VOICES FROM POLITICS AND BUSINESS
We wanted to know what politicians think about the circular economy. We put ten questions to Marie-Luise Dött, environmental policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag,
and Dr Bettina Hoffmann, Spokesperson for Environmental Policy and Environmental Health Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen. Stephan Rau, Technical Managing Director of the German Rubber Industry Association (wdk) was interviewed on behalf of the recycling industry.
Marie-Luise Dött
Editorial office: Why are you in favour of the circular economy?
Marie-Luise Dött: The further expansion of the circular economy and resource efficiency are key areas of environmental policy action. This is not only ecologically sensible, but also economically necessary. We are a country with few raw materials and we are world export champions in many areas of circular economy technologies.
Editorial office: On a scale of 1 to 100 - How far have we got with our efforts?
Marie-Luise Dött: I see us at around 80 in an international comparison.
Editorial office: What efforts are politicians currently making to further develop the topic?
Marie-Luise Dött: We are consistently developing the legal framework for the circular economy. In doing so, we are increasing the collection rates for different types of waste and ensuring environmentally friendly disposal. For example, in this legislative period we are amending the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act, the Batteries Act, the Packaging Act and the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act. We will implement the EU Commission's Single-Use Plastics Directive with an ordinance and the Waste Oil Ordinance has already been adopted.
Editorial office: Are the efforts sufficient?
Marie-Luise Dött: Compared to other European countries, we in Germany have come a long way in the area of the circular economy. But nothing is so good that it can't get even better.
Editorial office: What do you think is still missing to speed up progress on the topic?
Marie-Luise Dött: The most important point is to strengthen material recycling. There is no point in separating, collecting and sorting at excessive cost if the materials cannot be put on the market in the end. In my view, we should look at certain sectors and examine the possibilities for reusing recyclates. These vary from sector to sector. The opportunities are certainly greater for materials used in civil engineering, such as pipes, than for food packaging. In addition
The legal framework needs to be considered. We cannot produce more and more recyclates and at the same time ensure that they are not used by tightening the law. can be. In my view, an important approach is public procurement. Here we must at least ensure equal treatment of recyclates in tenders.
Editorial office: Where are the hurdles to achieving a perfect circular economy in Germany?
Marie-Luise Dött: As I said, we are already very good by international standards. As with many other issues, the circular economy also has conflicting objectives with other areas, such as soil protection, health protection, chemical safety and food safety. We have to find ways to remove pollutants from the cycles and at the same time keep as much material as possible in the cycle. We are on the way.
Editorial office: What are the difficulties with regard to the circular economy for end-of-life tyres (ELT)?
Marie-Luise Dött: Used tyres are a resource, not waste. They can be a source of material for new products or at least a source of energy. Today, materials from used tyres are used in the rubber industry, in the steel industry and for cement production. Due to existing quality requirements, recycled material is only used to a limited extent in the production of new tyres. If you look at the scale of waste tyres, then it is worth strengthening research and development in this area. This relates to waste recycling, but also to extending the useful life of tyres.
Editorial office: What do you want for the future?
Marie-Luise Dött: I would like to see more objectivity in the discussion. Conflicting objectives with other protected goods must be named and decided. And I would like to see less symbolic politics. For example, I can only ban products if I have a better ecological substitute. And then I would like to see greater international cooperation. We can help other countries to set up waste management and disposal infrastructure. That helps the countries and also supports our companies and creates jobs in Germany.
Bettina Hoffmann
Editorial office: Why are you in favour of the circular economy?
Bettina Hoffmann: Germany is a country rich in raw materials! We just need to utilise the huge raw material potential that lies dormant in old electrical appliances or buildings, for example. In order to achieve this, we want to create a genuine circular economy. The basis for this is waste avoidance, complete collection of recyclable materials, reuse and high-quality recycling. We need to move away from "waste" and towards "recyclables" in closed cycles. This helps us to conserve natural resources and protect the climate.
Editorial office: On a scale of 1 to 100 - How far have we got with our efforts?
Bettina Hoffmann: Scientists have calculated this in the Circularity Gap Report: Globally, only 8.6 per cent of raw materials are used in any form.
form in the cycle. Germany is above the global average. In this country, around 14 per cent of production is covered by recycled raw materials, but that is still an extremely long way from a genuine circular economy. The situation in Germany is even worse when it comes to plastic. Only six per cent of new plastic products are made from recycled materials. This is according to a study commissioned by the plastics industry. Against the backdrop of the Paris climate targets, this is of course completely inadequate.
Editorial office: The German government has presented a draft for a Circular Economy Act - are the efforts sufficient?
Bettina Hoffmann: In view of the huge challenges: No. The German government has been neglecting the circular economy for years. The German government only presented the amendment to the Circular Economy Act because it has to implement European law. It has not yet launched any serious legislative initiative on its own initiative.
The German government has not yet put in place any measures that could substantially promote the circular economy. It is also a missed opportunity that the circular economy was not included in the German government's latest climate package.
role has played.
Editorial office: What do you think is still missing to speed up progress on the topic?
Bettina Hoffmann: Product design is crucial to the success of a genuine circular economy. Many products today are manufactured in such a way that, at the end of their useful life
can often only be incinerated. This is a blatant waste of valuable resources. The EU Commission has made initial proposals for better product legislation.
The Federal Government must absolutely support these proposals. Resource-saving and recyclable product design must become the norm.
become the legal standard in the EU. Necessary
The new regulations also include binding requirements for repairability and reprocessing as well as higher legal minimum standards for the durability of products.
Editorial office: How can the trend towards digitalisation support a circular economy?
Bettina Hoffmann: I see digitalisation as part of Industry 4.0 as a great opportunity for a genuine circular economy. In order to be able to recycle all the components from a telephone, a table or a detached house to a high standard, it must be clear what was used in them. Hazardous substances that could harm our health or the environment should not be used at all.
are not used or, in the case of materials used today, are consistently channelled out. We need digital product passports that record which substances are contained in a product. With such data, material flows and supply chains can be tracked and an overview created for today's products become tomorrow's raw material stores. The German government should now launch a funding programme so that companies can use the coronavirus crisis to make their digital infrastructure fit for the circular economy.
Editorial office: What challenges do you see in the tyre industry with regard to the circular economy?
Bettina Hoffmann: Here, too, the focus is on sustainable product design: high-quality, durable tyres with low abrasion can be given a second or third life through retreading. However, it is also important that worn tyres are collected without gaps. At the moment, however, it is cheaper to burn used tyres as substitute fuel in cement works. We need financial incentives here to make retreading and recycling tyres economically attractive. The public sector could also set a good example and equip company vehicles with retreaded tyres.
Editorial office: So used tyres are better recycled?
Bettina Hoffmann: Further material utilisation is generally preferable to incineration, but all environmental impacts must be taken into account. We must not forget that tyre abrasion is a major source of microplastics in our environment. Today, rubber granulate obtained from used tyres is used on sports fields. I think this is wrong and that we should look for environmentally friendly substitute materials that are suitable for sports. I believe that we should think about the biological cycle and take precautionary measures, especially when it comes to plastic applications such as tyres, which are permanently in the environment.
Editorial office: What do you want for the future?
Bettina Hoffmann: We are currently experiencing a comprehensive sustainability crisis with the symptoms of global warming, species extinction and plastic pollution of the environment. We need to be aware of this and urgently bring about change. We can turn the tide with a socio-ecological reform that focuses on the United Nations' sustainability goals and the Paris climate targets. To this end, we should utilise all our strengths and the many investments that are now pending to strengthen the economy.
I want to leave my children and grandchildren a planet worth living on and a peaceful world.
Stephan Rau
Editorial office: Why are you in favour of the circular economy?
Stephan Rau: The economy - together with other players such as politics and society - has an important task: we must find ways to use limited resources responsibly. There is virtually no alternative to recycling used tyres. Recycling is fundamentally an important livelihood for future generations and creates many jobs. In the long term, circular economy products will no longer be the exception, but the rule. Whether Germany is a resource-poor or resource-rich country depends entirely on your perspective, as the answers from Ms Dött and Dr Hoffmann show. And I don't think we are that far apart in the end: every raw material extracted or imported must be used for as long as possible, because Germany is poor in raw materials but rich in secondary raw materials. This is possible with the products of NEW LIFE partners: whether as sports flooring, for acoustic solutions, as design objects, for load securing or in building protection. Products made of ELT have different faces.
Editorial office: On a scale of 1 to 100 - How far have we got with our efforts?
Stephan Rau: That depends on the market you are looking at. In our opinion, we are on the right track for the ELT market. I think we are halfway there
behind us and are at around 50, because there is still a lot to do on the political side. This includes putting recycled materials on an equal footing with new products in terms of approval under building law. should be - or ideally even favoured! What we need is a clearly defined end-of-waste scenario, preferably Europe-wide. Incidentally, other countries such as Italy and Portugal are ahead of us in this respect.
Editorial office: What efforts are politicians currently making to further develop the topic?
Stephan Rau: The current amendment to the Circular Economy Act is exactly the right approach. However, it is also important for the increased use of recycled products that sustainability is not only taken into account in public tenders. There should also be specifications for private construction projects that require the use of sustainable materials.
Editorial office: Are the efforts sufficient?
Stephan Rau: No, we still have a long way to go. This concerns not only politics, but also society. Fundamentally, we need to create an awareness of genuine sustainability and ultimately bring about a change in behaviour at the end of this process. Each and every individual must feel that they have a role to play and commit to the cause: In the private sphere, but also in procurement at the workplace and a commitment, for example, as part of the NEW LIFE initiative.
Editorial office: What do you think is still missing to speed up progress on the topic?
Stephan Rau: In my opinion, it is imperative that all government bodies take their responsibility for a circular economy seriously. The tension between the economic interests of the industry and consumer protection is taken very seriously by the entire sector. However, we must not allow regulations to be put in place that hinder the further development of the circular economy.
Editorial office: Where are the hurdles to achieving a perfect circular economy in Germany?
Stephan Rau: I have already addressed this point: I think that politics and business need to pull together even more. No unfounded obstacles should be created by the authorisation authorities. Instead, I would like to look at the current state of research together and develop solutions that enable sustainability. Consumer protection is currently high on the political agenda, with new restrictions seemingly being imposed on impulse. This is to the detriment of industry, jeopardises jobs and ultimately undermines a progressive circular economy. What's more, the media have little interest in setting the record straight and are almost fuelling false information policies.
Editorial office: What are the difficulties with regard to the circular economy for end-of-life tyres (ELT)?
Stephan Rau: The volume of used tyres will tend to increase in the future, but ELT products still have to undergo extremely long approval procedures. The aim should be to make these procedures as short and pragmatic as possible. Companies that have found innovative solutions for utilising ELT should be supported in this. In addition, research and development at universities, but also in companies, should be promoted. Investment in research and development for the purpose of health protection is already
above average compared to the size of the industry. This should be recognised and supported by politicians.
Editorial office: What do you want for the future?
Stephan Rau: I would like to see society as a whole recognise that recycling and recycled products are indispensable. For my work, I hope that we will be able to expand cooperation between politics, business and associations even further. An axis-orientated result can only be achieved if all stakeholders are in constant and constructive dialogue. This is another reason why we founded the NEW LIFE initiative. I look forward to exciting dialogues and discussions!
