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.
This website is brimming with facts and figures – as indeed is the subject of sustainability in general. Anyone wanting to stay on top of things really does have to immerse themselves in the material and do some serious research work. Or simply scroll down this page, paragraph by paragraph. We have put together a summary of some sustainability facts for you. Clearly divided up into different categories and depicted in a variety of graphics.
There is an overwhelming consensus among scientists that we are currently experiencing a phase of climate change caused by human activity. In fact, the Anthropocene – the name given to the current epoch – is, in general, having a serious impact on our planet.
Looking at the situation today, 1.7 Planet Earths are effectively needed to sustainably cover the demand of the world’s population for raw materials
The amount of waste generated in Germany every year (as of 2017)
The volume of household waste per capita in Germany (as of 2017)
The amount of CO2 emitted by all of the world’s volcanoes put together is just 1% of that produced by humans
The global temperature has risen by 1.1°C since the beginning of the industrial age. No other period of warming has been as fast as this over the last 66 million years in our planet’s history
The 10 warmest years since records began have all occurred after 2000
The expected rise in temperature caused by man-made emissions by the end of the 21st Century: 4 - 5°C. The only comparable period over the last 10,000 years is the postglacial temperature increase
The speed of global warming is around 100 times greater than was the case with natural climate changes that occurred in the past
If global warming is to be restricted to 1.5°C, then the volumes of methane in the atmosphere must sink by 35% between 2010 and 2050
One of the most promising ways to tackle climate change is to ensure that the raw materials that are being used are recovered and reused again and again. This enables huge volumes of carbon emissions to be saved
Take a look at the recycled raw materials website
are produced by German municipal waste incineration plants every year. This would be enough to cover the energy requirements of all of the 6.5 million households in Bavaria
Recycled raw materials are up to 40 times less energy intensive – making them more climate neutral!
Energy savings during production processes (per tonne of recycled material used)
According to estimates, materials recycling operations around the world save over 100 terawatt-hours of primary energy every year
This is equivalent to the average amount of electricity consumed by around 32 million private households in Germany
If all the countries in the world were to consume resources at the same rate as Germany, then 2.7 Planet Earths would be needed rather than one
Extracting resources from nature can be hugely damaging to our environment. Every single gram of recycled raw material helps to preserve natural habitats
50 million tonnes of CO2 are currently being saved in Germany thanks to recycled raw materials. Were they to be used more systematically, this figure could be increased by a further ten million tonnes
The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released into the atmosphere by a whole host of production processes, is one of the key drivers of climate change. Reducing emissions is essential in the fight against global warming
Find out more about REMONDIS and climate action
If the 1.5°C goal is to be achieved, then global carbon emissions must have been reduced to 2.5 tonnes per capita per year by 2050
According to experts, around 60 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved if German industrial businesses doubled the amount of recyclate they used from the current level of 15% to 30%
“Waste & Other” is the sector that has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions the most since 1990
Development of carbon emissions in the “Waste & Other” sector since 1990 (in million tonnes)
This is how high the circular economy’s contribution is towards reducing overall emissions in Germany
This is how low the circular economy’s share is of overall emissions in Germany
Covering a surface area of 230 hectares, the Lippe Plant is the largest industrial recycling centre in Europe and plays a major role in helping to protect the environment and curb global warming
The amount of CO2 saved each year by its recycling activities
of recycled raw materials and products leave the Lippe Plant every year
These achievements led to the Lippe Plant’s recycling operations being named one of the best pioneering projects by KlimaExpo.NRW in 2016
Waste management – or its more suitable title the ‘circular economy’ – is one of most important and most effective sectors for tackling climate change. Practically every single service provided by the circular economy contributes towards sustainability.
Across Germany, greenhouse gas emissions fell by around 350 million tonnes of CO2 between 1990 and 2015
The greatest reduction by far was achieved by the waste management sector, primarily due to the law that came into force in 2005 banning organic waste from being sent to landfill
of residual materials are collected, sorted and recycled in Germany every year
Development of the emissions of the ‘Waste Management & Other’ sector
The annual emissions of the German waste management sector have been cut by around 56 million tonnes of CO2 since 1990
Nowadays, the German waste management sector’s share of the country’s overall emissions is just 1% – a share that continues to fall
20% of the international Kyoto targets committed to by Germany will be achieved by the circular economy alone. One of the key contributing factors here is the ban on sending municipal waste to landfill
Municipal waste makes up just under 10% of all waste generated in Germany but emits large volumes of methane when it rots. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more damaging than CO2
If a European landfill ban were to be systematically enforced, then the success achieved in Germany could be duplicated across Europe. Carbon emissions would be cut by 67% compared to 1990
And now imagine a global landfill ban and a world where all raw materials were recovered and reused. The goals of the Paris Climate Agreement would be as good as reached
Energy recovery & materials recycling of waste in Germany (in 1,000 tonnes)
The EU’s target for the reuse and recycling of household waste by 2025
The EU’s target for landfilling municipal waste by 2035
The development of the recycling rate from 2018 to 2035
people work in the circular economy in Germanytig
euro turnover is generated every year
The circular economy depicts an ideal situation where there is no more waste. All products are manufactured in such a way that, once they reach the end of their useful life, they can be dismantled into individual recyclable pieces. The raw materials recovered can be returned to production cycles and be reused
REMONDIS operates Europe’s largest industrial recycling centre in Lünen, a town in the German region of Westphalia. We have put together a summary of the most important facts and figures about the Lippe Plant below.
The Lippe Plant is an industrial area but has the carbon footprint of 25,000 hectares of forest
Around 900,000 tonnes of products leave the Lippe Plant every year
336,900 megawatt hours of energy (electricity and heat) are produced at the Lippe Plant in Lünen alone every year
Generation
Consumption
Fluidised-bed power station
Lippe Plant: own requirements
Biomass-fired power plant
Energy output for external customers
REMONDIS also has shares in EfW plants at a variety of locations in Germany besides the Lippe Plant. They all – including the hazardous waste incineration plant operated by our subsidiary SAVA – play an important role in supplying their regions with energy
We are constantly looking at further improving our performance by modernising our operations and using new process technology. We have invested 400 million euros to achieve this over the last few years alone
A state-of-the-art organic material treatment facility able to supply energy to ca. 1,400 households and save ca. 5,000 tonnes of CO2 every year
Are you interested in finding out more about the Lippe Plant and the technology used there? Then we would recommend you go on our virtual tour
Our natural resource water is limited and incredibly valuable. Especially, if you consider that the world’s population is constantly growing and there are already several hundred million people today who are unable to regularly access safe drinking water.
Just 2.5% of the world’s water supplies is suitable as drinking water. Yet another reason for handling this resource responsibly
The amount of drinking water produced by REMONDIS every year
The number of sewage treatment plants operated by REMONDIS around the world
The overall length of the sewer network managed and operated by REMONDIS
Phosphorus is a valuable raw material and essential for all forms of life. Natural reserves of this material are finite and practically all of them are located outside Europe. Which makes it all the more important to recover and recycle it in our own country.
Find out all about how phosphorus is recovered
The world’s first ever industrial-scale phosphorus recovery plant was built in Hamburg in 2020. Each year, this facility can produce 7,000 tonnes of high-purity phosphoric acid from 20,000 tonnes of sewage sludge ash
If all the sewage sludge generated in Germany every year were to be treated with the TetraPhos® process, then this would have the same effect on reducing CO2 levels as 27 million trees
The environmental footprint of REPACID®, the phosphoric acid produced by the TetraPhos® process, is 60% better that that of the virgin raw materials that have to be imported
How REMONDIS recovers phosphorus
From plant and tree cuttings, to leftover fruit, to kitchen waste – biomass is a high-energy material that can be used to make a variety of sustainable products. For example, climate-friendly fuels, heat and electricity.
still end up mistakenly in the residual waste bin
Utilising biomass plays a major role in curbing climate change – as can be seen here: saving 65.8 million tonnes of CO2
The sale of biomass in the transport sector amounted to ca. 31.7 TWh in 2019, divided up into 22.5 TWh biodiesel, 8.5 TWh bioethanol and 0.7 TWh biomethane
The share of biomass in ...
Metals are perfect for recycling if they can be segregated according to type. They can be returned to production cycles again and again with there being practically no loss in quality. Compared to producing new metal from virgin ore, recycling not only conserves large volumes of resources but energy as well.
Recycling drinks cans & co. to make new products requires 20 times less energy than when the virgin raw material bauxite is used. This also means a 95% reduction in carbon emissions
Using recycled raw materials instead of producing metals from primary resources reduces emissions dramatically
The amount of energy saved by our recycling activities each year covers the requirements of 1.7 million three-person households
The more steel and iron that are recycled, the less ore needs to be mined. This not only conserves resources, it is also good for our environment and our climate
The majority of the energy needed to produce metals comes from coal. This means that systematic recycling reduces the amount of coal that needs to be mined
* These calculations are based on the amount of steel, aluminium and copper recycled by the TSR Group in 2019 as well as on data published by BDEW [Federal Water & Energy Association] and BIR
** These calculations are based on the amount of steel recycled by the TSR Group in 2019 as well as on data published by BIR
Plastic is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it can be used practically everywhere and has a host of advantages. On the other, it can become a real problem for our environment if it is carelessly discarded. Which is why every effort must be made to systematically collect it as waste so it can be returned to production cycles.
According to the UBA [German Environment Agency], there were between 100 and 150 million tonnes of waste in our seas and oceans in 2013. 60% of this was made of plastic
In 2015, almost 99% of all plastic waste that was collected was recycled
The different types of plastic waste (by weight) collected from private households
Every tonne of recycled plastic cuts carbon emissions by up to 1.6 tonnes, preserves 2 tonnes of crude oil and is one tonne less of floating waste in our seas and oceans
1.4 million tonnes of plastic packaging ends up in the German retail sector every year. Germany’s new Packaging Law stipulates that plastic recycling rates must gradually be increased. In 2019, the figure lay at 36%; in 2022, it is already 63%
CO2 savings amounting to 60 million tonnes could be achieved in Germany alone if the industry there increased their use of recyclate from the current 15% to 30% – equivalent to approx. one-third of the potential of renewable energy
With e-mobility experiencing a boom, the number of lithium-ion batteries found on the market is also increasing. But what happens when these batteries have to be eventually discarded?
Batteries are categorised as hazardous waste and should never been thrown away in the general rubbish bin. Lithium-ion batteries, in particular, can ignite or even explode
Around 41 million battery-run cars are expected to be on the roads around the world in 2050
The battery makes up 40% of the cost of an electric car. What’s more, the price of cobalt and lithium, two raw materials needed to make the batteries, are constantly rising. And all this in an extremely volatile market. Which is why it would be wise to recycle cobalt and co. here in Germany wherever possible
Buildings are constantly being put up or pulled down. The amount of mineral waste generated by this work is enormous. Which means there is a great potential here to recover and recycle raw materials – both simply to process the materials as well as to make recycled building products
According to the Federal Statistical Office, construction and demolition activities in Germany produce over half of all waste generated in the country
REMONDIS’ company REMEX transports, processes and recycles 1.7 million tonnes of earth every year, carrying out remediation work so brownfield sites can be reused
Mineral waste is perfect for recycling and for using as recycled building material. This is one of the reasons why the recycling rate is clearly above that mandated by law
There is not only a whole bunch of interesting fact and figures about our operations – but also about the REMONDIS Group in general. We have summarised these for you in a series of infographics which can be found below.
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.
Our company
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