Valuable contribution to resource management: Audi Environmental Foundation honors young scientists

Digitization, sustainability and urbanization are the three megatrends of our time, and with its ecological focus, the Audi Environmental Foundation particularly promotes the aspect of sustainability. “With the SRM Award, we are actively supporting the promotion of the responsible use of resources, because sustainable resource efficiency is becoming increasingly important for industrial production,” stated Dr. Rüdiger Recknagel, Chief Executive of the Audi Environmental Foundation. “The two scientists’ results deliver important findings for environmentally compatible technologies of the future, and can be transferred into companies’ climate-protection strategies.”

Anne‑Katrin Kleih from Wiesbaden is a research assistant and doctoral student in the department for horticulture and economics at the University of Geisenheim. She examined the current situation concerning knowledge of the CO2 footprint of production and processes in the German construction equipment industry. This CO2 footprint is regarded as a key factor for climate protection. She also assessed the attitude of persons involved in the industry. Her thesis constitutes a database for the further development of companies’ ecological purchasing decisions. Kleih also pointed out the potential for producing construction equipment with a lower carbon footprint.

The second prizewinner is Australian‑born Veda Sara Sayakoummane. She examined ways for the private sector to contribute towards the more efficient and more sustainable development of hydroelectric projects. She refers to the controversial debate about the planned expansion of hydropower as a source of energy in Laos, and provides an insight into a complex subject that is relevant for the entire development of Southeast Asia. This knowledge lays the foundation for a constructive discourse between private-sector project sponsors, governmental departments and other involved parties.