DINE e.V. - Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung

What DINE e.V. - Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung does

DINE e.V. - Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (German Institute for Sustainable Development) is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, VR 103455, Amtsgericht Stuttgart) founded in 2009 at Hochschule Heilbronn. The institute conducts research, education, and stakeholder dialogue on sustainable development, with current focus areas spanning sustainable viticulture, climate protection, sustainable mobility, and municipal sustainability management. It is led by three Heilbronn University professors — Prof. Dr. Armin Gemmrich (Chair), Prof. Dr. Ruth Fleuchaus, and Prof. Dr. Jana Heimel — and operates with a total headcount of 5 employees from its headquarters at Max-Planck-Str. 39, Heilbronn, with a branch office in Stuttgart for the StuttgartAirLeben project.

The institute's primary branded product is FairChoice, a sustainability certification seal for controlled sustainable production and marketing of agricultural products, currently focused on the wine industry in Baden-Württemberg. DINE also delivers research projects (KliDiNa via EIP-Agri, StuttgartAirLeben, PendlerRatD), educational programs (the HILL certificate course "Coach für Nachhaltige Entwicklung"), and SME training initiatives (EcoScouts in cooperation with IHK Heilbronn-Franken). The FairChoice seal is administered through a dedicated microsite (fairchoice.info) and positioned as an independent third-party verification mechanism bridging the information asymmetry between consumers seeking sustainable products and producers seeking differentiation.

DINE operates as a typical German academic-affiliated research non-profit. No revenue is publicly disclosed, no pricing model is published, and no funding rounds or investor ownership are indicated. Operations are funded through research grants, EU/regional project funding (e.g., EIP-Agri), membership contributions, and project-based consulting for municipalities and regional businesses. The geographic footprint is restricted to Baden-Württemberg (Heilbronn-Franken and Stuttgart), with no global expansion claims and no commercial distribution channels beyond the FairChoice website and direct engagement.

Name

DINE e.V. - Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung

Legal name

DINE Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung e.V.

Website

https://dine-heilbronn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DINE e.V. is a German non-profit research institute founded in 2009 at Hochschule Heilbronn that promotes sustainable development through research, education, and the FairChoice sustainability certification seal for agricultural producers, primarily in the wine industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Consulting Services

NAICS

Wineries (31213), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

Keywords

• Sustainability certification
• Sustainable agriculture
• Viticulture consulting
• Sustainability research
• Climate protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DINE operates as a non-profit research institute promoting sustainable development through research, education, and cross-industry dialogue. Its primary product is the FairChoice sustainability certification label for controlled sustainable production and marketing of agricultural products, currently focused on the wine industry. The institute also delivers consulting, applied research projects (e.g., KliDiNa, StuttgartAirLeben, PendlerRatD), and educational programs (Coach für Nachhaltige Entwicklung certificate course, EcoScouts).

Product overview

DINE e.V. operates as a research institute focused on promoting sustainable development through research, education, and dialogue. The organization offers the FairChoice sustainability certification label as its primary branded product/service for certifying sustainable agricultural production, particularly in the wine sector. Additionally, DINE conducts various research projects and educational programs including certificate courses on sustainable development coaching. The institute serves as a cross-industry platform connecting stakeholders in the economic process to advance sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FairChoice: Sustainability certification brand for controlled sustainable production and marketing of agricultural products, currently focused on the wine industry.

Products and services

• FairChoice sustainability certification
• Certificate course: Coach für Nachhaltige Entwicklung (Sustainability Coaching)
• EcoScouts qualification program
• Sustainable mobility consulting and StuttgartAirLeben project

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hochschule Heilbronn (Heilbronn University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Founding host institution for DINE e.V. Provides academic infrastructure, research resources, and institutional support. DINE was established as a non-profit institute at the university to promote research and education in sustainable economics.
• IHK Heilbronn-Franken (Chamber of Commerce)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with DINE on the EcoScouts project - a qualification program for apprentices in the Heilbronn-Franken region focused on energy efficiency and sustainability management.
• HILL - Heilbronner Institut für lebenslanges LernenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDINE contributes to the HILL certificate course 'Coach für Nachhaltige Entwicklung' (Coach for Sustainable Development), providing expertise in sustainability coaching education.
• EIP-Agri (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDINE participates in the KliDiNa project (Klimawandel, Digitalisierung und Nachhaltigkeit - Climate Change, Digitalization and Sustainability) focused on transformations in Baden-Württemberg viticulture.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rainforest Alliance: Global sustainability certification covering agricultural commodities including wine. Comparable as a recognized third-party sustainability certification competing for retailer and consumer attention in the same producers' sustainability claims.
• Demeter e.V. Germany's main biodynamic agriculture certification body. Comparable as a premium sustainability certification in agriculture and wine, with strong brand recognition that overlaps with FairChoice's positioning in the wine sector.
• Bioland e.V. Germany's largest organic farming association and certification body. Comparable as an organic/sustainability certification in agriculture; FairChoice competes with the Bioland seal in wine, where Bioland is deeply established among German producers.
• Naturland e.V. International organic farming association headquartered in Germany with substantial wine-producer membership. Comparable as a standards-based sustainability certification competing for the same wine producer customers as FairChoice.
• Fairtrade Deutschland: German arm of Fairtrade International, one of the most recognized ethical/sustainability certification labels worldwide. Competes for the same producer sustainability-claim budget as FairChoice, but at vastly greater scale and consumer recognition across multiple product categories.
• EU Organic Certification (EU-Bio-Siegel): Mandatory baseline organic certification within the EU. Comparable as the regulatory floor sustainability certification that FairChoice producers must also satisfy and against which FairChoice positions its higher-level sustainability claim.

Regional players

• Wines of Germany (Deutsches Weininstitut): German wine marketing organization providing institutional sustainability and origin messaging for German wine. Comparable as a German wine-sector sustainability communications platform, though operating from an industry body rather than a certification model.

Emerging players

• Mehrweg e.V. / Faire Wein Initiative (comparable German wine sustainability initiatives): German wine industry sustainability initiatives clustered around ethical sourcing and fair-trade wine logos. Comparable to FairChoice as emerging German wine-specific sustainability seals that compete for the same producer and consumer attention.

Direct peers

• Gäa e.V. - Vereinigung ökologischer Landbau: German organic farming association providing certification across agricultural products. Comparable to FairChoice as a non-profit, Germany-based certification body serving producers with sustainability standards.
• EcoVin e.V. Germany's leading organic wine certification body, founded by organic winegrowers' associations. Directly comparable to FairChoice as a wine-specific sustainability/organic certification in the German market, with similar producer-focused mission and standards-based approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fairchoice.sustainability
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dine-e-v-deutsches-institut-f%C3%BCr-nachhaltige-entwicklung
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairchoice.sustainability

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DINE e.V. - Deutsches Institut für Nachhaltige Entwicklung