FAKTENGALERIE
Man muss nicht alles wissen. Man muss nur wissen, wo es steht
Beim Thema Nachhaltigkeit wimmelt es nur so von Informationen. Wer da den Überblick behalten will, muss sich ganz schön reinfuchsen und recherchieren. Oder einfach hier Stück für Stück nach unten scrollen. Wir haben diverse Nachhaltigkeitsfakten für Sie zusammengetragen. Übersichtlich in Kategorien aufgeteilt.
CLIMATE CHANGE
There is an overwhleming consensus among scientists that we are currently experiencing a phase of climate chance caused by human activity. In fact, the Anthropocene - the name given to the current epoche - is, in general, having a serious impact on our planet.
Looking at the situation today, 1.7 Planet Earths are effectively needed to sustainably cover the demand of the world’s population for raw material
The amount of waste generated in Germany every year (as of 2022)
The volume of household waste per capita in Germany (as of 2022)
The global temperature has risen by 1.55°C since the beginning of the industrial age (as of 2024). No other period of warming has been as fast as this over the last 66 million years in our planet’s history
The three warmest years since records began* have all occurred after 2015
*compared to pre-industrial levels
The expected rise in temperature caused by man-made emissions by the end of the 21st Century: 4 – 5°C. The only comparable period over the last 10,000 years is the postglacial temperature increase
The speed of global warming is around 100 times greater than was the case with natural climate changes that occurred in the past
Europe wishes to be climate-neutral by 2050. Germany has set itself an even earlier date, namely 2045
Methane (CH4) is 25 times more damaging than CO2 making it
the most potent greenhouse gas
If global warming is to be restricted to 1.5°C, then the volumes of methane in the atmosphere must sink by 35% between 2010 and 2050
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS
One of the most promising ways to tackle climate change is to ensure that the raw materials that are being used are recovered and reused again and again. This enables huge volumes of carbon emissions to be saved.
Take a look at the recycled raw materials website
How natural raw materials are conserved by REMONDIS’ recycling activities
Recycled raw materials are up to 40 times less energy intensive – making them more climate neutral!
Energy savings during production processes
(per tonne of recycled material used)
According to estimates, materials recycling operations around the world save over 100 terawatt-hours of primary energy every year
This is equivalent to the average amount of electricity consumed by around 32 million private households in Germany
50 million tonnes of CO2 are currently being saved in Germany thanks to recycled raw materials. Were they to be used more systematically, this figure could be increased by a further ten million tonnes.
CARBON DIOXIDE
The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released into the atmosphere by a whole host of production processes, is one of the key drivers of climate change. Reducing emissions is essential in the fight against global warming
Find out more about REMONDIS and climate action
If the 1.5°C goal is to be achieved, then global carbon emissions must have been reduced to 2.5 tonnes per capita per year by 2050
According to experts, around 60 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved if German industrial businesses doubled the amount of recyclate they used from the current level of 15% to 30%
Development of carbon emissions in the “Waste & Other” sector since 1990 (in million tonnes)
Carbon emissions in the German waste management industry have fallen by 75% since 1990. More than in any other sector
This is how low the circular economy’s share is of overall emissions in Germany
An ever-greater number of our fleet vehicles are run on alternative fuel. However, even our vehicles with conventional combustion engines are more eco-friendly. By filling them with the biodiesel we produce, they emit 83% fewer emissions
CO2-relevant value chain stages in the circular economy
The circular economy is the fourth-largest contributor towards the Paris climate goals behind the energy, mobility and construction sectors. It is, therefore, ahead of agriculture.
REMONDIS’ Lippe Plant – A recycling park and flagship project all in one
Covering a surface area of 230 hectares, the Lippe Plant is the largest industrial recycling centre in Europe and plays a major role in helping to protect the environment and curb global warming
The amount of CO2 saved each year by its recycling activities
of recycled raw materials and products leave the Lippe Plant every year
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste management – or its more suitable title the ‘circular economy’ – is one of most important and most effective sectors for tackling climate change. Practically every single service provided by the circular economy contributes towards sustainability.
Contributing towards sustainability – a few numbers
Across Germany, greenhouse gas emissions fell by around 350 million tonnes of CO2 between 1990 and 2015
The greatest reduction by far was achieved by the waste management sector, primarily due to the law that came into force in 2005 banning organic waste from being sent to landfill
of residual materials are collected, sorted and recycled in Germany every year
Nowadays, the German waste management sector’s share of the country’s overall emissions is less than 1% – a share that continues to fall
20% of the international Kyoto targets committed to by Germany will be achieved by the circular economy alone. One of the key contributing factors here is the ban on sending municipal waste to landfill
Municipal waste makes up just under 10% of all waste generated in Germany but emits large volumes of methane when it rots. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging than CO2
If a European landfill ban were to be systematically enforced, then the success achieved in Germany could be duplicated across Europe. Carbon emissions would be cut by 67% compared to 1990
And now imagine a global landfill ban and a world where all raw materials were recovered and reused. The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement would be as good as reached
Recycling rates of key categories of waste
The EU’s target for the reuse and recycling of household waste by 2025
The EU’s target for landfilling municipal waste by 2035
The development of the recycling rate from today to 2035
people work in the circular economy in Germany
euro turnover is generated every year
So what exactly is the circular economy?
The circular economy depicts an ideal situation where there is no more waste. All products are manufactured in such a way that, once they reach the end of their useful life, they can be dismantled into individual recyclable pieces. The raw materials recovered can be returned to production cycles and be reused.
THE LIPPE PLANT
REMONDIS operates Europe’s largest industrial recycling centre in Lünen, a town in the German region of Westphalia. We have put together a summary of the most important facts and figures about the Lippe Plant below.
The Lippe Plant is an industrial area but has the carbon footprint of 25,000 hectares of forest
Around 900,000 tonnes of products leave the Lippe Plant every year
336,900 megawatt hours of energy (electricity and heat) are produced at the Lippe Plant in Lünen alone every year
Generation
Fluidised-bed power station
Biomass-fired power plant
Consumption
Lippe Plant: own requirements
Energy output for external customers
REMONDIS also has shares in EfW plants at a variety of locations in Germany besides the Lippe Plant. They all – including the hazardous waste incineration plant operated by our subsidiary SAVA – play an important role in supplying their regions with energy
We are constantly looking at further improving our performance by modernising our operations and using new process technology. We have invested 500 million euros to achieve this over the last few years alone
A state-of-the-art organic material treatment facility able to supply energy to ca. 3,500 households and save ca. 5,000 tonnes of CO2 every year
Are you interested in finding out more about the Lippe Plant and the technology used there? Then we would recommend you go on our virtual tour
WATER
Our natural resource water is limited and incredibly valuable. Especially, if you consider that the world’s population is constantly growing and there are already several hundred million people today who are unable to regularly access safe drinking water.
Just 2.5% of the world’s water supplies is suitable as drinking water. Yet another reason for handling this resource responsibly
The amount of drinking water produced by REMONDIS every year
The number of sewage treatment plants operated by REMONDIS around the world
The overall length of the sewer network managed and operated by REMONDIS
If the clean water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goal is to be achieved by 2030 then there must be a fourfold increase in the pace of progress
We manage wastewater in line with the Zero Liquid Discharge principle (ZLD). This means that process water remains in a closed cycle and can be continuously treated and reused again and again
PHOSPHORUS
Phosphorus is a valuable raw material and essential for all forms of life. Natural reserves of this material are finite and practically all of them are located outside Europe. Which makes it all the more important to recover and recycle it in our own country.
Find out all about how hosphorus is recovered
The world’s first ever industrial-scale phosphorus recovery plant was built in Hamburg in 2021. Each year, this facility can produce 7,000 tonnes of high-purity phosphoric acid from 20,000 tonnes of sewage sludge ash
If all the sewage sludge generated in Germany every year were to be treated with the TetraPhos® process, then this would have the same effect on reducing CO2 levels as 27 million trees
From this year onwards, all large sewage treatment plants in Germany will be obliged, by law, to recover their phosphorus
The environmental footprint of REPACID®, the phosphoric acid produced by the TetraPhos® process, is 60% better that that of the virgin raw materials that have to be imported
How REMONDIS recovers phosphorus
BIOMASS
From plant and tree cuttings, to leftover fruit, to kitchen waste – biomass is a high-energy material that can be used to make a variety of sustainable products. For example, climate-friendly fuels, heat and electricity.
are collected in the organic waste bins every year (as of 2021)
Utilising biomass plays a major role in curbing climate change – as can be seen here: saving around 64 million tonnes of CO2 (as of 2020)
still end up mistakenly in the residual waste bin (as of 2024)
Cascade use in organic waste recycling systems
Plants have up to five times more water when composts are used on the soil
The sale of biomass in the transport sector amounted to ca. 34.2 TWh in 2022, divided up into 24.5 TWh biodiesel, 8.7 TWh bioethanol and 1 TWh biomethane
The share of biomass in the production of energy from renewable sources
METAL
Metals are perfect for recycling if they can be segregated according to type. They can be returned to production cycles again and again with there being practically no loss in quality. Compared to producing new metal from virgin ore, recycling not only conserves large volumes of resources but energy as well.
Recycling drinks cans & co. to make new products requires 20 times less energy than when the virgin raw material bauxite is used. This also means a 95% reduction in carbon emissions
The savings achieved by the REMONDIS Group’s global metal recycling activities every year
Using recycled raw materials instead of producing metals from primary resources reduces emissions dramatically
The amount of energy saved by our recycling activities each year covers the requirements of 2.47 million three-person households
The more steel and iron that are recycled, the less ore needs to be mined. This not only conserves resources, it is also good for our environment and our climate
The majority of the energy needed to produce metals comes from coal. This means that systematic recycling reduces the amount of coal that needs to be mined
* These calculations are based on the amount of steel, aluminium and copper collected by the TSR Group and sent on for recycling in 2023, on the (2022) Prognos study commissioned by TSR Recycling and on data from the BDEW [Federal Water & Energy Association] and BIR
** These calculations are based on the amount of steel collected by the TSR Group and sent on for recycling in 2023, on the (2022) Prognos study commissioned by TSR Recycling and on data from the BIR
Every tonne of scrap steel used cuts carbon emissions by 1.4 tonnes
Cascade use in the car industry
PLASTIC
Plastic is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it can be used practically everywhere and has a host of advantages. On the other, it can become a real problem for our environment if it is carelessly discarded. Which is why every effort must be made to systematically collect it as waste so it can be returned to production cycles.
Volumes of plastic generated by group (in million tonnes)
* primary waste w/o minerals
6.3 million tonnes of plastic waste were collected in Germany in 2021
are produced by every person living in Germany every year
What happens to plastic waste in Germany? (as of 2021)
Share of packaging of total plastic waste (as of 2021)
3.2 million tonnes of plastic packaging were generated in Germany in 2021. Germany’s new Packaging Law stipulates that at least 63% of this material must be recycled. In 2019, the obligatory recycling rate was 36%
all packaging should be recyclable
Single-use plastic drinks bottles must contain at least 30% recycled plastic from 2030 onwards
Every tonne of recycled plastic protects the environment by cutting carbon emissions by up to 1.6 tonnes and reducing demand for crude oil by 2 tonnes
CO2 savings amounting to 60 million tonnes could be achieved in Germany alone if the industry there increased their use of recyclate from the current 15% to 30% – equivalent to approx. one-third of the potential of renewable energy
LI BATTERIES
With e-mobility experiencing a boom, the number of lithium-ion batteries found on the market is also increasing. But what happens when these batteries have to be eventually discarded?
Batteries are categorised as hazardous waste and should never been thrown away in the general rubbish bin. Lithium-ion batteries, in particular, can ignite or even explode
were transported and recycled in accordance with regulations in Germany in 2022
Around 41 million battery-run cars are expected to be on the roads around the world in 2050
The battery makes up 40% of the cost of an electric car. What’s more, the price of cobalt and lithium, two raw materials needed to make the batteries, are constantly rising. And all this in an extremely volatile market. Which is why it would be wise to recycle cobalt and co. here in Germany wherever possible
A specialist REMONDIS Group company dismantles lithium-ion batteries and recovers their recyclable materials separated according to type
of energy is recovered by the deep-discharge systems every day
lithium-ion batteries are dismantled at one location every year
MINERALS
Buildings are constantly being put up or pulled down. The amount of mineral waste generated by this work is enormous. Which means there is a great potential here to recover and recycle raw materials – both simply to process the materials as well as to make recycled building products.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, construction and demolition activities in Germany produce over half of all waste generated in the country
This is the global annual demand for the raw materials sand and gravel. A figure that continues to rise
Statistically speaking, every German citizen uses 19.4 kilos of mineral construction materials every day. A raw materials crisis is inevitable if there is no recycling
Mineral waste is perfect for recycling and for using as recycled building material. This is one of the reasons why the recycling rate is clearly above that mandated by law
Protecting landscapes by mining fewer raw materials needed for construction
In 2016, 47.7 million cubic metres of landscape were able to be protected by using recycled aggregate. This figure will be over 1.43 billion cubic metres by 2045 – an increase by a factor of 30 within one generation
Reducing pressure on landfills by recycling construction waste
of mineral aggregate demand in Germany is covered by recycled aggregate
Carbon savings compared to virgin raw material sources
OUR COMPANY
There is not only a whole bunch of interesting fact and figures about our operations – but also about the REMONDIS Group in general. We have summarised these for you in a series of infographics which can be found below.
REMONDIS-Anlagenverbund weltweit
REMONDIS-Fakten in der Übersicht
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Being one of the world’s leading recycling, service and water businesses with over 40,000 employees, everything we do revolves around sustainability. We ensure that the environment is protected and that natural resources are conserved in over 30 countries across three continents.
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