Since 2013 the Institute for Energy Efficiency EPP of the University of Stuttgart has been checking the planned and current activities of German industry with regard to energy efficiency every six months. According to its latest report , almost 6 out of 10 German companies are striving to achieve a CO2-neutral balance. Half of them have already undertaken specific projects. This proportion does not depend on company size and thus also includes small and medium-sized enterprises.

According to the report, it is not only economic problems, but also technical ones that are preventing companies from implementing CO2-neutral projects: in some areas, such as cement production, for example, there are simply no climate-neutral approaches at the moment. Furthermore, the survey revealed that many companies (30%) are attempting to reduce their CO2 footprint by increasing energy efficiency, followed by in-house generation (20%) and buying in renewable energies (18%). One interesting approach in this connection is being taken by the federal region of North Rhine-Westphalia: here the Chambers of Trade and Industry are training 500 apprentices a year to become Energy Scouts , who are then supposed to initiate efficiency projects in their companies.