Moderated by PlasticsEurope Deutschland, leading experts have drawn up recommendations for action for the German government's National Circular Economy Strategy.

The recommendations for action for a circular economy with plastics developed by the expert group with representatives from science and research in the first half of 2022 are intended to initiate a discussion process and actively accompany the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKRWS) agreed in the coalition agreement of the German government as well as the transformation, according to a press release of PlasticsEurope Deutschland, the association of plastics producers, on the publication. Despite current challenges, the industry is determined to drive the transformation to a circular economy, according to its association. The key technologies needed to fully close the carbon cycle were already in place, it says. In the coming years, the focus must be on scaling them up quickly and implementing technologies and business models for a climate-neutral circular economy. PlasticsEurope Germany actively supports the development of a national strategy that considers all regulations for strengthening a circular economy together, says Ingemar Bühler, CEO of the association, on the presentation of the recommendations for action and a concept for a circular economyPLUS. According to Dr. Alexander Kronimus, head of the Climate Protection and Circular Economy Business Unit at PlasticsEurope Germany, the addition "PLUS" goes back to the concept of a holistic and sustainable system change: "Decisive progress, for example in mechanical and chemical recycling, is one thing. But if we want to close the circle completely and operate in a truly sustainable manner, we need to think beyond this: a non-fossil raw material base, for example with the help of the use of CO2 with hydrogen and sustainably certified biomass, is just as necessary as a circular product design. We would like to express this with the term circular economyPLUS". The experts involved in developing the recommendations for action include for example Prof. Dr. André Bardow, Professor of Energy and Process Systems Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr.- Ing. Christian Hopmann, Head of the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Stapf, Head of the Institute of Technical Chemistry (ITC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Dr. Henning Wilts, Head of Department of Circular Economy, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy gGmbH.

 

Further information: to download the recommendations for action (in German)

 

Sources:

• Pressrelease PlasticsEurope Deutschland (Oct. 10, 2022)
• Image: © PlasticsEurope Deutschland