Wacker launches sustainability award
Wacker has established a sustainability prize that will be awarded annually to projects implementing the Group’s sustainability goals.
The EUR 10,000 Wacker Net Zero Award was presented for the first time at this year’s Group Sustainability Conference in Munich. “Almost a year ago, Wacker set itself very ambitious sustainability goals, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our own products and processes and further minimizing resource consumption,” explained Christian Hartel, president & CEO of Wacker Chemie AG.
“Since then, many small- and large-scale projects have been initiated within the Group. To honour and promote this commitment, the company decided to confer the Wacker Net Zero Award this year and in the years to come. This is our way of recognising outstanding projects that reduce our company’s environmental footprint.”
Award-winning process
This year’s prize goes to a project team comprising Martin Steuer from the methyl chloride synthesis/hydrolysis plant at the Nünchritz site, Sebastian Kröner from Process Development at Central Engineering in Burghausen, and Konrad Mautner from Wacker Silicones Technology Management. The winners developed a process with which a high percentage of organosilicon byproducts from hydrolysis of chlorosilanes is returned into the integrated production system in a targeted manner. The hydrolysis of chlorosilane is part of the upstream process, which starts out from metallurgical silicon to produce the intermediates chlorosilane and siloxane and ultimately to obtain the downstream product silicone.
