German chemicals giant BASF won the prize for ‘Resource Efficiency' at the 2015 German Sustainability Awards.
The event, held on 27 November, is endorsed by the German Federal Government, local and business associations as well as non-governmental organisations, among them Unesco and Unicef.
The awards are presented to cities, companies and individuals promoting the idea of a sustainable society by Chancellor Angela Merkel or other members of her cabinet.
The award's jury recognised BASF's Verbund concept, which promotes efficient raw material and energy use and the development of innovative business models for sustainability.
Through Verbund, BASF uses renewable raw materials from the beginning of the value chain and savings of fossil resources are calculated for each product.
BASF was also nominated in the category ‘Most Sustainable Large Companies'.
The German Sustainability Award was established in 2008 to encourage the acceptance of social and ecological responsibility and to identify role models.