In line with the major priorities of UNIDO (limiting climate change, ending hunger, achieving gender equality and establishing sustainable supply chains), ITPO Germany supports the transfer of green and sustainable technologies made in Germany with a focus on 10 priority sectors which are stated below.
Renewable energy is produced from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, including carbon neutral sources like sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. We also consider biomass a source of renewable energy.
Technologies can encompass electricity generation, air and water heating/cooling, transportation and rural (off-grid) energy services.
An example of UNIDO ITPO Germany’s activities on renewable energy is our cooperation with the Alliance for Rural Electrification and our joint publication on Decentralized Renewable Energy Innovations to Boost Agri-Sector Productivity & Address Global Food System Challenges. The study features 15 success stories that demonstrate the huge potential of decentralized renewable energy technology solutions in developing countries and emerging economies.
(industry, buildings, transport)
Energy is the basis for economic development. While energy demand is increasing worldwide, instabilities in energy supply, limited access to energy and the increased combustion of fossil energy sources causing CO2 emissions harm sustainable economic development. Energy efficiency saves energy – mainly electricity – thanks to innovative technologies.
ITPO Germany focuses on technologies that address energy efficiency in industry, buildings and transport. According to the International Energy Agency, improved energy efficiency in buildings, industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world’s energy needs by one third until 2050. Energy-efficient technologies can help industry to use less energy for production, buildings to need less heating and transport to use less fuels. This does not only lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions but also to a cut in energy costs, thus accelerating economic activity.
ITPO Germany established a partnership with Future Cleantech Architects, a collective of economists, engineers and designers, who aim to increase the success rate of breakthrough cleantech innovations. Topics of the cooperation have included decarbonization and energy system transformation.
Sustainable agribusiness encompasses sustainable production and resource efficiency in agriculture as well as sustainability of food value chains. Many developing countries and economies in transition, particularly those with large rural communities, suffer from inadequate access to food and lack of employment. The problem is compounded by the dependence on outdated and inefficient technologies leading to poor productivity and slow economic growth. Sustainable agribusiness models and technologies are key to overcoming poverty while preventing environmental degradation. Innovative technologies can help to overcome soil contamination and water exhaustion, increase yields and secure access to food and job opportunities.
Example: An example of our activities in the sustainable agribusiness sector is the study The impact of COVID-19 on agricultural and food-processing industries, with special focus on Asian and African markets which we conducted in cooperation DLG e.V., the German Agricultural Society, and SmartHectar Innovation.
(Water / Sanitation, Wastewater, Solid Waste)
Also called clean technologies or green technologies, environmental technologies are cost-effective technologies that take into account environmental effects and energy aspects. They make better use of the latest innovations in energy, transport and materials use and provide solutions to decrease material inputs, reduce energy consumption and emissions, recover valuable by-products and minimize waste disposal issues. They enhance eco-efficiency, support the application of environmental management systems, and make production processes cleaner.
ITPO Germany especially focuses on environmental technologies in the fields of water/sanitation, wastewater and solid waste.
One environmental technology that ITPO Germany continuously supports is the WaterKiosk® of Boreal Light Ltd. Using solar-powered desalination, Boreal Lights Ltd provides access to clean drinking water even in the remotest areas.
Resource-efficient manufacturing decouples economic activities from negative environmental impacts and resource consumption. Enabling technologies decrease the use of resource and optimize their use. This includes the production process, value-added chains, processes, production plants, infrastructure, and industrial facilities. Enabling technologies thereby enhance the overall resource availability, security of resource supply and reduce energy costs.
ITPO Germany has a network of companies and technologies that developed innovative approaches for resource-efficient manufacturing and supports these companies by including them in its matchmaking activities and inviting them to fairs and events to promote their technologies and processes.
The term infrastructure encompasses basic physical and organizational structures, facilities and services such as transport, water and sanitation systems, power supplies and communication networks that a country or region needs to work effectively. Infrastructure is the backbone of a country’s or region’s economic development and prosperity.
Infrastructure is sustainable if designed, built and operated in a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable way. This requires technologies and projects to consider the carbon emissions and environmental footprints, to conserve biodiversity, to optimize the use of natural infrastructure and to be financially viable. Infrastructure is resilient if it can withstand environmental or man-made hazards and retain its basic function and structural capacity.
While large-scale infrastructure is mostly provided by the public sector, small-scale infrastructure is often provided by the private sector or through local collective action.
ITPO Germany supports companies and technology providers that develop solutions for resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
The nexus between water and sanitation as well as the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 put the health sector on the map for ITPO Germany. Promoting sustainable technologies that connect the health or sanitation sectors with our mandate of sustainable private sector cooperation have become part of ITPO Germany’s activities.
Mobility is an issue in urban and rural areas. On one hand, mobility is one of the greatest environmental challenges, as it currently harms air quality and causes emissions, urban congestion and noise. On the other hand, mobility is also a prerequisite for a functioning private sector. Innovative approaches and technologies lead to the development of clean vehicles, alternative fuels and energy-efficient modes of transport, while guaranteeing the mobility in urban, rural and remote areas.
ITPO Germany has established connections and partnerships with companies and technology providers that develop sustainable mobility solutions in developing countries and economies in transition.
Mining and the natural resources industries are central to the economies of many countries. The extraction industry further provides necessary resources for technological innovations, such as rare earth metals, cobalt or coltan. Sustainable mining and resource extraction includes the minimization of negative environmental, social and economic impacts associated with mining and processing activities while limiting extraction to rates that do not exceed the capabilities to establish new sources, to develop substitutes or to recycle any particular material.
ITPO Germany currently undertakes research on sustainable and responsible mining and mining technologies for underground, surface, placer or in-situ mining, identifying technologies that minimize the environmental impact of mining, come with lower energy expenditure and lead to the development of infrastructure in the surrounding areas.
Since 2021, the Humanitarian Sector is one of ITPO Germany’s priorities. While private sector engagement in the humanitarian context is still very low ITPO Germany promotes engagement in these untapped opportunities. Solutions by the private sector can provide long-lasting and sustainable improvements of livelihoods for the millions of refugees worldwide.
In 2022, ITPO Germany organized a delegation trip for 30 European companies to refugee settlements in Kenya and Uganda and promoted their solutions in this environment.
