Ruhr Metropolis

Ruhr Metropolis: The transition from industry to a green economy

Combining business with sustainability: The Ruhr metropolis wants to set standards in ecological transformation and has set itself the goal of becoming the greenest industrial region in the world.

The Ruhr region is already strong in innovations for the transformation: According to a study by the Wuppertal Institute from 2021, the Ruhr metropolis is, for example, a leader in geothermal energy and hydrogen technology and therefore has good prerequisites for sustainable economic activity.

In addition, 80,000 trainees and 260,000 students at a total of 22 universities and over 60 non-university research institutions form a pool of highly qualified specialists for the transformation of the region.

Transformation into the green industrial region of the future 

The industrial core forms the basis of the transformation: E.ON, RWE, Thyssen-Krupp, and Vonovia, four DAX-listed companies, are among the region's 160,000 businesses, some of which are world-renowned and hidden champions. They employ a total of approximately 320,000 people subject to social security contributions.

Numerous new businesses are driving growth in future-oriented economic sectors: According to the Ruhr Economic Report 2020, there are now over 1,000 more companies operating in the healthcare and energy sectors than in 2010.

Companies active in key markets employ a particularly large number of people: These include healthcare (353,000), urban living and construction (206,000), and mobility (185,000). Furthermore, revenue growth in the key market of digital communication is eleven percent.

The ambitious goal of becoming the "greenest industrial region in the world" is receiving a boost from the "Green Infrastructure 2030" initiative. This initiative will further expand the network of green spaces and open areas in the Ruhr region. In line with this, the Ruhr metropolis will host the first decentralized International Garden Exhibition (IGA) in 2027, with a total investment volume of 84 million euros.

Business Metropole Ruhr (BMR) serves as a contact point for companies and investors, publishing, among other things, the Ruhr Economic Report annually. This subsidiary of the Regional Association Ruhr (RVR) develops and markets the region, acting as a supportive and driving force for its four districts and eleven cities. In addition to regional economic development and location marketing, internationalization is one of BMR's main tasks.

The RVR (Regional Association Ruhr) is the planning, shaping, and moderating body for the region. The Ruhr Parliament was directly elected by the citizens of the Ruhr area for the first time in 2020.

Ruhr Metropolis overview

Innovation and startups in the Ruhr Metropolis

The content was compiled with the kind support of NRW.innovativ.

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