany, they can easily connect systems, integrate data and automate processes.
MELAWEAR: A sustainable fair fashion company that produces and sells organic clothing and bags for men and women. MELA stands for uncompromisingly sustainable fashion that doesn’t cost the earth. The Kassler label produces in the land of cotton, India.
ECONEERS: An equity based crowdfunding-platform for investments in sustainable projects and companies. At Econeers they promote ideas that are good for their planet. Econeers is the first platform for crowd investing in sustainable companies and energy transition projects in Germany.
SMART ENGINE WTEC: Develops, implements, and manages secure, usable, and sustainable IT networks worldwide. Developing trendsetting products that bring Sustainability to life. Developers in Frankfurt/Rhein-Main and ’Silicon Valley’ consistently work on innovative products.
CANO: Sustainable shoe brand selling responsibly made Mexican leather Huaraches. CANO aims to preserve traditional craftsmanship in the modern world by creating ethically crafted and sustainably sourced shoes. Their ‘huaraches’ perfectly blend modern styles and ancient weaving techniques.
B.FAB: Specializes in the conversion of CO2 and hydrogen from renewable energy into biotechnological value chains. b.fab is specialized in the efficient conversion of CO2 and hydrogen (H2) from renewable energy into biotechnological value chains. CO2 and water are abundantly available.
DOPPSTADT: Manufactures machinery & components that focus on environmental and recycling technology as well as waste management services. Doppstadt, a family-run company with headquarters in Velbert, Germany, was founded in 1965. Best Solution. Smart Recycling.
ECOCODE: An e-commerce company that helps businesses digitize sales. As experts for web technologies and web development, They create for their customers sustainable individual software solutions for a rosy digital future – in line with our mission: “Features For Future”.
WEGREEN: An online green marketplace and comparison shopping site. On WeGreen.de they would like to promote a sustainable life. They support them with many articles and tips on their way to a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.
ZENON MEDIA: An internationally renown company. Broadcast Automation Systems, MAM and Software for Editors for Radio Stations and more. With the face tracking Zenon-Media add a new dimension in the visual automation.
FRONYX: Develops online solutions using artificial intelligence for the electric vehicle industry. They think EV charging is way too complicated. For a driver, it’s a total buzzkill. Friction they don’t need in their life. They’re always hoping that they find a free charger when their need it.
GENESIS MANNEQUINS: Manufactures mannequins using bio-based materials and provides services across the globe. One of the top suppliers of shop window mannequins, torsos and displays. Combined with creativity and innovative strength the company produces fashionable mannequins.
REVIEWFOREST: A green marketing platform that lets companies help the planet and get more reviews by planting a tree for every review. For every review a business gets, it commits to donate a tree in the reviewer’s name. They are a Berlin-based company.
MERSOR: An all-in-one marketplace solution for gifting. At MERSOR they will find personalized gifts, stylish gift sets and unusual gift ideas. Redefining the world of personalized corporate gifting. They take the entire process from idea to gift delivery from their customers hands.
EL PUENTE: Offers organic foods, coffee, cosmetics, handicraft products and sells them online. Import and distribution of fairly traded products. They are a social business that sells fair trade food and interiors. As part of a global network of cooperatives, family businesses, social and fair trade.
SWU: Provides a comprehensive range of products and services in the field of energy, drinking water, telecommunications and mobility. This is who they are: around the clock. Service. Quality. Punctuality. They bring light into the darkness, generate cozy warmth, bring people and animals safely.
BERLINER WASSERBETRIEBE: Provides clean water, dispose of and clean the wastewater, and ensures the sustainability of the water cycle. They does not only offer clear water, but also transparent business practices. With a company history spanning over 150 years.
MAX FRANK: Construction company, that designs, manufactures, & sells technologically based products for the construction industry. They have been developing, producing & distributing a wide range of proven products for concrete and reinforced concrete construction for over half a century.
CHEWOW: An online food and beverage shop that supplies different varieties of sustainable food. German company specializing in innovative and sustainable food. CheWOW stands for the WOW experience: doing good with delicious products. EASY. TASTY.
INDEED: A design company that specializes in holistic innovation consulting and development. They combine design, engineering, and strategy services with sustainable development practices and behavioral science principles to drive their business into a circular future.
GREENBIMLABS: Computer software for cost-efficient buildings and infrastructure. Transforms buildings from the largest material consumer and material waste producer into the largest, fully indexed, safe to use and accessible material resource stock on Earth.
CYCLIC: A sustainable design studio that develops products considering the entire lifecycle of a product. Cyclic Design develops sustainable packaging and strategies for the circular economy. Through a unique design aesthetic and an impact-driven strategy.
BKK PROVITA: National statutory health insurance firm as well as a modern and innovative service organization. Health insurance company based in Munich. Founded in 1862. With around 125,000 insured people, one of the 50 largest statutory health insurance companies in Germany.
INAM: Their mission is to support emerging technologies and startups in the field of Advanced Materials and innovative processes and technologies. INAM is a Berlin-based, globally active organisation, founded by industry leaders, research institutes, investors and public offices.
DACH VERMIENTEN: A company that provides photovoltaic roof room rental. Sunlife Montage GmbH is their contact when it comes to renting out roof space. Specialize in the development, sales and installation of photovoltaic roof systems and ground-mounted systems.
ERGO: Environmental specialist that focuses mainly on contaminated sites, air pollution control, emissions, & nature conservation. Medium-sized Saxon company in the field of environmental services with their headquarters in Dresden. Currently have 70 highly qualified employees.
IQONY: Specializes in developing decentralized, tailor-made energy solutions based on efficient and sustainable concepts. Iqony makes green energy feasible. With 85 years of experience in the planning, construction and operation of energy facilities, the company provides holistic solutions.
CWK: Produces a wide range of high-quality specialty chemicals and provides tailor-made materials for their specific applications. In the heart of Germany, they produce high-quality specialty chemicals in the product groups silicas, molecular sieves and sulfur compounds.
HELMHOLTZ: Focuses on research on future ecosystems, water resources, chemicals and models, biotechnology to the environment and society. The UFZ was established in 1991 and has more than 1,100 employees in Leipzig, Halle/S. and Magdeburg.
ECOTHERM: A renewable and environmental firm that produces and installs stainless steel components for hot water, steam and solar systems. One of the world market leaders for individual hot water, steam & solar thermal solutions for hotels, hospitals and the industry.
INTERTEC-HESS: Offers protection solutions for highly sensitive instruments, control equipment or processes. Produces protection for field-based instrumentation and equipment. Their broad range of enclosures, cabinets and shelters, plus a comprehensive selection of accessories.
ICLEI: A network of regional governments that focuses on building a sustainable future and solving complex environmental challenges. ICLEI Europe connects ambitious local and regional governments with other sustainable frontrunners, national governments and European institutions.
SCHONMACKERS: One of the technology and system leaders in recycling management. Caring for tomorrow today applies in every area! They offer a long-term relationship – be it as an employer or as a service provider. To this day, Schönmackers, with over 1,600 employees at over 20 locations.
ZARE: Specializes in waste tire disposal, retreading, and offers material and thermal recycling. The ZARE initiative is an amalgamation of a total of 19 companies organized in the Federal Association of Tire Dealers and Vulcanisers (BRV), 17 of which are certified disposal companies.
KRUGER: A food production company. Kruger North America, Inc is the U.S sales division of our parent company the Krüger Group, a German based company that specializes in the manufacturing of confectionery goods, food ingredients, coffee beverages and systems.
CLEAN EXCELLENCE: Provides building cleaning, industrial cleaning, maintenance, hotel cleaning, window cleaning and facility services. Stands for sustainable and innovative building, industrial and healthcare services that can be flexibly adapted to your individual needs and fit seamlessly.
THE WEARNESS: An online marketplace for sustainable clothing, accessories and beauty for women and men. Their goal is to change the image of sustainable, fair and locally produced fashion through a carefully curated product selection.
BS2 SICHERHEITSSYSTEME: A Manufacturer of innovative sensor technology for monitoring corrosion and moisture in buildings. They make infrastructure buildings smart & maintanance predictive. With their unique wireless and battery-less corrodec2g sensor and monitoring solution.
PROTEC BIOREACTOR: Transforms wastewater into purified water. Innovation meets team spirit. They at Protec team have decisively raised the significance of on-board toilets. Since the Protec Bioreactor for trains was invented in 1991, they have continued to innovate.
BAYERNWERK: An energy solutions provider to private households, businesses, and municipalities. These take care of customer solutions, modern and secure energy networks, electromobility, decentralized energy generation or drinking water supply and wastewater disposal.
By the way: If you’re a corporate or investor looking for exciting startups in a specific market for a potential investment or acquisition, check out our Startup Sourcing Service!
