According to a recent NEW LIFE survey, the use of climate-friendly building materials and recycled materials plays a key role in sustainable urban planning. More than 80 per cent of the architects and urban planners surveyed have already used recycled products in urban planning projects - predominantly for paths, terraces, coverings and fall protection surfaces in children's playgrounds. We have summarised the most important results of the survey in a Greenpaper summarised.

For more than 87 per cent of the 101 respondents, sustainability has become more important in urban development. Around 75 per cent of participants consider the use of recycled products to be important or very important. The more recycled products (for example from tyre rubber granulate) are used in architecture and urban development, the better for the climate, people and the environment. This is because their use helps to keep valuable raw materials in circulation, conserve natural resources, reduce CO₂-emissions and avoid waste.

According to Section 45 of the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG), federal authorities are obliged to give preference in construction projects and other contracts to products that have been manufactured using production processes that conserve raw materials, save energy, save water, are low in pollutants or low in waste, have been produced by recycling waste and are characterised by their durability. High-quality recycled products made from used tyre rubber granulate largely fulfil the legal requirements. They are durable, easy to clean, weather-resistant, resource-saving and help to reduce CO₂-emissions. Every tonne of used tyres that is recycled in an environmentally friendly way (and not incinerated) saves around 700 kg of CO₂-emissions.