Europe's goal: a net-zero future. With us paving the way

If anyone knows how climate action works, then it is us. Our diverse operations – from energy supply to recycling – cut carbon emissions by a huge amount. What’s more, we have also been pushing for better, Europe-wide, environmental legislation for many years now. In a nutshell: no other sector can do more to promote the Green Deal than the circular economy.

The European Green Deal. Neither imaginable nor doable without us

The stated goal of the EU’s Green Deal is for the European continent to be climate neutral by 2050. Germany has gone even further. In 2022, it tightened its Climate Action Law declaring that the country should be net zero by 2045. What’s more, Germany’s emissions should have already fallen by 65% (compared to its 1990 emissions) by 2030. The circular economy will be essential here, if these two goals are to be met. Our industry in general – and REMONDIS in particular – have been spearheading resource conservation and climate action. No other sector has done more. Our innovations and technologies are also effective as they have a positive impact on all of the areas that are relevant for the Green Deal to be a success. Starting with the development of closed loop concepts for the mobility sector, to solutions for generating renewable energy, all the way through to producing recycled raw materials for industrial and construction firms.

To find out more about the Green Deal, go to the EU Commission’s website

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.

Ziele des europäischen Green Deal

Climate neutrality by 2050

By reducing carbon emissions and introducing compensation measures, the volumes of CO₂ being removed should be – at the very least – the same as those being emitted.

Protection of people, animals & the environment

Environmental pollution should be dramatically reduced to protect humans, wildlife and plants.

A sustainable industry & economy

Companies should be given support so that they become world leaders for both green products and green technologies.

A just & inclusive transition

All measures should be implemented so that no one is left behind as the whole of the EU heads towards becoming sustainable.

Reducing carbon emissions is our core business

Our normal everyday operations are, in fact, the Green Deal in practice. Every year, REMONDIS’ Lippe Plant – Europe’s largest industrial recycling centre – alone cuts carbon emissions by around 500,000 tonnes. Both our production of renewable energies and our efficient thermal treatment of non-recyclable residual materials also make a huge contribution towards tackling climate change. But, having said all that, there’s still plenty more to do. Every day, we work on developing new technologies and processes to recover an ever greater volume of materials so they can be returned to production cycles. Every single gram of recycled material helps to reduce the carbon emissions generated by companies mining and processing our planet’s natural resources. Not to mention the positive impact they have on protecting the environment and conserving resources.

Find out all about the way we help curb climate change

"The European Green Deal is our new growth strategy. (…) [it] is on the one hand about cutting emissions, but on the other hand it is about creating jobs and boosting innovation. (...) this is Europe's ‘man on the moon’ moment."

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission

So much more is possible. The potential of recycled raw materials to curb climate change

Recovering and conserving natural resources is one aspect. What is also important is making sure that the very most is made of recycled raw materials. At present, just 15% of all materials used in industrial production processes in Germany are recyclates. Were this figure to rise to just 30%, then an additional 60 million tonnes of CO₂ would be saved. That is one-third of what would be achieved if the country switched completely to renewable sources of energy. With this potential in mind, therefore, it is only logical that industrial businesses across the EU should be obliged by law to have a minimum recycled content in their products. One precondition here, of course, is that there are sufficient volumes of recycled raw materials available. In other words: we need higher collection rates so that the circular economy has enough input material to produce the recycled raw materials needed. But that is what the Green Deal and climate action are like. Everything is interconnected and dependent on each other.

Discover more about recycled raw materials

Besides calling for the mandatory use of recycled raw materials and for higher collection rates, we are also campaigning for a new and better Ecodesign Directive. The keyword here: raw material efficiency.

Germany’s landfill ban – a role model for the EU

All those people who genuinely want the Green Deal to be a success are going to have to look at it from every possible angle. The subject of landfilling is key here. Landfills used for storing materials that have organic residue adhering to them emit huge volumes of methane as the substances decompose. Methane is 25 times more damaging than CO₂ making it the greenhouse gas that is the most dangerous for our climate. Which is why a ban on landfilling organic waste would have such a huge impact. A landfill ban was, for example, implemented in Germany in 2005. This one measure alone cut carbon emissions in the German waste management sector by two thirds. It is obvious, therefore, why REMONDIS is actively campaigning for these German regulations to be adopted across the whole of the EU. Things are gradually moving here. Other European countries will only be permitted to send 10% of their untreated municipal waste to landfill from 2035 onwards. We continue, however, to call for a complete ban. Why? Because it is worth fighting for: a complete landfill ban across Europe would be the second most powerful individual GHG-cutting measure, second only to switching to renewable energy.

The Green Deal not only helps to combat climate change. Should it be a success, it will also create advantages for Europe’s economy over competitors outside Europe that are not following a net zero policy.

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