We have been a committed partner for athletes and the Paralympic Movement for over three decades. This year alone, Ottobock's 164-strong team of orthopaedic technicians, wheelchair technicians and other orthopaedic technology experts carried out more than 3,000 repairs at the Paralympics Games in Paris. Our free repair service allowed the athletes to concentrate fully on the competition. They can perform at their best when it mattered.

For this commitment, the DQS and the DGQ presented the medical technology company with the Sustainability Heroes Award as a pioneer in the field of sustainability.

A total of 141 applications were submitted in six categories: Circular Economy, Biodiversity, Social Commitment, Sustainability Innovation, Carbon Footprint and Sustainability Strategy.

To ensure an objective assessment, independent sustainability experts evaluated all applications: Simone Busch (IHK Düsseldorf), Prof. Dr. Linda Chalupová (Fulda University of Applied Sciences), Patrick Bungard (M3TRIX Institute), Elisa Pohland (IHK Frankfurt), Patrick Wortner (PeoplePlanetProfit), Guido Eggers (DQS) and Dr. Thijs Willaert (DQS) jointly formed the jury. The award has been presented since 2015.

The jury particularly recognized Ottobock's special commitment to international sporting events. “We want to encourage and inspire people with physical disabilities through sport and show that physical impairments are not an obstacle to sporting activity and personal peak performance,” explains Christin Franzel, Head of Global Sustainability, as she accepts the Sustainability Heroes Award in the ‘Social Commitment’ category.

By supporting Paralympic athletes and international sporting events such as the Paralympic Games, Ottobock is also helping to raise awareness of disabled sport and promote acceptance in society. In 2022, a new contract was signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC): The partnership covers technical services at the Paralympic Winter and Summer Games up to and including 2032.