highlights / 10.10.2019

Our plastic packaging waste is preserved for centuries and pollutes the oceans, unless it is burned. Since the presentation of the Ellen McArthur Foundation at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2018, no one seriously denies this and has triggered disruptive changes. What was once dismissed as an issue for tree huggers is developing into innovative business models in many industries....

Circular Economy, recycling / 03.02.2019

The world around us continues to be in a state of flux - with new innovations and technologies being developed across the globe every day. Digitalization revolutionized modern living and changed the way we work. The phenome of a throwaway society is worldwide. Even the developing countries show a rapid growth in mobile devices. This trend is nowhere else more obvious than in India. India's smartphone market hugely relies on the low and mid-range “budget phones”, which are designed as littering products. These range of products is regularly upgraded...

/ 13.01.2019

The Berliner Recycling- und Rohstoffkonferenz is organized by TK-Verlag together with Professor Dr.-Ing. Daniel Goldmann from Technische Universität Clausthal and Professor Dr.-Ing. Dr. h. c. Bernd Friedrich from  RWTH Aachen. On the plenary session on the first day, political, judicial and strategic speeches will be held and discussed with the participants....

Circular Economy / 01.08.2018

Carbon is bad for the climate; that’s now common knowledge. But there is also “good” carbon, which makes it possible for us to store CO2and helps us to cool the climate down. The ‘Fachverband Pflanzenkohle’ [Specialist Association for Vegetable Carbon] now intends to provide information and support for “good” carbon. Dr Susanne Vester, Chairperson of the Fachverband Pflanzenkohle, explained to me everything that the “good” vegetable carbon is capable of and how it is produced:   “Vegetable carbon has many properties! It is used as an additive in skin cream, feed,...

Circular Economy, highlights / 08.06.2018

80% of the world’s phosphorus is found in natural mines in just four countries on the planet. Only a handful of companies in the world produce phosphorus. Europe and Germany in particular is the most dependent on imports, specifically by 95%. Neither deposits nor production capacities can be considered to be secure. In addition, phosphorus thins out and virtually disappears on the earth, as it is repeatedly dispersed. This is because 90% of the phosphorus mined as phosphate ore is used in food manufacturing. However, out of the...

recycling / 02.03.2018

Part 1 of series: Eco-design for plastic packaging and the errors that can be avoided We associate the words “natural” or, at the very least, “environmentally friendly” with the term “organic”. And this does not just apply to food but also to packaging. Yet, there are surprises awaiting even there. In the case of yoghurt, for example. Of course, it is not just in health food stores but also in supermarkets where you will find pots of delicious yoghurt with inciting packaging designed to draw attention to a healthy...

Circular Economy / 26.02.2018

500 managers, plant operators and manufacturers of waste incineration systems, discussed the demise of their own sector at the Waste Management and Energy Conference in Berlin on 29 January 2018. Because Zero Waste and a functioning circular economy actually mean the end of waste incineration. Of course, this is not an option for the sector. Which line of business is undermining itself? Prof Michael Braungart therefore presented a second vision, according to which waste, which is piling up to mountainous heights all over the world, like electronic waste in...

recycling / 01.02.2018

Peter Kurth, President of the Federal Association of the German Disposal, Water and Raw Materials Management (BDE) addressed a change of circular economy in the newspaper Welt. The most important argument was left out tough: There is value from waste. A critical response:   Question: Would you burn money? Lemke: Since China is returning plastic waste to its sender, the German managers of waste incineration plants are happy, they do not have a problem firing them. At least 600.000 tons of plastic waste were shipped to China according to the German...

recycling / 24.01.2018

44 electrical appliances, 12 energy-saving light bulbs, 33 lights, half a car and 40 batteries are accrued per person in Europe - a total of around 250 kg. These data show once again the challenge of the circular economy and provide yet further evidence of the need for a raw material transition. At least we have this data now: Up to now, tracing material flows on the subject of waste electronic and electrical equipment represented a huge challenge for companies, scientists, authorities and NGOs. A significant step has now...

recycling / 23.01.2018

Today, the EU presented its new rules on plastic packaging, according to which all packaging should be made recyclable. Up to now, we Germans have been considered the world champions in recycling. Sounds great, doesn’t it?! But is it true? Maybe it's true that we are among world leaders in terms of the amount of recycled materials. But this tells us nothing about the quality of upcycling! Plastic packaging does not have the best reputation, although we use it daily and more and more food and other goods are...

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