LED color series awarded environmental technology prize

With the Uvalux LED U543 color series, Zeller+Gmelin is one of the innovation leaders at the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award

We came third in the energy efficiency category of this year’s Environmental Technology Prize, which has been awarded every two years since 2009 by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector, with the Uvalux LED U543 color series. The award ceremony for the individual winners and nominees was held on November 11, 2025 by State Secretary for the Environment Dr. Andre Baumann at the Schwabenlandhalle in Fellbach.

The prize is awarded to companies that make a significant contribution to protecting the environment or conserving natural resources with innovative products, technologies and processes. The innovation submitted by Zeller+Gmelin is the Uvalux LED U543 series, which was specially developed for heatset web offset printing and is used by L.N. Schaffrath GmbH & Co. KG DruckMedien in Geldern, among others. It is designed for LED curing so that it can replace traditional ink drying with energy-intensive drying ovens in print production with polymerization using LED dryer systems. The use of LED technology eliminates both the use of fossil fuels such as gas to fire the dryers and the use of silicone oil or chill rollers. Furthermore, Uvalux LED printing inks produce printing results with particularly good color brilliance, and they are also cured in a matter of seconds so that the printed material web can be processed immediately. “The ink series is a tailor-made solution for us,” explains Patrick Schneppe, Head of Printing at L.N. Schaffrath. “Zeller+Gmelin also impressed us with their expertise and as a reliable, service-oriented partner.”

This year’s Environmental Technology Award is endowed with prize money totaling 122,000 euros, which is divided between four categories and a special jury prize. In the four categories

• Energy efficiency,
• Material efficiency and resource conservation,
• Circular economy and avoidance of environmental pollution and
• Digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), measurement and control technology

The award recognizes products or processes that make a significant contribution to resource efficiency and environmental protection and are about to be launched on the market or have been on the market for less than two years.