In the competition ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR, 7 enterprises participated in three categories.
The winner of the environment-friendly product or service category of the competition was Rexest Grupp OÜ. The company found a solution for the use of mixed plastic piled up in landfills – by implementing an innovative technology they produce weather-proof and durable plastic profile Plastrex. The main goal of the company and the launch of PLASTREX line is to reduce the production of waste in Estonia and recycle plastic waste. PLASTREX is manufactured of 100% mixed plastic, i.e. household plastic packaging, and the product itself is fully recyclable.
Besides the winner, three excellent companies were acknowledged in the category of environment-friendly product or service:
The non-profit organization MTÜ Uuskasutus, which puts a large amount of used things back into circulation every year and, by doing so, contributes to making the consuming habits of people more nature-friendly. The organization also donates things to craftsmen and families in need. A certain amount of investments is made to promote sustainable consumption.
OÜ Nordic Bioproducts, the producer of natural and eco-friendly home cleaning products line Biominerata. As a proof, the product line has been awarded Ecocert certification.
OÜ Sense, which designs and constructs energy efficient buildings that, in addition to being energy-saving and nature-friendly, excel in providing high-quality living environment. The company is about to finish the construction of the first passive house in Estonia which is about to be certified and the energy consumption of which is less or equal to 15 kWh/m2 per year.
In a very tight competition in the category of environment-friendly production process, the winner’s title was given to OÜ Aravete Biogaas, which was the first company in Estonia to construct and use the combined heat and power station of the capacity of 2 MW electricity and 2 MW heat which based on the fermentation process of solid and liquid manure of bovine animals. The benefit from the process is diverse: the re-use of agricultural waste allows producing electric and thermal power and high-quality manure for fields. As a result, the pollution load on nitrate-sensitive areas will be reduced and local people will not have to suffer from unpleasant smells any more.
In the category of environment-friendly production process, the jury also recognized Tallinna Vesi AS, which, considering local circumstances, has taken its waste water treatment process to maximum efficiency. The company developed an innovative biofilter that increases the release of nitrates from waste water, thereby significantly contributing to the improvement of the status of the Baltic Sea. The development of the biofilter is a unique environmental project in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe in terms of both the amount of investments and complexity. The goal was to improve the efficiency of the process of denitrification in order to reduce the amount of nitrates (NO3) in output.