This year, Earth Overshoot Day falls on 24 July - on this day, humanity has used up all the natural resources that our planet can regenerate within a year. Since 24 July, we have been living at the expense of future generations until the end of the year. Earth Overshoot Day moves forward every year - a clear sign that our global consumption of resources is not sustainable.
But there are solutions. NEW LIFE stands for a forward-looking, climate-friendly circular economy. Our initiative shows how sustainable resource conservation can work in practice. The recycling of used tyres makes a sustainable contribution to protecting the environment and climate.
Jedes Jahr fallen in Deutschland mehr als 500.000 Tonnen Altreifen an, von denen über 200.000 Tonnen der klimagerechten stofflichen Verwertung zugeführt werden. Das vermeidet jährlich mehr als 200.000 Tonnen Abfall, hält wertvolle Rohstoffe wie Kautschuk/Gummi, Stahldraht und Textilfasern im Kreislauf und schont die natürlichen Ressourcen. Jede recycelte Tonne Altreifen spart zudem (gegenüber der thermischen Verwertung) rund 700 kg CO₂(*Info). Das ist echter Klimaschutz – made in Germany.
Over 140,000 tonnes of rubber are recovered from used tyres every year and used to manufacture durable, sustainable products. The product spectrum ranges from fall protection for playgrounds and elastic flooring for running tracks, paths, squares, balconies and terraces to noise protection and structural protection for green roofs.
Recycled products made from used tyre rubber granulate consist of up to 95 % of secondary raw materials. Particularly important: the rubber granulate bound in the products can be recycled again at the end of its useful life. This means that the raw material remains in the cycle and can be utilised several times.
Conclusion: Earth Overshoot Day is a warning signal - but also a call to action. With NEW LIFE, we are demonstrating how the circular economy can work - and how new paths can be created from old tyres.