New study shows: Reduction of raw materials in Germany is necessary and possible
Berlin, 28.03.2024: With almost 80 million tonnes in 2022, Germany's industry consumes too many metallic raw materials. This consumption needs to be reduced in order to protect the climate and minimise environmental degradation and human rights violations, which are recurrent in metallic raw material supply chains.
In the coalition agreement, the German government had announced that it would reduce the consumption of metallic raw materials, but did not deliver on this promise. A new study by the Berlin-based NGO PowerShift now shows how the reduction of raw materials can succeed and in which sectors massive savings must be implemented.
‘The Traffic Lights Coalition is the first federal government to commit to reducing primary raw material consumption. This is important in terms of human rights violations and environmental disasters in mining supply chains", stresses Michael Reckordt, raw materials expert at PowerShift. “In the meantime, the pressure to act is enormous. Germany must finally use fewer metallic raw materials – for the climate, the environment, human rights and to become independent of countries such as China and Russia. As PowerShift, we are calling for a raw material transition that will resolutely implement the reduction of primary consumption.”
‘The ifeu Institute calculated for PowerShift the savings of metallic raw materials in different sectors. In the transport sector alone, almost 37 million tonnes of iron, aluminium, copper and nickel could be saved by 2050. In the construction sector, the savings potential in the same period is even up to 52 million tonnes", adds Maja Wilke, who is responsible for the study at PowerShift. “It is now important for the Federal Government to act swiftly and in a coordinated manner, e.g. as part of the National Circular Economy Strategy – but the Ministry of Transport and Construction are also called upon to set the necessary course in their sectors.”
For more information:
- To the brochure: ‘Reduce metal consumption: Practical proposals for shaping the raw materials transition’
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
- Adrian Bornmann, Press and Public Relations Officer at PowerShift, adrian.bornmann@power-shift.de, 017672773137
- Maja Wilke, Resource Policy Officer at PowerShift, maja.wilke@power-shift.de, +49 (0)30 419 341 82
- Michael Reckordt, Resource Policy Officer at PowerShift, michael.reckordt@power-shift.de, +49 (0)163 6336372
