From an EcoVadis Bronze Medal in sustainability to the Winthrop-Sears Medal, these accolades show how companies are continuing to strive for improved sustainability and reduced carbon emissions. Read more about these award-winning companies and individuals below.
Busch, HRS Win EcoVadis Bronze Medal for Sustainability
Dr.-Ing. K. Busch GmbH, a part of the global Busch Group, and HRS Heat Exchangers recently earned the EcoVadis bronze medal for their commitment to sustainability.
This is both companies' first year being audited and earning a rating from EcoVadis.
“This medal is an important milestone and shows that we are on the right track. We will continue to step up our efforts to become more sustainable in all areas of the company,” said Roland Zundl, managing director of Dr.-Ing. K. Busch GmbH.
“Receiving a Bronze medal in such a short time frame to pull everything together is a fantastic achievement and gives us a solid foundation to build on as we look to improve our performance in the future. I’d also like to thank all our staff and colleagues around the globe who helped make this happen,” said Matt Hale, HRS global key account director.
EcoVadis has been evaluating companies on various sustainability criteria since 2007, including environmental impact, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable sourcing. More than 130,000 companies from over 180 countries have been surveyed. The two companies now rank in the top 35% of organizations in terms of EcoVadis sustainability ratings.
KBC Awarded ERTC Transition Solution of the Year
KBC (A Yokogawa Company) has been awarded the Energy Transition Solution of the Year Award by the European Refining Technology Conference (ERTC) for its leadership in advancing decarbonization in European refining. Presented at the ERTC Industry Awards, this achievement celebrates KBC's collaboration with Galp on a transformative decarbonization roadmap for the Galp Sines Refinery.
Building on Galp's sustainability initiatives started in 2017, KBC evaluated and prioritized over 100 energy efficiency and CO2 reduction opportunities. Its roadmap assessed the refinery's configuration and explored the impact of technologies such as carbon capture, green electricity, green and blue hydrogen, and electrification.
This strategic partnership has charted a course to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions by at least 30%. The initiative shows how collaboration can significantly reduce emissions while maintaining operational excellence and economic viability, said KBC in a press statement.
The ERTC Industry Awards, organized by the World Refining Association, recognize achievements that bridge traditional refining practices with technologies that foster sustainable transformation.
LyondellBasell’s Yvonne van der Laan Awarded 2024 Winthrop-Sears Medal
LyondellBasell announced that Yvonne van der Laan, executive vice president of circular and low carbon solutions (CLCS), has been awarded the Winthrop-Sears medal by The Chemists' Club. Established in 1970, the Winthrop-Sears medal recognizes individuals whose entrepreneurial achievements have contributed to the vitality of the chemical industry and the betterment of humanity.
Van der Laan, a seasoned industry leader, leads initiatives that are transforming the plastics industry by advancing recycling technologies and reducing carbon emissions. Her work is instrumental in driving LyondellBasell’s ambitious goal of producing and marketing 2 million tons of recycled and renewable-based polymers by 2030.
With over twenty years of experience in commercial and business leadership, including roles at the Port of Rotterdam, SABIC and DSM, van der Laan has consistently championed innovative approaches to sustainability. At LyondellBasell, she and her team have developed MoReTec, the company’s first commercial-scale advanced recycling plant in Germany that converts post-use plastics into valuable feedstock. The plant in Wesseling is expected to start operations in 2026.
INNIO Group Wins Award for its Hydrogen CHP Plant
COGEN Europe awarded INNIO Group and RAG Austria AG with its Recognition Award in the Technology and Innovation category for their joint work on a 1 MW-class hydrogen combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
Powered by green hydrogen, INNIO Group collaborated with RAG Austria AG to develop this project and operate the hydrogen engine during the summer. At RAG Austria’s site, green hydrogen is produced in summer through water electrolysis from surplus renewable production and stored in underground hydrogen storage in a porous reservoir in Rubensdorf near Gampern, Austria. This storage facility can hold up to 4.2 GWh of surplus solar power in the form of hydrogen. To make this hydrogen usable in winter, RAG Austria selected INNIO Group’s Jenbacher technology to convert it back to electricity and heat for the site’s local requirements.
The project helped solve one of the central challenges of the energy transition: the seasonal storage of surplus renewable electric power from the summer months for the energy-intensive winter. The Jenbacher CHP plant’s upscaling and gradual replacement of natural gas with hydrogen also serves as a blueprint for the transition to net zero, said INNIO Group in a press statement.
COGEN Europe, the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration, works with EU institutions and stakeholders to shape better policies and eliminate administrative, regulatory and market barriers to the wider use of cogeneration in Europe. ⊕
