NEW LIFE initiative is committed to the circular economy - recycling old tyres
Willich, 15.09.2020 Business, politics and society have an important task: they must find ways to use limited resources responsibly. The NEW LIFE initiative is committed to the circular economy (Waste tyre recycling), specialising in the manufacture of products from end-of-life tyres (ELT). In Germany and Europe, tyres are - quite rightly - not allowed to be landfilled. The remaining alternatives are the avoidance of used tyres, which will hardly be possible at least in the medium term, reuse, for example in the form of retreading, material recycling and thermal recycling. The reuse of tyres is hardly feasible under the current economic conditions. In order to avoid incineration and thus the destruction of valuable raw materials, the partners of the NEW LIFE initiative are committed to the recycling of used tyres: ELT granulate is turned into a wide range of durable products, from playground flooring to vases and insulation materials.
Livelihood Recycling used tyres
Our society is faced with the major challenge of maintaining a standard of living that corresponds to today's as resources become increasingly scarce. Recycling is fundamentally an important basis of existence for future generations and creates many jobs. In the long term, circular economy products (used tyre recycling) will no longer be the exception, but the rule. Every extracted or imported raw material must be used for as long as possible, because Germany is poor in raw materials but rich in secondary raw materials. In this context, there is virtually no alternative to recycling used tyres.
Distribution of recycled waste tyre products
The current amendment to the Circular Economy Act forms a good basis for the increased use of recycled products. However, it only provides for sustainability to be taken into account in public tenders. The aim must be to make the use of sustainable materials mandatory for private construction projects as well. Recycled materials should be placed on an equal footing with new products in terms of approval under building law - or ideally even favoured.
At the same time, a fundamental awareness of genuine sustainability must be created in society, including a change in behaviour. Every single person must feel that they have a role to play and make a commitment to greater sustainability, whether in the private sphere or in procurement at work. An important prerequisite for this is that all government bodies take their responsibility for the circular economy seriously and that no more regulations are put in place that hinder the further development of the circular economy: Consumer protection is currently high on the political agenda, and there are always new requirements regarding the use of recycled products. This is detrimental to the industry, jeopardises jobs and ultimately undermines a progressive circular economy. Politics and business should work together to analyse the current state of research and develop solutions that enable sustainability.
About NEW LIFE - Waste tyre recycling:
NEW LIFE's partners are Conradi+Kaiser living industries, Estato Umweltservice, Genan, KRAIBURG Relastec, KURZ Karkassenhandel, Melos, MRH and REGUPOL BSW. In Germany alone, around 583,000 tonnes of used tyres are generated each year that need to be recycled. The used tyre recycling products obtained from this, in particular rubber granules and powder, are ideal for the resource-saving development of innovative products in a wide range of applications. These partner companies of the NEW LIFE campaign have set themselves the goal of promoting sustainable products made from ELT and sensitising people to conscious consumption.
