The Hessian state government supports companies that want to operate in a more climate-friendly and resource-saving manner. For this purpose, funding programs will start in 2023, for which funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) can be used, said Economics Minister Tarek Al-Wazir (Greens) of the German Press Agency in Wiesbaden.

"Everywhere people are looking for ways to use less energy, to replace rare resources, to avoid greenhouse gases," explained the Green politician. "Hesse's companies have what it takes to play at the forefront here - not only the large, but also the many medium-sized companies."

Al-Wazir named the PIUS program (production-integrated environmental protection) as an example of funding from ERDF funds. Small and medium-sized companies are supported to get by with fewer resources such as energy and materials and thus become more competitive. 20 million euros are available for the new funding period, which should be enough for around 100 projects.

The Economics Minister reported that 19 project outlines and applications for the program had already been received. A medium-sized company in the metal industry, for example, is planning a radical reorganization of production: Away from the classic milling of workpieces out of a metal block, with a large part of the material being lost. Instead, there should be additive manufacturing based on the model of 3D printing, which only uses as much material as necessary and also allows completely new shapes.