STIHL measures the impact of environmental actions across 20 ha with 49 species

Before Hula

One baseline, one direct comparison

STIHL had already installed nesting aids and insect hotels and created flowering strips and orchard meadows at its industrial site in Waiblingen. What the company did not know was which actions were working and how species diversity differed between ecologically managed zones and heavily sealed areas such as car parks.

The question became more important with every additional site. Each country would otherwise require a suitable local expert, an aligned methodology and reports in different formats that were difficult to compare. This was precisely the challenge STIHL faced as it prepared to roll the approach out to further locations.

The Hula solution

Two sensors, one direct comparison

STIHL launched a project with Hula at one of its 20-hectare industrial sites, where environmental actions had already been implemented. The goal was to establish a baseline and compare bird presence between differently managed and highly urbanised areas. The process is fully automated, requires no manual surveys and creates no additional workload for STIHL's team.

• Two BioT sensors for acoustic monitoring
• Monitoring period: August to November 2025
• Acoustic monitoring with AI-assisted analysis
• Direct comparison between ecological management zones and sealed or urbanised areas such as car parks
• Designed for long-term comparison of biodiversity development over several years

The Hula impact

Numerical evidence of effectiveness – with less staff effort

Between August and November 2025, 49 bird species were recorded across the 20-hectare site in more than 6,000 detections. The most frequently detected species was the European robin, with 925 detections. Clear, measurable differences in species presence emerged between ecological management zones and heavily sealed areas such as car parks.

These figures provide the first hard evidence that the implemented actions are working. They show which areas genuinely contribute to species diversity instead of relying on assumptions. STIHL can now evaluate nesting aids, insect hotels and flowering strips individually, target future investments more precisely, and feed the results directly into ESG reporting and EU Taxonomy criteria.

The success in Waiblingen became the starting point for a wider rollout: STIHL is now extending the approach to five international sites. Because Hula replaces separate external mapping at each site and delivers results in one consistent format, the internal coordination and preparation normally required at each location is eliminated. This represents an estimated staff-capacity saving of approximately €42,500 per year and site.

"These insights allow us to compare company sites worldwide and set concrete biodiversity targets that we can work towards transparently. What we did not expect was the enthusiasm and engagement of our employees."
Dr. Friedemann Stock, Vice President Sustainability