The visit, organized by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) under the Export Initiative Environmental Protection (EXI), was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN)
Held from 6 to 10 October 2025 in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, the program brought together four BOI officials and two private sector representatives for an intensive capacity-building and knowledge-sharing mission.
Throughout the week, participants engaged with leading German, research institutions, experts, and technology providers, exploring innovative and environmentally responsible approaches to wastewater and sewage sludge management.
Key visits included the Main Sewage Treatment Plant Stuttgart-Mühlhausen, the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), the Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Waste Management (ISWA) at the University of Stuttgart, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and the Renningen Sewage Treatment Plant Moreover, Thermo-System, a German high-quality provider for solar sludge drying introduced the delegates to their world-class technology.
Through on-site demonstrations and discussions, the delegation gained practical insights into sludge drying, phosphorus recovery, and circular economy applications, which could support Sri Lanka’s move toward cleaner and more efficient industrial wastewater and sewage sludge treatment systems.
“This visit provided valuable exposure to German expertise and innovation, offering a foundation for adapting sustainable sewage sludge management models in Sri Lanka,” said Sabrina Kolb, Project Manager at AHK Sri Lanka.
AHK Sri Lanka expressed its appreciation to all partner organizations including Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector, , Chambers for GreenTech, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Stuttgart (IHK Stuttgart), engineering4environment, and Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH for their collaboration and support.
This initiative highlights the growing partnership between Germany and Sri Lanka in promoting environmental sustainability, knowledge transfer, and green industrial development.
About the Export Initiative Environmental Protection:
Since 2016, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has used its Export Initiative Environmental Protection to fund projects supporting knowledge transfer and the application of German environmental and resource efficiency technologies, with a focus on emerging economies and developing countries. Global environmental protection and climate action can only succeed if the necessary infrastructure is available and supported by legal, policy and administrative frameworks.
AHK Sri Lanka is part of the German Chamber Network, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). With 150 locations in 93 countries worldwide, the members of the German Chamber Network (AHKs) share their expertise, connections, and services with German and local companies in the respective partner countries. The AHKs are present in all countries of particular importance to German businesses and are closely linked with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IHKs) in Germany.
