The European Environment Award was established in 1987 and is sponsored by the European Commission. It has since been awarded biennially in five categories. Winners in the past were mainly “green technologies”—e.g., recycling, renewable energy including biofuels, etc.

For this year’s awards, 16 finalists were selected from 152 submissions, originating from 22 European Member States and candidate countries. Prerequisite for participation is winning the relevant national environmental award. This year’s entries are a number of fields, including healthcare, financial services, food and drink, as well as the automotive sectors. The highest number of entries was in the product and services category.

The award submissions showcased companies’ contribution to resource efficiency in five categories: Product and Services with 50 entries; Process with 49 entries; Management with 38 entries; International Business Cooperation with 15 entries; and Business and Biodiversity with 33 entries. Daimler was awarded the Environmental Award in the Process category with the company Gebr. Heller Machinenfabrik GmbH.

In 2013, Daimler and Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH received the Germany Innovation Award for Climate and Environment, which was a prerequisite to participate on the European level.

Heller, a manufacturer of machine tools and complete production lines, developed all stages of the NANOSLIDE process into a global application for mass production and industrialization. Heller integrates the process, including the process steps for preparation and review, not only in the process-chain during engine production, but also ensures high quality process and reliability.