It’s an employee’s world and we’re all just living in it. With tech jobs on the increase and the pool of qualified developers decreasing, individual developers can afford to get choosy about the company they want to work for. That means that when you’re hunting for your next great role, you can consider not just traditional factors like career development, salary, and location, but also important elements like work culture and values.
So if the climate emergency is on your mind, why not make it part of your work, too? If sustainability and climate action are important to you, there are a lot of ‘green’ German startups who offer a way to translate that value into action. A green startup offers products and services which make a concrete contribution to environmental and climate protection… and there are lots of them! In fact, in 2020 the Borderstep Institute found that 21% of startups in Germany can be classified as green. That number is only growing.
There are many great reasons to work for a green startup. Alongside the alignment between work and values, as well as creating social and ecological impact, green startups are, of course, growth- and profit-orientated! And they also create an enticing workplace. The Borderstep Institute found that:
The business climate has higher expectations for green startups vs non-green ones, and much higher than in the established industry.
Green startups place more importance on the advancement and participation of their employees.
They also have a higher rate of female founders.
Ready to dive into the world of green startups for your next job opportunity? Here are ten companies doing incredible work for the environment and the climate, which also offer a wonderful place to work.
tado°
Did you know that around 30% of global energy consumption is used for buildings’ heating, cooling, and hot water? Tado is a Munich-based startup that offers intelligent home climate management. They make Smart Thermostats for heating and cooling systems, focusing on software and services which save energy—great for their customers and the environment. They’re also moving into the field of renewable energy, making it an exciting time to join the team.
Tier Mobility
Berlin-based unicorn Tier Mobility has sustainability at the heart of its product. The company is aiming to ‘change mobility for good’, renting e-scooters, e-bikes, and e-mopeds all via its app. This has a great impact on the environment by reducing transport carbon emissions and offering sustainable and innovative ways to improve urban travel. In addition, Tier Mobility was the first micro-mobility company to commit to being fully climate-neutral—a goal it achieved in 2020.
Klima
Klima is an app which offers individual people the chance to fight climate change on their terms. 72% of CO2 emissions are addressable by consumer behavior: Klima encourages individual action to take on this massive amount of emissions and fight against global warming. Uniting NGO and startup worlds with their mission-driven company, Klima has already had a huge impact, with 100.000 tons of CO2 emissions neutralized.
Ecolytiq
Fintech meets greentech in Ecolytiq, an all-in-one solution for sustainable banking. Ecolytiq partners with banks and other financial institutions to provide digital infrastructure for green finance. Offering ‘Sustainability-as-a-Service’ as a new take on SaaS, the startup is already working with VISA, Rabobank, and more. The software provides its users with the chance to see environmental impact calculations, behavioral change options, and footprint offsetting tools, among others.
Carbmee
Zooming out to show companies the whole picture, Carbmee is a carbon management solution that offers companies the opportunity to manage carbon emission reductions across their value chain. The Berlin-based startup has a vision of achieving a net-zero future by 2050, making their work an ambitious strand of a sustainable future. The company was founded in 2021, meaning that they’re young enough that new employees can make a big impact on future strategy and direction.
Faircations
Want to enjoy a holiday without a side of guilt? You’re not alone, with a study from market researcher Reiseanalyse reporting that 60% of holidaymakers would like to travel sustainably if they could. Enter Faircations, a startup founded by an ex-manager at Thomas Cook, which offers a travel platform with green intentions. For each flight, Faircations also offers the chance to buy direct CO2 compensation, and they list hotels that are certified for high energy efficiency or provide guaranteed fair wages.
GOT BAG
Have a soft spot in your heart for e-commerce? Sentimental about sea life? We’ve got the startup for you. GOT BAG collects plastic from the ocean, recycles it, and turns it into extremely cool backpacks. 79% of newly produced plastic ends up in the ocean, where it destroys marine habitats and kills sealife, so GOT BAG has made it their mission to transform dangerous waste into sustainable fashion. They also take preventative action to collect improperly managed plastic waste and keep it from ending up in the ocean, as well as collaborating with scientists to recycle more types of plastic and explore new clean-up opportunities.
ecoworks
Named one of the world’s most important startups combating the climate crisis by 50 to Watch, ecoworks is a prop-tech startup that works in the field of carbon-neutral renovations and clean energy. Based in Berlin, ecoworks has been scoring plenty of goals, with awards like the Perpetuum Energy Efficiency Prize 2019 and the PropTech Innovation Prize 2020 (smart and sustainable buildings). The company is expanding quickly, with an eye on the five million residential units built before 1978 which require modernisation in Germany alone.
Solytic
Having just raised €2 million in funding, Solytic is proving that sustainability and growth can go hand in hand. The Berlin-based startup wants to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) installations, leading to the production of more clean energy. It works with international brands including Kostal and Vaillant to simplify the use of renewable resources and enable everyone to contribute to the energy transition.
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Ready to go green?
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