Gruner Strom Label E.v.

What Gruner Strom Label E.v. does

Grüner Strom Label e.V. is a registered non-profit association (e.V.) founded in 1998 and headquartered in Bonn, Germany, that certifies green electricity and gas tariffs under the Grüner Strom-Label and Grünes Gas-Label brands. The association is governed by six Trägerverbände — NABU, BUND, EUROSOLAR, Deutscher Naturschutzring, Die Verbraucher Initiative, and IPPNW — which set certification criteria and provide institutional endorsement.

Its core mechanism is a certification regime under which energy providers pay per-kWh fees (minimum 0.5 cents/kWh residential, 0.1–0.4 cents/kWh commercial) that flow primarily into the Energiewende-Fonds, which disburses them to renewable energy and energy transition projects such as solar parks, heat pumps, and charging infrastructure. Independent audit is performed by GUTcert and validated by the association's board on a two-year cycle. The label applies stringent exclusion criteria — including, effective January 1, 2027, exclusion of providers involved in nuclear or coal-fired power generation.

The business model rests on certification fees from ~38 energy providers (covering 237 electricity tariffs as of 2025) and consumer switching routed through the vergleich-dich-gruen.de comparison portal, with outreach amplified by NGO networks, content marketing, and the Strom Aufwärts podcast. Reach metrics include 2.4 TWh of certified electricity and 713 GWh of certified gas with biogas blending in 2024, with over €117M invested across more than 2,100 energy transition projects since founding. In mid-2024 the association launched kompass:grün Consulting GmbH as a wholly owned subsidiary providing sustainability advisory services, and has announced the planned discontinuation of the Grünes Gas-Label by end of 2029 to concentrate on the electricity label.

Name

Gruner Strom Label E.v.

Legal name

Grüner Strom Label e.V.

Website

https://gruenerstromlabel.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grüner Strom Label e.V. is a Bonn-based non-profit association, founded in 1998 and backed by six major German environmental and consumer-protection organizations, that certifies green electricity and gas tariffs under the Grüner Strom and Grünes Gas labels. Energy providers pay per-kWh fees that fund renewable energy projects via the Energiewende-Fonds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Certification

NAICS

Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Natural Gas Distribution (22121)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards, Certification & Compliance (RECs/GOs, sustainability reporting) (EUAMANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

REC/GO Certification, Verification & Auditing (EAC Standards) (EUAMAKAB), Green Tariffs & Utility Renewable Supply Programs (EUAGADAJ), REC/GO Retail Supply & Green Tariffs (Bundled/Unbundled) (EUAMAKAF)

Keywords

• Green electricity certification
• Renewable energy labeling
• Biogas tariff certification
• Energy transition certification
• Eco electricity verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Certification fees from energy providers: Energy providers pay certification fees to obtain and maintain the Grüner Strom and Grünes Gas labels. The fees are structured per kilowatt-hour of certified electricity/gas sold (minimum 0.5 cents/kWh for residential, 0.1-0.4 cents/kWh for commercial customers). These fees fund the Energy Transition Fund that finances renewable energy projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Grüner Strom Label e.V. certifies green electricity and gas tariffs issued by energy providers, awarding the Grüner Strom-Label and Grünes Gas-Label quality marks. Energy providers paying per-kWh certification fees (minimum 0.5 cents/kWh for residential, 0.1–0.4 cents/kWh for commercial) commit a fixed amount per kilowatt-hour consumed into the Energiewende-Fonds, which finances approved renewable energy and energy transition projects. The association also operates the vergleich-dich-gruen.de comparison portal for consumers and, via its 2024 subsidiary kompass:grün Consulting GmbH, provides sustainability advisory services.

Product overview

Grüner Strom Label e.V. is a non-profit certification body that operates two main label products: the Grüner Strom-Label for eco-electricity tariffs and the Grünes Gas-Label for natural gas tariffs with biomethane blend. Both labels require energy providers to invest a fixed amount per kilowatt-hour consumed into renewable energy expansion and energy transition projects. The organization also manages an Energiewende-Fonds for project funding, operates the Vergleich-dich-grün.de comparison portal, publishes the Strom Aufwärts podcast, and organizes Energiewende2Go online events. A 2024 subsidiary, kompass:grün Consulting, provides sustainability advisory services. The Grünes Gas-Label is scheduled to be discontinued at the end of 2029, with focus shifting exclusively to the electricity label.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grüner Strom-Label: Certification label for green electricity tariffs that guarantees investment in renewable energy expansion and energy transition projects. Core criterion: fixed amount per kWh consumed flows into renewable energy projects.
• Grünes Gas-Label
• kompass:grün Consulting
• vergleich-dich-gruen.de

Products and services

• Grüner Strom-Label (Green Electricity Label) Certification label for green electricity tariffs issued to energy providers, requiring a fixed minimum investment per kilowatt-hour consumed into renewable energy expansion and energy transition projects. The label guarantees 100% renewable electricity supply and excludes providers involved in nuclear or coal-fired power generation. Available to energy providers seeking credible differentiation for their green electricity products.
• Grünes Gas-Label (Green Gas Label) Certification label for natural gas tariffs with at least 10% biomethane blending, requiring per-kWh investment in energy transition projects. Available to gas providers and scheduled for discontinuation by end of 2029 as part of the association's strategic focus shift toward electricity certification.
• kompass:grün Consulting GmbH sustainability advisory Paid sustainability and energy transition consulting services delivered through the wholly-owned subsidiary kompass:grün Consulting GmbH. Services cover climate strategy development and energy transition implementation across buildings, energy supply, and mobility for public-sector and common-good-oriented (gemeinwohlorientierte) clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.4 TWh of certified electricity in 2024 (750,000 households' consumption)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• co2onlinemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Non-profit consulting company partnered to integrate the vergleich-dich-gruen.de tariff comparison tool into co2online's website, expanding consumer access to certified green energy tariffs.
• GUTcertmajorTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Independent certification body that audits green electricity tariffs and produces verification reports, which are then validated by the association's board.
• kompass:grün Consulting GmbHcoreOthers · 1 January 2024Daughter company founded in mid-2024 to provide sustainability consulting services to public and common-good-oriented organizations. Offers climate strategy development and energy transition implementation support.
• NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998NABU is one of the founding supporting organizations (Trägerverbände) of the Grüner Strom Label e.V. The organization shapes certification criteria and provides endorsement for the label. NABU also collaborates on specific projects like the Nochten solar park biodiversity research.
• BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998BUND is a founding supporting organization that co-develops certification criteria and endorses the label to its members and supporters.
• EUROSOLARcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998EUROSOLAR initiated the founding of the Grüner Strom Label in 1998 and continues as a core supporting organization.
• Deutscher NaturschutzringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998German nature conservation ring is one of the Trägerverbände supporting the association.
• Die Verbraucher InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Consumer protection organization among the founding supporting organizations.
• IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Medical peace organization among the Trägerverbände.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• B Corp (Certified B Corporation): Global sustainability certification for companies with social and environmental performance standards; comparable as an adjacent third-party sustainability label infrastructure rather than a direct electricity tariff competitor.
• GUTcert (partner; independent certifier): Independent German certification body that actually performs the third-party audits underlying the Grüner Strom-Label; comparable as a verification services provider in the German eco-label and sustainability certification ecosystem.

Direct peers

• EKOenergy: European voluntary green electricity label that certifies renewable energy tariffs with additional environmental and social criteria, directly comparable to Grüner Strom in the international eco-label niche for energy providers and consumers.
• Green-e (Center for Resource Solutions): U.S. consumer-protection program certifying renewable electricity and gas products against strict environmental and disclosure criteria; structurally analogous to Grüner Strom as a third-party verification scheme for green tariffs.
• ok-Power: Direct German competitor: ok-Power is the other major independent green electricity label in Germany, certifying eco-tariffs against defined criteria and competing for the same energy-provider customers and label-conscious consumers that Grüner Strom Label serves.

Broad incumbents

• Dekra (sustainability/energy certification): Global testing and certification firm with energy and environmental verification services; overlaps with Grüner Strom in providing credibility infrastructure for green energy claims, though not a dedicated eco-electricity label.
• Carbon Trust (certification): International sustainability advisor and certifier offering certification schemes for low-carbon products and energy; comparable as a broad incumbent delivering third-party green certification services alongside the more focused Grüner Strom label.
• TÜV SÜD (energy certification services): Large global testing, inspection and certification body that audits energy and sustainability claims; overlaps with Grüner Strom through independent verification of green tariff criteria across multiple jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• Climate Neutral Certified (Change Climate Project): Third-party label certifying companies' climate neutrality through measurement, reduction and offsets; comparable to Grüner Strom as a voluntary consumer-facing sustainability mark, though focused on corporate carbon rather than utility tariffs.
• atmosfair: German non-profit providing certified carbon offset and green energy products (including ggf./green electricity tariffs) to consumers; competes in the same consumer-facing "genuinely green energy" niche but via offsets rather than investment-backed tariffs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/GSL_eV
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwNplVWptyFSbTxVTVpQw3w
• Facebookfacebook.com/GruenerStromEV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gruener-strom-label-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/gruenerstromlabel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Gruner Strom Label E.v.