In February 2025, the Climate Partnerships for Business project was launched with five Bonn companies. Following an initial joint specialist meeting on climate adaptation, the network has now grown to include four more companies: Augenklinik Dardenne SE, Telekom Deutschland GmbH, Deutsche Welle AöR and GKN Powder Metallurgy GmbH. On June 16, 2025, representatives of the companies signed the declaration of intent for climate cooperation with the City of Bonn together with Mayor Katja Dörner and Economic Development Manager Victoria Appelbe.
"I am delighted that the business climate partnerships are attracting so much interest and that we will soon be able to welcome the next companies to the network. With the growth of the network by another four climate partners, valuable additional opportunities for partnership-based exchange for the climate neutrality of Bonn companies are being created. The Climate Partners for Business, with international players and regionally anchored companies from various sectors, are an excellent reflection of the diversity of Bonn's economy and thus also the variety of different paths to climate neutrality, including Deutsche Telekom, another DAX-listed company from Bonn," says Mayor of Bonn Katja Dörner.
"The first exchange between the climate partners to date has already shown that companies can also learn a lot from each other locally and across industries about how climate neutrality can be achieved from a business perspective. The growing network obviously offers an attractive platform for exchanging important practical ideas for the Bonn economy. I am very pleased about this development and hope that we can welcome many more companies in Bonn as climate partners," explains business promoter Victoria Appelbe.
These are the new climate partners Economy
The Dardenne SE Eye Clinic is one of the leading eye centers for eye surgery in Germany and performs 8,000 eye operations a year in Bonn with 128 employees. Conserving resources, sustainable supply chains and climate-friendly buildings are key challenges in climate protection. Ruth Jonen, Quality Management Officer: "We are a climate partner of the city of Bonn because we want to work with other companies to develop innovative solutions that not only improve our own processes, but also have a positive impact on the environment as a whole."
Deutsche Welle AöR is the foreign broadcaster of the Federal Republic of Germany and employs 1088 permanent staff in Bonn. Its climate protection activities focus on energy management, mobility and green production. Thilo Pommerening, Sustainability Manager: "We are a climate partner of the city of Bonn because climate protection can only work together due to its complexity. We can learn from each other and achieve more together."
GKN Powder Metallurgy GmbH is a global leader in powder metallurgy and develops metal components for industry. With over 500 employees in Bonn, the focus is on climate protection in sustainable production. Sebastian Ketelhut, Plant Manager: "We are a climate partner of the city of Bonn because our commitment to environmental responsibility is in line with our values and drives the ecological cycle that creates long-term benefits for all stakeholders."
Telekom Deutschland GmbH is based in Bonn and has 1676 employees. It implements climate protection in particular in the reduction of energy emissions, the electrification of the vehicle fleet and the circular economy of end devices and the network. Eva Sartory, Vice President ESG: "We are a climate partner of the city of Bonn because we as Telekom Deutschland want to be a role model for society, create relevance for climate protection and invest in cooperation so that change does not start alone, but grows together."
Who can become a "climate partner"?
Companies can become "Climate Partners for Business" of the City of Bonn if they can demonstrate the strategic anchoring of the topic on the basis of technical suitability criteria. The Climate Partnership for Business support service is free of charge and covers all sectors. The target group are Bonn companies with more than 50 employees. They receive expert advice and support in working groups in which they learn from other companies and support each other. As pioneers in Bonn's economy, climate partners also receive effective publicity and communication support. This also includes the use of a signet that highlights the regional commitment. In return, climate partners undertake to continuously develop their climate protection efforts. This is recorded in a declaration of intent as a voluntary commitment and updated regularly.
In addition to the Business Climate Partnership, the Economic Development Agency also offers business park management and climate protection advice. Further information can be found at www.bonn.de/klimaschutzangebote (opens in a new tab)
Offers are embedded in the Bonn Climate Plan 2035 program
The project "Bonn Climate Protection Offers for Business" is part of the work program of the Bonn Climate Plan 2035. With the Bonn Climate Plan 2035, the city of Bonn has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035. An important component of this is the climate-friendly transformation of Bonn's economy. The climate plan was adopted by the city council in March 2023 as a roadmap for a climate-neutral and liveable city of Bonn. As a climate neutrality strategy, the climate plan defines goals and development paths for the period up to 2035 and contains a "Climate Protection Work Program 2023-2025" for the city administration, which will be implemented and continuously updated in the coming years.