Welcome / Shaping the Region Together – Towards a Leading Hub for Green Technologies
Get Ready: The Rhine-Neckar region is taking on the ambitious challenge of transitioning towards climate neutrality and sustainability. That’s why we founded the Green Industry Cluster – our mission is to bring together companies, start-ups, and research institutions to work towards a greener future with trust and collaboration.
Innovation Meets Sustainability:
The Green Industry Cluster
The future is coming – be part of it! We support you in developing and commercializing sustainable products and processes that protect our planet. The Green Industry Cluster is open to everyone committed to driving climate neutrality and sustainability. By joining forces, we can leverage expertise and create real impact.
Because success doesn’t happen on its own!
‘With the Green Industry Cluster, we are creating a strong network that will establish the Rhine-Neckar region as a leading region for green tech and sustainable industries.’
Christiane Ram, Chairwoman of the Board
Connecting Economy and Ecology:
Value for Members and Partners
The Green Industry Cluster aims to establish the region as a leading hub for green technologies. By supporting innovation projects and new value creation, we enable local companies to seize opportunities in the sustainability sector and grow successfully with green technologies.
To achieve this, we provide the right infrastructure and a strong network, bringing together expertise from business, administration, and research. Our cluster fosters collaboration and actively supports its members in turning ideas into reality.
Interview with Anna Schmidt,
Managing Director of the Green Industry Cluster e.V.
Anna, could you please briefly explain what the Green Industry Cluster is?
‘With pleasure! The Green Industry Cluster is a network of companies, research institutions and start-ups that has set itself the goal of promoting sustainable development in industry.’
Latest news from the Green Industry Cluster
About our members:
The task of the Department for Economic and Structural Development is to support Mannheim’s companies and to strengthen the innovative factors of Mannheim as a business location. The Economic Development Agency sees itself as a caretaker and guide for companies, tradespeople, investors, retailers, start-ups, the self-employed and scientific institutions. It provides impetus for the economic interests of urban development and is active in the implementation of business-related projects.
‘By founding the Green Industry Cluster e.V., we are pooling our strengths with the aim of creating a leading region for green technology of the future. Together, we want to make a decisive contribution to the transformation of the regional economy towards climate and environmentally friendly value creation.’
Christian Specht, Oberbürgermeister
As a municipal subsidiary, NEXT MANNHEIM is the city’s innovation and start-up platform. As the operator of eight start-up centers, NEXT MANNHEIM supports start-ups in the fields of tech, medtech, cultural and creative industries as well as female entrepreneurship – from idea to scaling.
A strategic focus here is also on the future market of greentech, which has enormous economic potential and is crucial for climate and environmental protection. The move of the IZ Green Tech into MAFINEX will create a new hub for sustainable innovations. In future, green tech start-ups, research and collaborative projects as well as small and medium-sized enterprises will work there on solutions for a greener future.
“With the IZ Green Tech in MAFINEX, we are specifically strengthening the development and market launch of climate-relevant technologies and thus actively contributing to making Mannheim a visible hotspot for sustainable innovations”
Christian Sommer, Geschäftsführer von NEXT MANNHEIM
FRENVI – short for FRiendly ENVIronment – is a German-Indian start-up founded in Germany in 2019. FRENVI’s patented, edible cutlery products EATlery® replace conventional plastic cutlery and help to reduce plastic waste. FRENVI is also researching waste reduction through upcycling and valorisation of biological waste materials. The CTC3DF process developed and patented by FRENVI enables the production of 3D-moulded and break-resistant materials from a wide variety of heterogeneous and highly moist primary and secondary waste materials.
‘For us, the cluster is a platform for shaping things together: We want to help drive forward the sustainable economic development of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.’
Stefan Beyerle, COO
The Technische Hochschule Mannheim is a research-oriented university of applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg that is characterized by practice-oriented teaching and research. With its 5,200 students, 173 professors and 400 employees, its special potential lies in its profile with interfaces between information and engineering sciences, social sciences, design (communication design) and business. Modern laboratories and close contacts with regional companies provide students with a practical and future-oriented education.
“We attach particular importance to application-oriented training, close cooperation with industry and international networking.”
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Mathias Hafner, Prorektor für Forschung, Technologietransfer und Internationalisierung
With its sugar, special products, starch and fruit segments, Südzucker Group is a global player in the food industry. With its CropEnergies (CE) segment, it is the leading European producer of renewable ethanol for fuels, beverages, food and cosmetics. In addition, a subsidiary for the production and marketing of bio-based chemicals was founded in 2024. Networking and cooperation – with universities, start-ups and other companies – are essential for Südzucker on the path to defossilization and have been promoted for some time.
‘We experience time and again how surprised our counterparts are when they realise how many areas we have experience and expertise in.’
Dr. Kraus, Director Corporate Communication and Board Member of the Green Industry Cluster e.V.
We are Green Industry Cluster
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