KREFELD, GERMANY — Alberdingk Boley was honored with the Special Environmental IKOM Award 2018 at the Technical University of Munich. The company was recognized for its environmentally friendly water-based ALBERDINGK^® binders, according to CEO Thomas Hackenberg. The event took place on June 13, 2018, at the Technical University of Munich.

The IKOM Award for Employers of the Future is Germany's first student-initiated award for employers. The student group IKOM at the Technical University of Munich chooses the winners in cooperation with the Bavarian Industry Association vbw and the Technical University of Munich. Franz Josef Pschierer, the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, is the honorary patron of the IKOM Awards. “When looking at potential employers, students are increasingly interested in business ethics and sustainability. But in many cases, companies with a strong sense of corporate responsibility, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, go almost unnoticed. To remedy this situation, IKOM, a not-for-profit student initiative [to] promote contacts between students and companies, established the award. The jury, made up of representatives from the student body, the world of science and research, the business community and the media, applies the following criteria: a focus on values and sustainability, a commitment to Germany as a place for doing business, entrepreneurial continuity, and good opportunities for recent graduates to start their careers and move up the ladder,” explained Niclas-Alexander Mauß of IKOM.

Thomas Hackenberg and Martina Bielen received the award for Alberdingk Boley at an awards ceremony with 200 guests in attendance, half students, half business people, scientists, politicians and members of society at large.

As an independent and globally operating medium-sized enterprise, Alberdingk Boley has been a partner for customers for more than 190 years. Alberdingk Boley produces water-based emulsions for coatings suitable for all types of substrates. The environmentally friendly binders of Alberdingk Boley refine, refurbish, link and protect surfaces. The company is also the largest European producer of castor oil, refined linseed oil and their derivatives, used as renewable resources for the production of printing inks, polyurethane systems, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The company has three factories in Germany, in Krefeld, Kerpen and Leuna, and additional production facilities in China and the United States.