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.
REMONDIS' Lippe Plant in Lünen has taken on a leading role on the international stage thanks to the pioneering technology it deploys to recover and recycle raw materials. A role that also means great responsibilities for the company. This is especially true as issues such as curbing global warming and saving our planet's natural resources do not stop at national borders but affect all nations. We are more than happy to step up to the plate and transfer our knowledge and experience to other countries – in particular to those regions around the world where the whole issue of environmental protection still plays a minor role.
Numerous so-called Eco Industrial Parks have been set up across Asia with our help which now recycle products using the same environmentally sound methods as our own. Moreover, we have also facilitated, initiated and implemented a whole range of individual projects to push forward resource conservation around the globe. Our most recent project involved the construction of a facility in Singapore to recycle incinerator bottom ash (IBA) from waste incineration plants and recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals. We always work closely with local organisations when drawing up and executing such projects. For the facility in Singapore, for example, we collaborated with the country's National Environment Agency (NEA). No matter where in the world such projects may be carried out, we have a strict policy of never turning up and acting as a kind of teacher but always to work side by side with those responsible on site and – most importantly – to get local firms on board. This is the only way to ensure that sustainable, long-term measures and processes can be implemented to protect the environment.
Our commitment to the “Clean India Mission“ – a project initiated by the Indian government – is a further example of how we have transferred our know-how. Details on this project can be found in the section on water supply
REMEX GmbH – a REMONDIS subsidiary – operates a state-of-the-art recycling facility in Singapore to recycle IBA from waste incineration plants and recover the metal contents
KlimaExpo.NRW – an environmental initiative launched by the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) – is a perfect example of how people need to “act locally and think globally” if greater sustainability is to be achieved. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that the energy transition, the measures taken to curb climate change and any changes that have to be made as a result of global warming all act as key driving forces for economic and social development. As part of this project, companies and other protagonists are being called on to initiate measures to prevent climate change. We have been more than happy to take up this challenge. The result: four REMONDIS projects have been officially named “engines for progress” and added to KlimaExpo.NRW’s list of reference projects that help curb global warming: our organic waste recycling facility in the District of Coesfeld, the recycling activities at our plant in Lünen, our educational project, THE RECYCLING PROFESSIONALS, and our waste treatment plant in Erftstadt.
Click on klimaexpo.nrw and read the interview with Norbert Rethmann, Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the RETHMANN Group, during which he discusses "The challenges faced by the recycling industry"
Coesfeld has taken on a pioneering role when it comes to recycling household organic waste as it now handles more than 39,000t of kerbside-collected biowaste each year – the equivalent of approx. 181kg per resident. However, not only the quantity of material processed by the district is outstanding but also the quality of their recycling system. The biogas produced from their recycling facility is used as a source of renewable energy, helping to cut carbon emissions by up to 5,000t every year. The KlimaExpo.NRW jury made special mention of the fact that the systematic use of the energy and material contents of the organic waste had also helped to reduce waste charges, demonstrating very clearly that environmental protection really can go hand in hand with efficiency.
Organic waste in Germany – the volumes collected from local inhabitants each year
As a rule, medium-sized towns have the most successful organic waste collection systems in place. Large cities with more than 2,000 inhabitants per km² have the poorest results.
The second application that we submitted to KlimaExpo.NRW focused on our material flow management systems at our plant in Lünen and the resulting reduction of ozone-depleting greenhouse gases. And, as such activities can only become a reference project if it can be proven that they are truly effective, we requested the Prognos and INFA institutes to draw up a study to provide an impartial overview. The results of this study have shown that, all together, the activities at the Lippe Plant reduce carbon emissions by 488,000t every single year. The KlimaExpo.NRW jury were also impressed by this outcome and named the recycling activities in Lünen as one of the twelve best projects for 2016. Find out more in the section on Awards
The complete study on the volumes treated at the REMONDIS Lippe Plant and how this work benefits the climate is available as a PDF download (German only)
And yet another step towards helping conserve our planet's natural resources. Our comprehensive educational programme to make children and teenagers more aware of environmental issues has also made it onto the list of 1,000 steps into the future. The jury has, therefore, honoured the successful work we have been carrying out at kindergartens and schools – for example our free teaching materials. To learn more about our educational project simply go to the section on the RECYCLING PROFESSIONALS.
There are three main reasons why our waste treatment plant in Erftstadt "stands out from the crowd". Firstly, it makes the most of waste that cannot be recycled for re-use by using it to produce eco-friendly energy. Secondly, it deploys state-of-the-art processes to recover all the substances from commercial and industrial waste that can be recycled or returned to production cycles – it would simply be too much of a waste to send these materials for thermal treatment. Thirdly, the plant produces high-quality refuse-derived fuel for power stations and cement works. The combined results of these three areas are something to be proud of: every year, the plant cuts carbon emissions by up to 80,000 tonnes.
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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