Within sight of the Bundestag, the Alliance for the Future of Tyres (AZuR), of which NEW LIFE is also a member, set an exclamation mark for the circular tyre economy this morning - for sustainability in practice, for our environment and for our future. Under the motto "I am a circular tyre", a rally began at 11:00 a.m. on the corner of Ebertstraße and Straße des 17. Juni - right next to the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German history and future.
NEW LIFE network coordinator Christina Guth, who is personally in charge of the campaign stand, emphasises: "We want to show politicians and the public the enormous potential of the circular tyre economy - for climate protection, resource conservation and sustainable business in Germany and Europe."
Together with network partners AZuR, ZARE and RUNDERNEUERT, the NEW LIFE initiative will be demonstrating to visitors how new value can be created from used tyres: through repair, retreading, reprofiling and mechanical or chemical recycling.
What many people don't know: Around 47 million used tyres are produced in Germany every year - that's the equivalent of 504,000 tonnes of rubber. If you put them next to each other, that would be a distance of over 31,000 kilometres, almost a trip around the world. An enormous raw material potential that is still too often left unutilised.
NEW LIFE and its partners are working to change this. In Germany, AZuR and NEW LIFE partners are already keeping around 47.6% per cent of used tyres (and their raw materials) in circulation every year - significantly more than the global circular economy rate of just 7.2 per cent.
In Germany alone, the tyre recycling industry avoids over 250,000 tonnes of waste per year, contributes to reducing CO2 emissions by tens of thousands of tonnes, conserves limited natural resources, saves energy and reduces Germany's dependence on raw material imports. At the same time, the medium-sized companies in the tyre recycling industry with short regional supply chains contribute to increasing regional economic power, creating and securing jobs in Berlin and the federal states.
Today's Berlin campaign aims to show that the circular tyre economy is more than just a technical solution - it is an example of sustainability, innovation and responsibility in action. "We are circular runners - and we are making it clear that sustainable management has long been a reality in Germany," emphasises AZuR network coordinator Anna-Maria Guth. "Our goal is clear: to keep 100 per cent of tyres in the cycle."