Krones AG has been honoured with the German Sustainability Award, known by its German abbreviation DNP, in the "Machinery manufacturing companies" category. The recognition underscores the company's role as a technology provider to the beverage and food industry and signals expectations for the wider sector. The expert jury cited the consistency of Krones' approach, noting that the entire corporate strategy is aligned to sustainability with the explicit aim of contributing to three global challenges: avoiding plastic waste, feeding the world's population and mitigating climate change. The jury highlighted the company's pioneering role in energy-efficient machinery and systems technology that enables customers to operate more sustainably, and referenced the enviro product series, introduced more than ten years ago, as evidence of early action. In its written statement, the panel said Krones showed "early courage to embrace change." It added, "The motivation to systematically point the Krones portfolio in a sustainable direction was an intrinsic one." In this year's competition round, the organisers set out to identify the most sustainable companies across 100 industries based on the most comprehensive analysis to date of publicly available sustainability data, with winners selected by an independent jury of around 240 specialists from science, business and civil society. Krones prevailed as an industry leader in a two-stage process.
Scope and methodology of the award
The DNP is regarded as one of Europe's most prestigious sustainability awards. Its stated aim is to make the "beacons of transformation" visible and provide effective impetus for a future-oriented economy. This edition introduced a cross-industry comparison spanning 100 sectors, using extensive analysis of public sustainability disclosures to shortlist candidates. Final decisions were taken by an independent jury comprising experts from science, business and civil society.
Ceremony and recent track record
The official prize-giving will take place on 5 December 2025 during the German Sustainability Congress in Düsseldorf. Krones will be represented by, among others, Martina Birk, Head of Sustainability, who emphasised the value of dialogue and cooperation: "Sustainability is always a collective effort, across society as a whole. The more people and organisations pull together, the more we learn from each other and inspire one another, the faster we move towards our goal: creating a liveable future for ourselves and generations to come." The company had already been shortlisted for the German Sustainability Award for the third consecutive year, being among the three finalists in the category in both 2023 and 2024. In 2024, the group's subsidiary Steinecker GmbH received a DNP distinction in the Products category, transformation field Climate, for Phoenix BMC, a concept for biomass conversion.
