Sustainability Award for Körber’s wood-composite conveyor technology

Hamburg, 21 September 2026. Körber has been honored with the German Award for Sustainability Projects. The award is presented by the German Institute for Service Quality, the news channel ntv, and DUP UNTERNEHMER magazine under the patronage of Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister.

Körber took home the award in the “Project/Technology” category for the latest sustainable development of its belt conveyor platform. This conveyor system is used in parcel, fulfillment, and sorting centers for automated, high-speed material flow. In the new BeltConveyor EcoLine, Körber has replaced many of the standard steel components with wood-based, composite sound-absorbing materials and installed state-of-the-art IE5 motors in the ultra-premium efficiency class.

These features work together to enable energy-efficient and low-noise operation, without compromising performance, throughput, or stability. For example, the BeltConveyor EcoLine achieves maximum throughput rates of up to 18,000 parcels per hour with a power consumption of just 0.2 kWh/h and a noise level below 65 dB. With an impact of only 334 kg CO₂e in production—down from 518 kg CO₂e—the system has a comparatively low initial CO₂ footprint. Added to this, over its service life an additional 1,784 kg CO₂e is generated in the Scope 3.11 (use of sold products) category, resulting in a very low total life-cycle footprint of 2,120 kg CO₂e.

“Sustainability has become a top priority for Körber, as well as for our customers,” says Richard Huber, Head of Product Management Parcel at Körber. “This award for the further development of our successful BeltConveyor technology reaffirms our own strong belief that optimizing sustainability should be part of a continuous improvement process across the entire product portfolio.” Körber also plans to further scale the EcoLine concept in the future as part of its optimization efforts and continue to gradually replace other steel components with wood-based composite alternatives.

Later this week, Körber will showcase the conveyor at the Parcel+Post Expo in London. At the same time, plans are underway for a pilot installation at a customer site, where an entire conveyor line will be replaced by the new BeltConveyor EcoLine solution—a sustainable, lightweight, and quiet conveyor belt made largely of wood that efficiently transports loads and helps operators reduce their environmental footprint.