Three days of inspiration, networking and future-oriented ideas: The sixth edition of Greentech festivals brought changemakers from all over the world together on the Messe Berlin site from May 15th to 17th, 2024. Under the motto "Accelerating Change from Berlin", the sustainability event welcomed a total of over 14.000 visitors, 200 exhibitors and 350 speakers.
This year, the event once again offered a platform for companies, innovators and political stakeholders to present and discuss disruptive technologies, approaches and solutions for a greener future.
"Berlin is not only a unique city, but a symbol of change, courage and progress. The diversity and feedback from everyone involved this year has clearly shown this, which makes me very proud."- Marco Voigt, co-founder of the Greentech Festival
Award for visionary ideas
The Green Awards, presented by Audi, kicked off on May 15th, honoring pioneers in the area of sustainability. Co-founders Marco Voigt and Nico Rosberg welcomed around 800 invited guests, including many prominent faces from sports, culture, media and business. This year's winners celebrated their achievements, paving the way for a more sustainable world.
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In the “Pioneer” category, Sublime Systems from the USA prevailed against the competition. Founded by Leah Ellis and Yet-Ming Chiang, the company's mission is to transform the global CO2 emissions by decarbonizing cement. Sublime Systems' innovative technology uses electrochemical processes to extract calcium and silicates from existing raw materials. In this way, the usual CO2 emissions from the chemical reaction and heating can be avoided during cement production.
The winner in the “Milestone” category was Asterra. Lauren Guy and Elly Perets' company has been using satellite radar and advanced algorithms to monitor infrastructure from space since 2013. The technology detects moisture and leaks in underground installations, such as water pipes. It enables quick and efficient analysis of large areas without surface contact and provides important data on the condition of the infrastructure.
Fatou Jeng took home the Green Award in the “Youngster” category. The experienced climate activist is currently serving as one of the youth climate advisors to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. She also founded the youth-led NGO Clean Earth Gambia. This has already been able to mobilize over 3.000 young Gambians for environmental protection. The organization works closely with the government and partners such as UNICEF and has planted over 35.000 trees to date.
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Special honor for Arizona Muse and Dr. Mamphela Ramphele
Honorary awards for the 2024 Green Awards went to Arizona Muse and Dr. Mamphela Ramphele. Model and environmental activist Arizona Muse received the Inspirational Achievement Award. Through her own charity Dirt and collaborations with Greenpeace and various UN organizations, the American has initiated positive change in the fashion industry and has become a leading voice for sustainability in textile production.
The world-renowned activist Dr. Mamphela Ramphele received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for her extraordinary commitment. Whether as co-founder of the Black Consciousness Movement, managing director of the World Bank, co-founder of ReimagineSA, managing director of the Club of Rome or as a member of the Planetary Guardians: Dr. Ramphele inspires and motivates people around the world to work for greater social justice and a more sustainable future.
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Symposiums on AI and a more efficient industry
At the two-day Greentech Festival conference, over 350 renowned speakers from business, politics and society provided exciting insights on topics such as artificial intelligence, circular economy, mobility, sustainable buildings, food and agriculture as well as media and culture. One focus was on the potential of AI for a more efficient and greener industry. At the same time, speakers such as Prof. Maja Göpel and Dr. Mamphela Ramphele said technology alone is not enough. Rather, the focus must also be on solving complex social challenges and a fair distribution of green opportunities - not least in developing countries.
Other speakers included business personalities such as Sandrine Dixson-Declève, co-president of The Club of Rome; Adam Elman, Head of Sustainability, EMEA at Google; and Dirk Voeste, CSO of the Volkswagen Group. Green Award winners Arizona Muse and Fatou Jeng also spoke on the conference stages. In addition, top politicians such as Christian Lindner, Volker Wissing, Ricarda Lang and Daniel Günther gave insights into their work and presented various measures for a sustainable future in Germany and beyond.
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Greentech Festival 2024 shows new green solutions
But interesting insights were not only offered on stage, the Greentech Festival Exhibition also impressed with lots of innovations and new products. In addition to large corporations such as Audi, Vodafone, E.ON and Deutsche Bahn, numerous start-ups and medium-sized companies also presented their sustainable solutions.
Particular highlights were the first commercial hydrogen aircraft from APUS, the highly absorbent noise barrier “MetaWindow” from Deutsche Bahn and the innovative magnetic levitation system from Max Bögl. In addition, the newly introduced Start-up Land platform offered young companies a stage to present themselves and attract investors for their green ideas.
"The Greentech Festival not only sets new standards for sustainable innovations and ideas, but also creates an inspiring platform that offers pioneers and visionaries space for groundbreaking solutions."- Nico Rosberg, Co-Founder GTF and sustainability & VC entrepreneur
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Creating the Change together – interactive supporting program and networking
In addition to innovations and visions, the Greentech Festival 2024 also focused on connections. It offered visitors a unique festival experience with music, sport and networking. The highlights included the E.ON New Energy Cup, an indoor soccer tournament to coincide with the upcoming European Football Championship, as well as performances by artists such as Kamrad and Luna Morgenstern.
A newly introduced app also made it easier to network the over 14.000 participants on site. In addition, visitors with a conference pass were able to deepen their specialist knowledge through special guided tours, networking hours and deep dives.
Outlook for a sustainable future
At the opening ceremony, the founders Nico Rosberg and Marco Voigt gave an outlook on the future direction of the Greentech Festival as a global platform for sustainability. The following offers and collaborations are intended to further strengthen the community and promote sustainable transformation in the future:
- Partnership with the Tomorrow University for innovative further training offers
- "Sustainability Campus" with the Handelsblatt for corporate training
- Integration of a recruiting platform for the sustainability sector
- Launch of the GTF Club as a membership network
- Global expansion through a licensing model for international editions
The next Greentech Festival in Berlin will take place from June 4th to 6th, 2025. As early as 2024, there will be a branch under the name “GTF Connect” in London (September 4th-5th), Los Angeles (November 14th-15th) and Singapore, for which the date has yet to be announced.
