Uwe Harzmann

Yes, of course, climate change and environmental pollution haven't just been around since today. The difference is that in the past, few people were interested in them. It is only in recent years that building greening has left the “crazy corner” and is seen as a serious option for active environmental and climate protection. And quite rightly so!

Our success is based on our ability to think outside the box, believe in the future and stay one step ahead. Back in 1977, we tried to raise awareness of the issues of sealing, flooding, urban heat islands and air quality with scientifically sound texts and clear illustrations. Today, almost 45 years later, our brochure from back then is still just as relevant and up-to-date (see photo on the right). Even back then, we pointed out solutions that today are often subsumed under the term “sponge city”. 

We installed a decentralized network of earthworks over 30 years ago in order to minimize the transport distances for substrate deliveries to the construction site and the associated environmental impact.

We continue to pay attention to our ecological footprint. Our plastic and aluminum products are made almost exclusively from recycled raw materials. For example, our drainage tiles are made from recycled HDPE from the beverage industry and our protective nonwovens are made from recycled clothing and carpet remnants.

In production and administration, we use self-generated electricity or green electricity via a photovoltaic system. Motion detectors are installed in our office buildings and our company fleet includes electric vehicles. There are strict CO2 specifications for the vehicles and SUVs are not permitted due to the higher
CO2 emissions are not permitted. Our most recently occupied office building is an old commercial complex that we have renovated to the latest energy standards.

We see ourselves first and foremost as a technically oriented service provider and building system supplier with the aim of always finding the best solution. With our
extensive product range, we offer the right solution for all construction situations. 
As a building system provider and construction supplier, we support planners from the very early stages of a project with our technical expertise and planning support services, thus helping to implement planning ideas and visions in a technically mature manner.  

Since 1976, we have maintained a partner system with qualified gardening and landscaping companies trained by us who specialize in the installation and maintenance of greenery on buildings. These 125 partners form the basis for sustainable and solid implementation and maintenance. In addition, we have long-standing and close contacts with many other gardening and landscaping companies and the building materials trade, so that many very good green roofs can also be realized in this way. Our online store (www.dachbegruenung24.de) serves our self-building private customers.  

Visions and forward-looking developments, thinking about tomorrow today, supplying good products with perfect logistics, offering comprehensive service, dealing fairly with our partners and customers, favorable prices and long-serving employees with a high level of knowledge and enjoyment at work: these are the foundations of our success.

We always want to be one step ahead. We have decades of extensive experience. With holistic, forward-looking greening solutions for usable and recreational areas, we sustainably promote nature-oriented urban development, quality of life in urban areas and an improved climate footprint.

Through healthy, profitable growth and continuous organizational development, we secure our leading market position as a reliable partner and loyal employer in the long term. Research and development are very important to us. We have been working closely with universities and research institutes for decades to expand our knowledge and develop new visions and products.

No! As a medium-sized, Upper Swabian company, we have ties to our home region. Our roots are in the district of Sigmaringen and there are better opportunities to grow in the countryside. Many of our long-standing, experienced employees come from the surrounding area. A move would mean a great loss of knowledge. Besides, we work in an area where others go on vacation - in the middle of the countryside.

Despite our love of location, we are of course completely up-to-date. Working from home is common practice for us. We employed our first sales employee in a home office near Hamburg over 15 years ago. Today, we have many more employees from application technology or sales working from home on a permanent basis - not including the sales representatives who live and work in their region anyway. They work in Austria, Bulgaria, the Netherlands or Germany from their respective home towns. Despite our location in the hinterland of Lake Constance, we are able to attract the best talent to Optigrün, because not everyone loves country life.

We want to remain the market leader and continue to focus on our core competence:
Optigrün - We are THE ROOF GREENERS

Construction trades are growing together: So we also want to learn how we can get involved in adjacent areas and develop them further. Digitalization in construction will also spread everywhere in the coming years and hopefully further improve construction quality, standardize it to a certain extent and thus counteract the cost explosion as well as enable further optimizations in the use of valuable resources. 

Every previously ungreened roof!