Circular economy could reduce raw material consumption by 68% by 2050 - report

Circular business models can make a significant contribution to meeting Germany’s climate targets, according to a report issued by Germany’s education and research ministry. The “Circular Economy Roadmap” summarises how a circular economy could make climate neutrality achievable by 2050, Susanne Ehlerding writes in Tagesspiegel Background. The education and research ministry launched its Circular Economy Initiative Deutschland (CEID) in 2018 to lead a science-based discourse about the potentials of a circular economy in Germany and offer recommendations to political leaders. The roadmap, presented by the CEID on Tuesday, summarises how such a model could work. “It can be a holistic solution for the interrelated system crises of climate change, resource overuse and species extinction,” Ehlerding points out. The earlier the cycle in the value chain begins, the higher the potential for savings, according to the roadmap. A comprehensive circular economy with strong recycling, long service lives and high energy efficiency can reduce the consumption of primary raw materials by 68 percent by 2050 compared to 2018, significantly reducing CO2 emissions, the study found. In the area of electric mobility, for example, the roadmap presents three goals that are central to adopting a circular economy model: Knowledge of the battery life and a so-called battery passport, a platform for modeling the best re-use at the end of its service life and a dismantling network that precisely adapts the recycling infrastructure to market developments. Industry groups are also hopeful that a bustling recycling market will emerge due to the immense value better recycled green technology has to offer.