Our scholarship holder Pauline Jegen recently attended the PLATE 2023 Conference in Finland, where she gave a presentation entitled ‘Circular Economy in the Construction Industry: Analysis of the Use of RC Concrete in Precast Production’.

The construction industry and the associated demolition of buildings and infrastructure facilities represent the largest waste stream in Germany. The resulting mineral construction and demolition waste (CDW) can be recycled and used to produce new building materials by replacing natural aggregates. Taking into account the principles of the circular economy, the use of prefabricated parts offers many advantages. At the end of their primary use, they can be reused and do not necessarily have to be recycled. A bottom-up approach is used to analyse material flows and determine how much primary material is available in Germany and how much demand there is.

The scientific value of this research lies in the development of holistic circular economy solutions in the construction industry, with the aim of conserving primary resources such as gravel and sand and reducing CO2 emissions by extending product lifetimes.

On 25 May 2023, the general meeting of the BDE Bundesverband der Deutschen Entsorgungs-, Wasser- und Kreislaufwirtschaft e. V. (Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Recycling Industry) took place. The main focus was on the election of new association leadership. From 1 June 2024, Anja Siegesmund will take over the position of Executive President and thus continue the work of Peter Kurth.

At the subsequent public conference, representatives from politics and business discussed the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy.

One highlight was the presentation by Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke on the topic of ‘Circular Economy. Strengths.’ She emphasised the key role of the circular economy in combating environmental disasters, resource depletion, pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. She went on to discuss developments in the national circular economy strategy and political projects such as the European Packaging Regulation, the revision of the Bio-Waste Regulation, the announced amendment to the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act (ElektroG), the Substitute Building Materials Regulation and the European Ecodesign Regulation. Finally, she emphasised the importance of a national water strategy in view of droughts in countries such as Italy.

Another highlight was the presentation by Dr Markus Steilemann, President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and CEO of Covestro AG. He emphasised the importance of new carbon sources, including waste and biomass, for the chemical industry. He urgently called for the recognition of chemical recycling and a ban on the landfilling of plastic waste. In his presentation, he also highlighted the relevance of design for recycling in the circular economy.

Finally, Ingbert Liebing, Chief Executive of the Association of Municipal Companies, emphasised the importance of cooperation between private and municipal waste disposal companies in his presentation ‘Together from waste disposal to circular economy – municipal and private’ and discussed relevant directives such as the Municipal Waste Water Directive, the Commercial Waste Ordinance, the BEHG and EU emissions trading.

The subsequent discussion among the speakers on current political developments in the circular economy was extremely enriching and inspiring. Many thanks to all those involved!