Leipzig, October 15, 2021 – VERBIO is celebrating the anniversary of its stock exchange listing. On October 16, 2006, five years after the commissioning of the first biodiesel plant at the Bitterfeld location, VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG completed its initial public offering (IPO). Since December 2020 the shares in Europe’s leading bioenergy manufacturer have been included in the SDAX, and the value of the Company has increased approximately five-fold within twelve months. “It was a big moment in Frankfurt in the autumn of 2006 when we watched as trading commenced in the VERBIO shares. Weeks of hard preparation lay behind us. New challenges associated with our presence on the capital markets lay before us. We had big plans. The route to get to that point was not always easy, but since then we have done well and we have been successful. Now, new exciting times lie ahead of us – politically, in climate policy, and in society as a whole. We finally have the opportunity to prove the capabilities of the green technologies that we have developed,” said Claus Sauter, VERBIO AG founder and Chairman of the Management Board.
Initial public offering 2006: old structures make life difficult for renewables
To stop consuming fossil fuels and turn to renewable CO2-efficient, sustainable solutions: this was the vision shared by VERBIO founder Claus Sauter, Dr.-Ing. Georg Pollert and their team. “When VERBIO entered the market, a lot of people regarded us as “ecology freaks”. Back then, politicians also had big plans for climate protection, but their implementation into legal requirements and the definition of concrete CO2 reduction targets was half-hearted and lacked ambition. Initially there was only a limited market for our products, and a large amount of scepticism among consumers. Today, things are very different. Society has changed. There have been generational changes in leadership structures, and there is a new awareness in industry; even the oil industry now demands that governments impose stricter CO2-saving requirements. We were convinced about our approach from the start, and we have consistently followed through on this, despite the highs and lows. Looking back, our determination and our enthusiasm have proved to be spot on,” added Claus Sauter.
Anniversary of the initial public offering 2021: SDAX member on course for growth
VERBIO has been listed as a member of the SDAX since December 2020, and as such it is one of Germany’s 200 largest companies. In September 2021 the biofuels company issued its annual report for the financial year 2020/2021, reporting sales in excess of one billion euros for the first time and additionally announcing a comprehensive EUR 300 million worldwide investment programme through to 2023. “We are profitable, with green technology! Being admitted to the SDAX was an expression of recognition for our ability to innovate, and for our good performance on the capital market in recent years. It was important both for our external image and for our entire team. Now we continue forward with new projects. In the meantime, the environmental conditions have improved significantly. We can finally fulfil our potential, we will continue to grow internationally, and we will continue to increase our ranking among Germany’s leading companies,” said Claus Sauter, confidently.
#strohklug podcast: new episode now available
VERBIO’s figures show that the decision to go to the capital market was the right one, putting the Company on a growth path. This is the conclusion that Claus Sauter draws in the new #strohklug podcast. In the most recent episode he takes listeners back to the days shortly before VERBIO’s IPO, describes the Company’s journey to the SDAX and explains what the future holds for VERBIO.
Claus Sauter recalled, “Those were difficult times, but we proved ourselves. It’s a great feeling when investors take the time to understand our vision and when the capital market places its trust in us. Now we have to deliver, expand our capacities and continue to enter new markets. That is exactly what we are going to do.”
The new episode of #strohklug (#strawclever) is available in German language from Apple Podcast, Deezer, Google Podcast, Spotify and on the internet at www.strohklug.de
For your convenience here please find an English transcription