Die REMONDIS-Welt der Nachhaltigkeit
REMONDIS' World of Sustainability
De REMONDIS-wereld van de duurzaamheid
The whole notion of sustainability will be a lost cause unless we take action here and now to conserve our planet's natural resources. Future generations and today's developing countries will only be able to enjoy prosperous lives if steps are taken right now to counteract the growing shortages of raw materials. For us – being one of the world's leading recycling, service and water companies – there can be only one goal: to tackle this problem and lead by example. Why not join us on this path?!
Everyone agrees that global warming must be limited to 2°C – or preferably 1.5°C – if we wish to prevent our ecosystem from being irreparably damaged. Large areas of woodland in Germany are dying as the country suffers ever longer periods of drought. Pussyfooting around is not going to stop climate change. Some major action needs to be taken. And not just switching from fossil fuels to renewables but from virgin to recycled raw materials as well. We are showing how this can be done.
The Lippe Plant in Lünen is not only a high tech site, it is also an important project for combatting global warming. The various activities carried out at the site help to cut carbon emissions by 488,000t every single year. For a forest to have the same effect, it would need to contain 37 million trees. Certainly a lovely place to take a walk in but perhaps not an ideal place for creating 1,400 jobs.
People searching for an argument in favour of plastics recycling need look no further than at our seas and oceans. Vast areas of waste are floating around in them and are so big that they can even be seen from space. This problem, however, can only be solved on Earth – with more responsible consumer behaviour and systematic plastics recycling.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk? Not at REMONDIS. It goes without saying that our all-encompassing view of sustainability also includes us being sustainable ourselves. This covers all aspects of our business – from the energy efficiency levels of our head office buildings, all the way through to ensuring that all our locations adhere to our high social standards, no matter where in the world they may be.
Every company tries to make a profit. And things are no different at REMONDIS either. For us, however, money is always a means to a good end – which is why a large part of the profits we make is invested in developing new and innovative recycling processes and technologies. Helping to preserve our planet’s valuable natural resources.
Sustainability is not a state or a condition but an ongoing process. First and foremost, sustainability is team work. Which is why we cooperate closely with experts and research institutes that also feel strongly about conserving our planet’s natural resources and preventing climate change. Such work always leads to new approaches and innovations.
Wherever we see an opportunity to drive forward the notion of sustainability and to fix it even more firmly in the minds of people, then we are there, full of passion and enthusiasm for the cause. This covers a whole range of activities – from educational projects, to acting as advisers, to supporting universities.
Everyone is talking about the scarcity of raw materials and about sustainability. But what exactly is behind it all? We decided to do some research to find out what it’s all about – so that we could put together some pages with the most important background information for you to read.
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 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. So do you need to see some proof? Then just keep on reading.
It is the EU’s goal to be climate neutral by 2050. The circular economy will be playing a key role in ensuring this target is reached.
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 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 auf we-are-climate-action.com
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
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 electric car 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
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 participation at we-are-climate-action.com
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
Being one of the world’s leading recycling, service and water businesses with over 30,000 employees, everything we do revolves around sustainability. We ensure that the environment is protected and that natural resources are conserved in over 30 countries across four continents.
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