Munich Startup: When we last spoke, you said that with Ecoturn you want to conclude more corporate cooperationsBut that was before your market completely changed. What exactly happened to the GHG quota?
Marc Schubert, EcoturnThe GHG quota (greenhouse gas reduction quota) is an environmental policy instrument aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It obliges companies that use fossil fuels to reduce emissions. To achieve this, oil companies can take offsetting measures, for example, through biofuels, which are less CO2-intensive than fossil fuels, or through the purchase of electric vehicle certificates. We, Elektrovorteil, act as a pooling service provider between electric vehicle owners and oil companies. We handle the entire process, from applying for CO2 certificates to paying the so-called GHG premium.
In 2022, trading certificates for an electric car could generate €400 in revenue, while today it's only around €80. Therefore, many companies are forced to operate to their limits or even beyond in order to offer customers the highest possible premium. The price decline, which has persisted for over 1.5 years, is primarily caused by allegedly fraudulent climate protection projects abroad, as recently revealed. was reported by investigative research by Frontal 21The European quota market is being flooded with an oversupply from China. One blatant example shows a chicken coop instead of a Chinese climate protection project. But there is also clear evidence of adulterated "biodiesel," in which palm oil, which is actually banned in the EU, is used as the starting material for the innovative fuel. Environment Minister Steffi Lemke speaks of serious environmental crime. But the damage has already been done, as GHG quota rates won't recover anytime soon. Such fraudulent activities not only jeopardize the achievement of our climate goals but also harm the German startup industry.
At Ecoturn, electric car quota has a fixed customer
Munich Startup: And how has this affected your business?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: The current situation is particularly critical for startups. Numerous young companies operating in the GHG quota trading sector face existential threats due to volatile market conditions and intense price pressure. Without rapid and effective measures to stabilize the market, many innovative startups could be forced to cease their activities. Fortunately, our business model was designed from the outset for large volumes and the highest possible degree of automation. We We have streamlined many processes and continue to work meticulously on this. At the same time, we have increased our market share. We have successfully expanded our network of companies subject to quotas and secured long-term customer contracts early on, rather than speculating on potential quota sales prices. This allows us to guarantee that every electric car quota already has a fixed customer. "Profitable by default," so to speak. This prevents us from ending up without a customer at the end of the day, as has happened to other companies in the past. These and other measures ensure our profitability and long-term stability.
Munich Startup: Under these circumstances, were you still able to finalize the planned corporate collaborations? What exactly do they look like?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: Yes, as mentioned before, we successfully made early efforts to adjust the right parameters internally. At the same time, we expanded our partnerships. This means that we're often found in the sales journey of well-known companies. This benefits all three parties: the customer, who can conveniently use multiple services; the partner company, which can use the GHG quota product for its customers as an acquisition and retention tool; and ultimately, for us, as well, which expands our core business. We're also scaling into every other market that adopts the GHG quota in a similar form. For example, we've been rolling out in Austria since last year.
Ecoturn and other quota platforms founded the Federal Association
Munich Startup: What options do you have as a startup when your own market is changing so radically?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: Compared to the larger corporations, we obviously have only limited real influence on market developments. Certainly not on our own. Therefore, last year we joined forces with several other quota platforms and founded the Federal Association of GHG Quotas (Bundesverband THG Quota e.V.). Our goal is to represent interests, exert political influence, and lobby. We hope to create a counterbalance. It's still a very young market—through proactive action, we can work with our competitors to develop a fair and sustainable marketplace for GHG quota trading.
We also focus on our strengths. These lie in flexibility. As long as we have this flexibility, we can react as a team. At the same time, our creativity is immense and very important. Furthermore, as already mentioned, we can continually review processes, expenses, etc. internally. The sum of all of this ultimately ensures another successful fiscal year.
“We continue to focus on our core business”
Munich Startup: What do you do now?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: We continue to focus on our core business. To offer our customers a better and more comprehensive experience, we have successively released several great features over the past few months:
- For example, we offer a IT interface for charging infrastructure and fleet systemsThis API enables simple, automated data transfer for applying for the GHG quota at the push of a button. This ensures that our customers don't lose a single kilowatt-hour of charging or a single car.
- We also offer a Client functionIt allows for differentiated GHG quota applications for subsidiaries or on behalf of other companies. Credit creation is also separate here.
- White label version: As part of a sales partnership, we also offer a white-label version of our product. This also provides our customers' customers with a seamless experience with e-mobility services.
- Export functions: For evaluations and other uses, we offer some export functions in the most popular formats.
Of course, we are also exploring opportunities to expand our product portfolio with additional services. More to come – You are welcome to follow us on Linkedin.
Munich Startup: And how are things looking financially for you?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: We're well positioned so far. As a first mover, we were in the comfortable position to build up reserves. At the same time, our self-financing allows us to be independent, as no bank or investors as external stakeholders influence our day-to-day operations. If necessary, we also offer our individual and large customers direct payment of the GHG premium as an additional business model. We can manage this from our own resources, as we were able to build up our liquidity at the beginning. Combined with automation and a capable and reliable team, the current situation is positive.
“The rollout in Austria was just the beginning”
Munich Startup: What milestones are you working towards next?
Marc Schubert, Ecoturn: We have an ambitious target for annual volume, but we're already looking ahead to next year and aim to outdo ourselves. Additional customer-friendly services are currently being developed, and we look forward to making them available to all customers soon. The recent rollout in Austria was just the beginning and a kind of attempt to enter another market. As soon as the course is set for other countries, we want to devote our full energy to them as well. Hopefully, this will be the case by 2025.
