D – The Bielefeld-based promotional bag manufacturer, Halfar, has been awarded the Ecoprofit certification again. The programme – known in Germany as Ökoprofit – runs under the motto “Writing black figures with green ideas” and has been financially supported by North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport since the year 2000. The municipalities coordinate the implementation at local level – in Bielefeld since 2003. To commemorate this 20th anniversary NRW’s Minister for the Environment, Oliver Krischer (The Greens) came personally to hand the certificates over to the 14 participating companies for the year 2022/23. The official ceremony took place at the premises of Halfar in Bielefeld on May 10, 2023.
Mayor Karin Schrader and NRW Minister for the Environment, Oliver Krischer, congratulating Armin Halfar on the recertification (f.t.r.).
Armin Halfar and Kathrin Stühmeyer-Halfar are proud of the Ecoprofit certificate.
The Minister presented the certificate to the Managing Director, Armin Halfar. In her speech, the co-Managing Director, Kathrin Stühmeyer-Halfar, reported about the experiences her company has made with Ecoprofit and she thanked Elmar Stevens from the Bundesdeutschen Arbeitskreis für umweltbewusstes Management (B.A.U.M./the German Environmental Management Association e.V.), who audited and advised the participating companies in the scope of the programme, for his thorough assessments and valuable advice.
Minister Krischer said: “If Ecoprofit didn’t exist, it would have to be invented.” He emphasised the innovative character of the project at the start of the millennium. He stated that Ecoprofit is successful because of its efficiency in relation to the subsidies the state invests compared to the savings of 96 million Euros the participating companies make across the whole of NRW. The Ecoprofit companies in Bielefeld alone save 537 m³ of water, 39 t of waste and around 980,000 kWh of electricity annually. Karin Schrader (SPD), Deputy Mayor of the City of Bielefeld, emphasised the pioneer role the city plays in the Ecoprofit programme. Over 150 companies from the region have taken part over the past 20 years. The certified companies from a wide range of branches will continue the joint exchange in the local Ecoprofit club.
www.halfar.com
www.umwelt.nrw.de
