MISSION
The only thing our throwaway society is discarding is its future
‘Recycling rather than disposal’. This is a principle that we never fail to follow – doing everything in our power to close product life cycles so that fewer raw materials need to be mined and processed using energy-intensive machinery. A principle we follow with the highest levels of commitment and always with state-of-the-art technologies. Recycling is far too important for us to sit back and be satisfied with what has been achieved so far.
Leading by example
REMONDIS handles huge volumes of materials, treating them and returning them to production cycles. Each year, we collect and process around 30 million tonnes of recyclables so that they can be sold on to industrial businesses as raw materials. And this figure continues to rise. We are driven by our dedication and commitment to create new processes – to recover and recycle new materials and optimise existing recycling systems. Many of the recycling processes we use were developed and patented by our own company and they are now setting the benchmark within the recycling sector and acting as a stepping stone for further development.
REMONDIS’ recycling plants worldwide
More circular economy for more climate action
Closing material life cycles is not only the focus of our business, it also reflects our responsibility towards society as a whole. Recovering raw materials and recycling them all around the world so they can be reused again and again is an elementary requirement for global environmental protection and climate action. Which is why we urgently need a raw materials transition: away from using raw materials just the once to ensuring they are systematically reused. We, as an individual company, and the German circular economy as a whole, are doing everything in our power to make sure this transition is successful – and, by doing so, we are supporting climate action by cutting millions of tonnes of carbon emissions.
Climate action in black & white: find out more about how we help ensure the UN’s Sustainability Goals are met – in the chapter on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Making the case for a circular economy – we have some prominent supporters
It is always good to see when independent bodies officially confirm that we are on the right track. For years now, we have been making it clear just how important the circular economy is for the economy in general as well as for society and the climate. A study published jointly by the Foundation 2° and several Fraunhofer institutes in 2021 came the exact same conclusion. The bottom line of this study: implementing a circular economy can be beneficial for both companies and the climate. ‘Can’, mind you. If this really is to create a win-win for businesses and the environment, then the necessary measures must finally be introduced.
The introduction of a raw materials efficiency label and minimum recycled content mandates are particularly important here, to name just two. It is not a coincidence that both these measures are mentioned in the above study. In fact, many of the factors that the researchers listed as being essential reflect our own expectations and goals here at REMONDIS. You can read all about them in the study Circular Economy in Familienunternehmen – Herausforderungen, Lösungsansätze und Handlungsempfehlungen (PDF/German) as well as on our website we-are-climate-action.com
A look at the big picture
REMONDIS Managing Director Herwart Wilms discussed the role of the circular economy as a means to curb climate change, protect the environment and conserve natural resources during a podcast interview. Listen now (German) Planetary Business
Annual volumes of materials recycled by REMONDIS & how they protect the environment
How we think - How we act
Our actions are geared towards progress and innovation; our philosophy, however, is based on traditional values. On the one hand, because we are a family-run company that has been promoting recycling for over 50 years now. On the other, because we run our business according to the principles of material flow management that were drawn up by the Enquête Commission of the German Bundestag for the "Protection of Humanity and the Environment".
Its central statements are:
The rate that renewable resources are used should not exceed their rate of regeneration
Non-renewable resources should only be used at the same rate as renewable substitutes with the same physical and functional characteristics can be developed and/or a higher productivity of both the renewable and non-renewable resources can be achieved
Emissions into the environment should not exceed the point where individual ecosystems are unable to deal with their impact
The timeframe of anthropogenic impact on the environment must be in line with the timeframe needed by the environment’s relevant natural processes to react to this impact
Anthropogenic activities that pose a danger or an unjustifiable risk to human health should be avoided
Find out more about our corporate philosophy in REMONDIS’ Environmental Commitment (PDF)
Recycling does so much more than simply conserve resources
Advances are being made in the area of recycling all the time – with us as the driving force. This can be seen, for example, by the measures we take to recover precious metals. By accepting all types of waste and recovering even the smallest amount of gold, platinum and silver, we are not only helping to conserve our planet's natural reserves of such raw materials but are also ensuring that fewer of these precious metals need to be mined, reducing the sometimes devastating impact such mining has on both human health and the environment.
Many people in South American countries, such as Columbia, try to earn a living by mining for gold. They often use substances that are highly dangerous for their health.
Safety is our no. 1 priority
Anyone looking to run a highly efficient recycling business and conserve our planet's natural resources cannot simply ignore hazardous waste. Such products, however, contain not only recyclable materials but also harmful substances that can be dangerous for both human health and the environment. REMONDIS operates its own laboratories so that detailed analyses can be made of incoming waste. Dangerous substances that are unable to be recycled for reuse are transported in secure vehicles to our hazardous waste incineration plants where they are destroyed using environmentally compatible processes and used to generate energy at the same time.
The technology used at our plants and facilities around the world is constantly being updated and modernised – not only to make them even more energy efficient and environmentally friendly but also to further improve levels of safety and productivity.
One example is the state-of-the-art biogas plant at the Lippe Plant, which cuts carbon emissions by a further 5,000 tonnes. Another example is the energy management system that was recently implemented at the Lippe Plant and at REMONDIS Electrorecycling. This system stands out thanks to its complex monitoring procedures which allow the daily energy consumption levels of all machinery to be documented and evaluated. The findings have already led to a number of adjustments being made (such as switching over completely to LED lighting), enabling the dismantling centre in Lünen to reduce its electricity consumption levels by 380,000 kWh and its carbon emissions by 280t every year. Having started with this new energy management system, REMONDIS' energy transition will gradually be extended to include all its business locations. A new position has been created especially for this task: an energy adviser has been appointed to help and support our company units to implement these new measures.
REMONDIS' energy management system – specifications & objectives
To continuously improve the company's energy-related performance
To ensure there is a clear allocation of responsibilities within the management system
To permanently record, review and evaluate the relevant data
To monitor programmes that promote energy efficiency
To carry out annual audits to review achievements
To take a critical look at the systems & adjust energy policies where required
Ideal energy efficiency levels at home: our head office building in Lünen
We set ourselves a truly ambitious goal when we built our new head office building in Lünen in 2010. We wanted to construct a building that enabled us to use our own products and processes wherever possible and which should be a prime example of energy efficiency. The result is something we can be proud of. The following image and captions can tell you more.
Our head office building at the Lippe Plant in Lünen truly is sustainable in every possible way. The bricks used to line the walls are expected to last for at least 100 years
Leading by example
Explained in just one minute
If companies have direct access to environmentally friendly resources, then they should make the very most of them. Which is why our fleet of vehicles is run on biodiesel that we produce ourselves. This fuel is manufactured by ecoMotion – a firm owned by REMONDIS' sister company SARIA and the market leader for biodiesel produced from animal fats. By using this eco-friendly biodiesel in our 10,000 trucks and 5,000 company cars, we are able to lower our fleet's carbon emissions by approx. 83%. Moreover, the amount of fine particulate emitted by these vehicles is much lower than that emitted by vehicles run on conventional fuel.
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