In addition to the application option, there will also be a comprehensive search in 100 sectors in 2025. The aim is to find the pioneers in every sector and bring transformation to the entire economy more quickly.
Create the sustainability profile for your company with our research partner.
Climate change, resource scarcity and species extinction remain pressing issues, but the environment is changing: sustainability is becoming less of a priority internationally and economic uncertainties are fuelling short-term thinking. Nevertheless, the sustainable economy in Germany is driving change. Its pioneers are showing that transformation is necessary and economically viable. The challenge now is to build on these successes despite the headwinds - with bold innovations, strategic alliances and long-term perspectives.
The German Sustainability Award for Companies 2025 recognises the leading players in 100 sectors. The selection is based on the most comprehensive analysis of publicly available sustainability data to date, supplemented by applications. Experts accompany the process, while around 220 expert jurors from science, business and civil society decide on the winners.
On 4 and 5 December 2025, the 18th German Sustainability Award will bring together the leading companies in the sustainable economy at the MARITIM Hotel Düsseldorf.
On December 5, the congress will highlight industry leaders in the MasterClasses. In interactive sessions, they will present their strategies, share success factors, and engage in discussions with experts, jurors, and partners on the future of sustainable business—while also receiving their awards.
The evening will conclude with a prestigious awards ceremony, where the achievements of all 100 winners take center stage. Cross-industry special awards will be presented in five key transformation fields, recognizing outstanding contributions. CEOs, sustainability executives, scientists, and policymakers will gather to honor these pioneers and their impact on shaping a more sustainable economy.
Everything you need to know about the new methodology can be found below on this page or in detail here. Here you will find a list of all members of the expert juries 2024.
Find all sectors und industry sub pages here (available in German only).
Pioneer.
The GSA honors companies that are driving transformation in their industry. The term "pioneer" emphasizes impactful contributions rather than absolute claims, allowing for a nuanced evaluation by the jury. Instead of relying on superlatives, it shifts the focus to collective progress—creating space for different challenges and measurable successes.
100 industries.
Transformation is industry-specific. Every company and every business model is covered and assigned to a sector and an industry. The categorisation is based on core business and sales focus. The categorisation is derived from the ISIC, WZ and NACE classifications.
Application and research.
Companies no longer fill out an application form, but instead create their sustainability profile in line with the new EU reporting framework (CSRD/ESRS). There is also room for additional information for the jury. At the same time, AI-supported sustainability profiles are created for thousands of companies from all sectors by researching sustainability reports, publications, codes/indices and rankings.
Sustainability profiles.
The profiles serve as the foundation for applications and jury decisions. They are aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the EU Green Deal, and Germany’s sustainability strategy, integrating reporting obligations such as the EU Taxonomy and CSRD/ESRS. The profiles cover five transformation areas: climate, resources, nature, value chain, and society. Each profile includes industry-specific sustainability data such as company size, sector classification, sustainability narrative, key measures, CO₂e emissions (Scope 1–3), and potential controversies. This structured approach ensures a transparent and comparable evaluation.
Scoring.
The scoring system of score4more identifies the 20 to 30 leading companies driving transformation within each industry. The assessment follows a six-tier methodology, ranging from "leading" (5 points) for high impact and internal sustainability to "inactive" (0 points) for companies without measures. The overall score is determined by the average of individual evaluations. Companies can transparently disclose controversies. Researched and self-created profiles are treated equally.
Expert Juries for all Industries.
Independent expert juries select the pioneers, finalists, and winners. Appointments are based on professional expertise and balanced stakeholder representation. Each jury consists of approximately five experts from industry practice, associations, civil society, consulting, and research. Evaluations are based on jury documents, score4more scorings, publicly available materials, and the jurors’ expertise.
Decision Criteria.
Expert juries assess companies’ sustainability performance based on relevant transformation fields, score4more ratings, or their own expertise. Additional criteria include innovation (sustainable impact), scalability (leverage effect, CO₂ reduction), development dynamics (measurable progress), and long-term responsibility (sustainable value creation, social engagement). The jury takes into account different company sizes and business models to reflect the diversity within each industry.
Decision Process.
The jury conducts two voting rounds to determine the top 10 pioneers in each industry. Nominated companies have the opportunity to update their profiles, while non-participating companies are eliminated. In the second voting round, the jury selects the top 3 finalists and one winner per industry. The jury chair drafts a justification outlining key criteria such as sustainability, innovation, and impact, serving as the basis for DNP communication.
Role models of transformation.
Following the industry-specific evaluation, the GSA takes a broader view based on key transformation fields. In addition to recognizing industry pioneers, the GSA honors companies from among the industry leaders that have made particularly significant and exemplary contributions within their assigned transformation fields. Assessment partners conduct the evaluations, while the DNP corporate jury makes the final decision.
Everything you need to know about the new methodology in detail.
Read here our FAQs
By acquiring the GSA-seal, successful participants in the competition can document their top position in the field of sustainability - in the direction of customers, suppliers, the media and the financial world. The GSA-seal is a renowned external recognition, makes the pioneers recognizable and ensures a head start in the market. The GSA-seal gives consumers orientation in their search for sustainable alternatives.
The GSA's research partner for companies is the Berlin-based startup score4more. It specializes in creating differentiated sustainability profiles of companies and evaluating them, after the founders previously accompanied the GSA for more than ten years and contributed significantly to the methodological development of the company competition. From 2023, score4more will provide the digital architecture for research across all sectors and industries and the resulting company profiles.
Companies of any size, whether reporting or not, can create their profiles free of charge and thus use the platform to apply for the GSA. score4more has also developed the sector-specific scoring approach, which allows companies to be compared and rated. The GSA uses score4more's technological platform to map and evaluate thousands of companies, measures and key performance indicator values in the competition and to determine the pioneers of sustainability in Germany via transparent jury processes.
Since 2008, success in the GSA has rewarded and motivated the participating companies. Nomination, participation in the finals and the award have a powerful effect on the companies; they strengthen the sustainability managers and their teams. The successful participants also benefit from their success externally. They are intensively involved in the reporting of the GSA Foundation and its cooperation and media partners and use good results for their own press and public relations work.
