Sustainable development in the field of environmental technology means farsighted, preventive protection of fundamental principles of life and environmental protection integrated into products and production. Therefore, the decisive step is to leave "end-of-the-pipe-technologies", which are decreasing environmental impacts only by after-caring technologies in favour of integrated environmental protection that aims at the optimisation of procedures and at the minimisation of raw materials and energy application, avoidance and decrease of emissions and waste in the proceeds as well as the re-utilisation of waste in production or energy production. This is not only more efficient in ecological respect, but also in the long-term by lowering the consumption of resources and of production costs even under economic viewpoints. However, necessary are at first process-technical innovations and product innovations, for which time- and cost-intensive preliminary development and research is essential.

As one example the DBU has promoted the development and application of organic metals as an innovative material. The Ormecon Chemie GmbH & Co. KG from Ammersbeck near Hamburg uses polyaniline as a new form of dispersion lacquers. Repair cycles of structural steelworks can be substantially extended whereas the high corrosion costs will drop down. The extended life span of the products, the back-up of polluting pre-treatment procedures and the decrease of the painting expenditure are valuable contributions to environmental protection. A further important application range of the innovative Ormecon polyaniline dispersions is the circuit board manufacturing for electrical devices. After their production circuit boards must be solderable at least for 1 year. At present the conductive strips are usually coated with a melted tin/lead alloy (hot-air-levelling). The world-wide consumption of these alloys amounts to annually roughly 750 tons. After a pre-treatment of the conductive strips' copper with a polyaniline dispersion any losses are practically completely avoided, leading to a tin reduction of around 95%. In addition another substantial energy reduction results of melting the tin/lead alloy. At present this new technology has been already introduced to circuit board factories all around the world. This example shows that product development with new materials often leads to enormous rises in technological efficiency.

Jet printing ink systems for industrial use are subject of a project of Simaco GmbH from Burgbrohl near Bonn. So far these colours have been predominantly manufactured on a solvent base and traded in one-way containers. Those latter ones and other residual substances are special waste and have to be disposed off accordingly. The new multi-path tank system triples the life cycle of one-way containers from 600 to 1800 operation hours. Since an eco-compatible cleaning of multi-path containers has been difficulty, Simaco also developed easily removable jet printing inks on water base. The rinse water even can be used after re-processing for the production of new colours: a cycle process of colours and containers could be established.

The META Motoren- und Energietechnik from Herzogenrath near Aachen developed a new steering for petrol engines which can lead to a decrease in gasoline consumption up to 20%. More than 20% of the German CO2-Emissions as well as about 60% of the nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions are emitted in the traffic sector, and also with rising tendency about 30% of all final energy consumption in Germany. Accordingly all efforts must consider the traffic sector when discussing environmental and climatic protection. While on a long-term basis completely new vehicle drives are discussed, the optimisation of available drives is a current challenge regarding consumption and emission reduction. Here META combines a mechanically operating and variable steering of the intake valves with the possibility of connecting or switching off any individual cylinder of the engine depending on the required road performance thereby clearly optimising the energy transformation. Significantly smaller fuel consumption and emissions are achieved. Thus the fuel consumption was reduced for example in the no-load operation by approximately 44%, in partial load up to 23%. The new technology is suitable as total system or as partial solution for small vehicles with low consumption as well as for the central and upper class motorization with a focus on comfort and drive power.

Within many industrial areas, for example in coal-fired power stations or in the steel industry, substantial masses of residual substances occur. The Ingenieurgesellschaft Verfahrens- und Umwelttechnik für komplexe Recyclinglösungen IVU mbH, Erfurt, developed in a pilot project solutions for the utilisation of such residual substances. The entire procedure consists of a sludge drying, the production of pellets to the recuperation of metals and the production of binders from power station filter ashes. Desulphurization additives for the flue gas purification of coal-fired power stations can be manufactured. The limes contained in the flying ashes are activated whilst serving again for a desulphurisation. Thus the natural substance lime and substantial costs are saved, the efficiency of the flue gas purification increases and polluting lime preparation technology is omitted. Filter types of dust from the steel industry contain extremely hard quicklime, which prevented in the past the production from pellets for re-melting of metals. The IVU developed an industrially applicable pellet manufacturing procedure upon upstream cooling and reaction flow, leading to form-stable and compact parts, supplied to an immediate utilisation for the recycling of iron. The procedure is waste-water and waste free. Meanwhile 4 industrial systems were implemented.

The city of Ostritz St. Marienthal in East-Saxonia essentially changed its power supply after being promoted by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt for an innovative concept of local heating based on biomass. An almost complete supply by regenerative energies is achieved by sun and wind energy as well as by water power. Principal item is a combined biomass heat and power station on basis of the regenerating raw materials wood and vegetable oil. The power station with its long-distance heating network supplies 10 MW of warmth and 650 KW of current. With this thermal output the city can be supplied all year round with heating and warm water. Waste wood from the forests of Ostritz St. Marienthal and a sawmill are used up as wooden pellets. Two modern firing systems achieve high temperatures without residual substances. With cold pressed rape-seed oil also a large diesel engine is supplied, generating current and warmth by means of its cooling water, which is fed into the long-distance heating network. The total concept of the energy-ecological model city covers also environmental communication measures in the Internationales Begegnungszentrum IBZ in the monastery of St. Marienthal near the Lausitzer Neisse.
Another promotion project within the area of the renewable energies is aimed to work toward the use of all there available energy sources. Annually about 150 million m³ methane escapes from disused mines into the atmosphere. A problem for the environment, because methane works about 21 times stronger as greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. The G.A.S. Energy engineering GmbH from Krefeld developed in co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institut UMSICHT a procedure, where the methane is used without addition of further fuels. The gas is exhausted from the disused slots by means of a compressor and converted in the gas engine of a block heating and generating plant into electricity and warmth, leading to a substantial reduction in emission of greenhouse gases. In practice the demonstration unit is characterised by a reliable operation and excellent emission values.