- Seven teams awarded as part of Heidelberg Materials’ flagship biodiversity competition.
- Grand Prize went to a project in Poland transforming post mining areas into a model for nature restoration and education.
- The sixth Quarry Life Award edition saw more than 50 project submissions from researchers, students, local communities, NGOs, and nature lovers.
Heidelberg Materials and more than 100 guests celebrated the winners of the sixth edition of the Quarry Life Award in Heidelberg. The company’s international biodiversity competition, launched in 2012, has since been generating hundreds of innovative ideas to promote and protect biodiversity. This year, a team from Poland won the Grand Prize for a project combining hands-on biodiversity management with strong community engagement.
As part of the competition, the company opens its quarries and pits as “living laboratories,” enabling research into the wide variety of habitats and the numerous endangered and/or protected species found in quarries. The Quarry Life Award also aims to raise awareness and engage local communities on the importance of biodiversity and species protection.
Dr Katharina Beumelburg, Chief Sustainability & New Technologies Officer and member of the Managing Board at Heidelberg Materials, said: “Collaboration is the catalyst for change. When we come together, share ideas, and scale what works, we turn sustainability from strategy into reality. As a unique flagship initiative in our industry, the Quarry Life Award addresses biodiversity loss – one of today’s most pressing global challenges – and forms an integral part of our sustainability strategy.”
In the current edition, more than 130 teams from around the world – including researchers, students, local community and NGO representatives, and nature enthusiasts – submitted their ideas. From these, 56 teams were selected to implement their projects at the company’s quarries.
“The Quarry Life Award is all about empowering science and communities – enabling them to bring their valuable project ideas to life. I’m proud of the local impact our participants have created on a global scale since 2012: at around 170 of our sites worldwide, over 500 projects focusing on thousands of animal and plant species have been implemented, based on over 18 000 people contributing their ideas. A strong track record for nature!, ” said Dr Katharina Beumelburg.
The award also reflects Heidelberg Materials’ commitment to supporting the Global Goal for Nature and advancing a nature-positive future. As part of its broader sustainability approach, and in collaboration with partners such as?BirdLife?International,?Heidelberg?Materials works to raise awareness of the biodiversity linked to extraction sites and to promote the restoration of nature on a global scale.
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