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GREENTECH FESTIVAL 2022

© Drees & Sommer

What do vegan eggs, a futuristic train and recyclable concrete have in common? These and many other innovations were there to discover at the Greentech Festival in Berlin from 22 to 24 June. 

From inspiration in the areas of food, clothing, mobility, construction and living through cosmetics up to digital services – as far as the eye could see, innovators brought their vision of a green future to the world on the site of the former Berlin Tegel Airport. 

Centerpiece: the Urban Sustainability Hub powered by Drees & Sommer, a joint booth of 17 (!) partner companies. The full range of solutions for sustainable urban development, real estate and climate-compatible construction of the future was on display, for people to experience and touch. After all, the construction and real estate industry in particular has some catching up to do: as one of the biggest contributors to climate change, a rethink is certainly needed. What there was to experience at the Urban Sustainability Hub is available for you to find out here. 

What other innovations caught the eye of our colleagues at the festival? Our editor Leni and the event team visited the event and will present you their personal highlights in this blog article: 

Whether vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian: the Veganz stand had the potential to inspire all of them. Why? In addition to vegan cheese, which definitely emulates the taste of cheese, there was egg, which is likewise made from purely plant-based ingredients. Sounds crazy, but the taste is definitely very close to the original. How is it done? The secret lies in the sulfur compounds that it contains. 

Seafood fans can also look forward to a vegan alternative in the future, because Shrymps from Happy Ocean are also 100 percent plant-based. The taste is absolutely comparable to the original, and they additionally provide protein power and Omega 3.

 

Fashionistas also had plenty to see at the Greentech Festival, because a number of fashion labels presented sustainable fabrics and collections. staiy., Pure Waste and CLOTHESfriends, to name but a few. The innovative cooling clothing from E.COOLINE was especially in demand due to the high temperatures at the festival. From vests to baseball caps and bed covers, the market leader in Germany and other European countries delivers smart cooling textiles that surely have the potential to be crowned ‘Summer Must-Have 2022’. 

Our colleagues were likewise positively surprised at the cosmetics. Did you know, for example, that there is an online store where cosmetic products from the umbrella brand L'Oréal can be purchased at a large discount, because the company otherwise disposes of these old designs and product lines? No? This way, please. 

Future Stories also exhibited a vegan powder that can be used to make sustainable shampoos and shower gels by adding water. The matching containers and dispensers round off the environmentally aware product range. 

With regard to producing: there was also no shortage of creativity at the festival. At the About you stand, visitors were able to design their own batik socks, for example. Jewelry lovers also had the opportunity to thread their own bead necklaces. A magnet for women, you might think – yet the stand was also especially popular with men and dads wanting to create something suitable for their loved ones. 

There was just as much to discover in the mobility section. This ranges from the ‘IdeasTrainCity’ of the German railway company (Deutsche Bahn AG), which is equipped with modular and flexible seating, to eROCKIT. It combines eBike, motorcycle and bicycle, definitely impressive with speeds of up to 90 km per hour. 

 

Big players (Audi, Nespresso and some others) also took part, of course, raising the question ‘How sustainable is all this really?’ among many a critic. We believe that it is important to make a start, and get the issue of sustainability on the market with different business models. We must nevertheless also be aware that this is a process, so it cannot be achieved overnight. It is only by pulling together that we could change something. 

Our conclusion: inspiration, entrepreneurial spirit and lots of surprises made the Greentech Festival 2022 a cool event with festival character, raising our awareness even more towards the future. Greentech Festival 2023, we will be back! 

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