GREETECH CITY
A greener future requires innovative solutions, as well as the companies that develop them. Many of these solutions originate from Asia. For these companies, GreenTech has long been a global business model and recipe for success. To strengthen their presence in Germany further, Düsseldorf is becoming more and more the location of choice. Just like for Toshiba and EcoFlow.
Tim Jaekel, Head of the Net-Zero Business Hub at Toshiba Europe, is collaborating with the RIC in Düsseldorf to propel Toshiba's GreenTech solutions.
The Japanese company Toshiba has a long history in the city, further enhanced two years ago with the opening of the Regenerative Innovation Centre (RIC). 'Innovation has always formed the basis of our success,’ explains Tim Jaekel, Head of Net-Ze ro Business Hub at Toshiba Europe. The company has a tradition of putting foundational research first, ensuring that its innovations are not only scientifically robust but often ahead of their time in anticipating future market and societal needs. 'In Japan, for example, we already installed the first CO2 capture plant back in 2009, six years before the Paris Climate Agreement. This certainly means our research began before that, focusing on our planet´s long-term needs and developments', says Jaekel. With the Regenerative Innovation Centre, Toshiba is pursuing more application-oriented research that contributes directly to business development. The team at the RIC, Toshiba's first R&D centre in continental Europe, is actively seeking growth areas and adapting technologies that have already been commercialised in Japan to European standards. The aim is to support companies on their path to climate neutrality and help them establish a circular economy. Over 150 employees in Düsseldorf are developing marketable solutions for Europe, including capturing and converting CO2 into e-fuels, improving the energy infrastructure, and enabling companies to measure and transparently report their CO2 savings. 'To do this, we need to identify the specific market requirements and, above all, understand what will be needed in Europe in the future. That's why research, development and business development work closely together,’ says Jaekel.
Toshiba has set up its own RIC satellite office in partnership with RWTH Aachen University for research purposes.
He believes the state capital is the perfect location for this: ‘We feel very much at home in Düsseldorf. It's no coincidence that we have been operating in the city for over 50 years and that our European headquarters for IT, consumer and office communications are based here. The RIC was the next logical step.' According to Jaekel, the strong network of authorities, partners and universities in the economically powerful state of North Rhine- Westphalia, as well as its central location in Europe, are major factors in favour of the location. This is reflected in the partnership with RWTH Aachen University, where the RIC has set up a satellite office for its research. The positive collaboration with the city is also a significant contributing factor to the company's contentment with the location. In turn, Toshiba's presence strengthens Düsseldorf's position as a business location that has traditionally attracted Japanese investors.
Since 2023, EcoFlow has also contributed to the strengthening and further development of Düsseldorf as a business location. Founded in China, the company specialises in developing innovative energy storage solutions for everyday use and emergencies. Its product portfolio includes solar generators, battery storage systems, and smart balcony power plants with portable power storage, enabling solar energy to be used around the clock. ‘Our goal is to empower individuals and households to become more energy-independent and sustainable with our solutions,’ says Magda Teresa Partyka, PR and Communications Manager at EcoFlow Europe. To further develop important markets in Germany and Europe, the company established its EU headquarters in Düsseldorf's Media Harbour around two years ago. The location also features a dedicated showroom, available to business partners, where the latest innovations can be explored.
Magda Teresa Partyka intends to use the EcoFlow EU headquarters in the Media Harbour to develop key markets in Germany and Europe further.
For Partyka, Düsseldorf is the ideal location environment for international expansion: ‘The city is not only a dynamic economic centre, but also a strategically positioned to access important markets across Europe. We have a strong infrastructure here, we are close to our partners and customers, and we benefit from a vibrant innovation ecosystem, particularly in the energy and technology sectors. This combination provides the perfect foundation for further regional growth.' To this end, EcoFlow plans to expand its energy portfolio for private households and is focusing on artificial intelligence. ‘We are investing heavily in AI integration and energy storage to help accelerate the global transition toward a decentralised, sustainable energy future,’ says Partyka. While new developments are in progress, he company’s mission remains unchanged: ‘We want to make clean energy accessible to everyone. Whether you live in a city apartment or in a house or a remote off-grid location.’ With the support of the EcoFlow EU headquarters in Düsseldorf, this should also apply to more and more households in Germany in the future.
Text: Dominik Deden
Pictures: Toshiba corporation, Magda Teresa Partyka, PR and Communications Manager, at EcoFlow Europe