The editors

Peter Kurth is Managing President of the BDE Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Raw Materials Industry and a member of the Presidium of the BDI – Federation of German Industries.

Dr Anno Oexle is a specialist lawyer for administrative law with a focus on environmental law, a partner at the law firm Oexle Kopp-Assenmacher Lück and a member of the board of the German Waste Management Association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Abfallwirtschaft e.V.).

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Faulstich heads the Chair of Resource and Energy Systems at Dortmund Technical University and is Director of the Institute for the Future of Industrial Society (INZIN).

Traditionally complex, waste management continues to evolve at its own pace and can now be regarded as a circular economy and raw materials industry. This handbook covers all key aspects of the economic sector in an interdisciplinary manner. The revised and updated edition takes into account regulatory requirements and their impact on practice. In selecting the topics and authors, the focus was on practical relevance and practical application.

When the decision was made in 2016 to publish a practical handbook on the circular economy and raw materials management, the reason was simple: nothing like this existed yet, but there was a need for it. Whether in discussions with practitioners from within and outside the industry, politicians or administrators, there was a lack of a fundamental overview of the numerous facets of the legal framework, practical experience and technical background.
Since 2016, developments have once again become more dynamic: the Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, raw material supply and climate protection – these topics reflect the rapid development of the industry. That is why we now have the 2nd edition.
Once again, over 40 authors contributed their expertise. Condensed into almost 900 pages, it is now available to interested parties in its second edition.