This year, 30 companies are competing for the Green Business Award, Switzerland’s most prestigious sustainability prize. Since 2019, Green Business Switzerland has presented the annual award to the most innovative Swiss companies combining environmental impact with economic success. The Swiss environmental foundation Schweizerische Umweltstiftung is the legal entity behind both the initiative and the award, with support from Axpo, Mobiliar, Swiss Post, and economiesuisse as partners. The finalists have to present their sustainable business models to the main jury.
“Switzerland needs the Green Business Award because our country has the potential to overcome environmental challenges,” said former member of the Swiss government, Federal Councilor, Doris Leuthard in the introduction of the jury she chairs. In the statement announcing the nominees, she emphasized: “Saving our planet is not a charitable endeavor, but the business model of the future.”
For the first time this year, SMEs and scale-ups will be recognized separately. “If the business community is really to be a part of the solution, we need both: the disruptive technologies of scale-ups and the breadth of established companies that are transforming their business models,” Cédric Habermacher, Director of Green Business Switzerland, is quoted as saying in the announcement of the nominees.
The winner in the SME category will be disclosed on 3 September 2026 at the Maillot Vert Summer Party in Lucerne. The finalists are: Bathco (Zurich), BELIMO (Hinwil, Swiss canton of Zurich), Girsberger (Thunstetten, canton of Bern), Hilding Anders Switzerland (Schänis, canton of St.Gallen), Hotel Schweizerhof (Zurich), Infomaniak Network (Les Acacias, canton of Geneva), JURA Materials (Aarau), Liveo Research and Lonza (both Basel), Rigi Bahnen (Arth, canton of Schwyz), SGS (Baar, canton of Zug), Swisscom (Worblaufen, canton of Bern), Textilcolor (Sevelen, canton of St.Gallen), UCB Farchim (Bulle, canton of Fribourg), and Vögeli (Langnau im Emmental, canton of Bern).
In the Scale-up category, the winner will be announced on 12 February 2027 at the Impact Circle Event in Gstaad in the canton of Bern. The finalists are: AgroSustain (Renens, canton of Vaud), Evolium Technologies (Sion, canton of Valais), ExerGo (Yverdon-les-Bains, canton of Vaud), GRZ Technologies (Avenches, canton of Vaud), Hydroliq (Lucerne), Klark (Landquart, canton of Graubünden), Meteomatis (St.Gallen), NIKIN (Aarau), Novamem (Schlieren, canton of Zurich), OceanSafe (Bern), Panatere (Saignelégier, canton of Jura), rezonanz (Zurich), SensorX Solutions (Sarnen, canton of Obwalden), upVolt (Basel), and Yeastup (Brugg, canton of Aargau). ce/mm