CLIMATE ACTION
Because trees can’t do it by themselves
In the past it was all about getting waste off the streets. Now it’s the CO2 in the atmosphere. Instead of simply disposing of waste – as was the norm 100 years ago – we have been operating a sustainable circular economy for many years now. Making us an important player in the fight against climate change.
The circular economy and climate action – the two are now intrinsically intertwined
40 years ago, the world was a very different place. There was no internet, people used telephone boxes rather than mobiles and waste was synonymous with large clouds of smoke billowing from the chimneys of waste incineration plants. Certainly not with resource conservation and and climate action. Things are totally different today. The waste management industry of the past has transformed itself into the circular economy. Not only because waste has become an important source of raw materials. Our sector is also leading the way in a number of other areas as well – for example when it comes to generating climate-neutral energy or producing resource-friendly products based on recycled materials. In fact, the circular economy is, alongside the energy and transport industries, one of most important and most effective sectors for tackling climate change.
Climate action means recycling
Recycling – i.e. recovering recyclable materials from waste and processing them so they can be reused – is at the very core of our business and is our biggest contribution towards curbing climate change. Every single gram of metal, plastic, paper and co. that we return to production cycles helps protect our climate as this means fewer natural raw materials have to be mined – and less mining means less energy is consumed and less carbon is emitted. What’s more, recycled raw materials also have a much better climate footprint when they are used compared to virgin raw materials.
Find out more in the chapter on recycling at
we-are-climate-action.com
Europe wishes to be climate neutral by 2050. Germany has gone even further and set itself this target for 2045. Both will need the circular economy.
Climate action means alternative energies
From biogas made from the content of garden bins to biodiesel from animal fats – we produce climate-friendly fuels in a whole variety of ways, helping to achieve the climate targets in the area of energy as well. Moreover, we generate electricity and heat on a grand scale by thermally treating waste. This reduces dependency on coal and nuclear power and contributes greatly towards the country’s transition to renewables. A contribution that will continue to grow. According to studies, the amount of CO2 saved as a result of generating energy from waste will have more than tripled between 2020 and 2030.
Find out more in the chapter on alternative energies at
we-are-climate-action.com
The amount of CO2 saved by generating energy from waste
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We use the contents of organic waste bins to produce biogas – a climate-friendly, green fuel
Climate action means transferring know-how
We not only promote climate action with – and in – our plants and facilities. Our efforts to ensure waste is not generated in the first place also play a decisive role. We help industrial businesses to develop closed loop concepts so materials can be reused. This also conserves natural resources and reduces carbon emissions – such as our ideas
regarding the recycling, further use or reuse of specific products, just one example here being EV batteries. What’s more, we are leading the way when it comes to promoting ecodesign. Here, we are calling for products to be designed with their recyclability in mind so that all of the materials used to make the products can be recovered according to type. The result: zero waste.
Find out more in the chapter on transfer of know-how at we-are-climate-action.com
Climate action means active participation
Promoting climate action means taking on responsibility. Across all areas. The measures taken by our sector also have a positive effect on the carbon footprint of other industries – indeed, there are very few sectors that have such an impact. Energy and transport benefit as do manufacturing and construction. In addition, we are involved in
a whole variety of areas, from politics, to education, to consumer protection. We are, for example, campaigning for a raw material efficiency label that – similar to the well-known energy efficiency labels – makes it easy for consumers to see just how recycling-friendly a product actually is.
Find out more in the chapter on active participation at we-are-climate-action.com
What a raw material efficiency label could look like
Climate action means taking a holistic approach
Climate change is global. And our commitment to tackling it is as well. We export many of the technologies we develop in Germany all around the world. Doing this can achieve some considerable improvements – especially in countries where climate action and recycling have played more of a subordinate role. But there is still room for
improvement in local European regions as well. Some devices that aim to counteract climate change actually end up having a negative impact, slowing down their own progress. Wind turbines are a good example here. They are clearly helping the country to transition to renewables but are very difficult to recycle and are produced using materials that have a terrible climate footprint because of the way they are mined. We have made it our task to find solutions to these problems as well.
Find out more in the chapter on holistic approach at we-are-climate-action.com
Everything that REMONDIS, in particular, and the circular economy, in general, do to help Europe become climate neutral can be found at we-are-climate-action.com
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