A Comprehensive Circular Economy for Germany in 2045
Circular Economy Model Germany
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Beschreibung
Raw material consumption has tripled worldwide since 1970. In a country comparison, Germany ranks among the top countries. The excessive consump-tion of raw materials and resources with disregard for planetary boundaries contributes massively to the triple crisis of global warming, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. In addition, there are serious social and human rights issues related to the extraction of raw materials. Nothing less than the future of current and future generations is at stake – environmentally, eco-nomically and the future of society as a whole.
Our linear economic model is the cause of the high consumption of primary raw materials with all its negative implications. What we need is the imple-mentation of a holistic circular economy (CE) that actively makes use of all circular measures.
Germany’s existing laws, political programmes and strategies are too non-bind-ing, incongruent and, overall, nowhere near ambitious enough. Germany lags far behind other European countries in this respect. Expectations are now being pinned on the National Circular Economy Strategy (NCES), which is currently in development.
To describe the transformation required to achieve a comprehensive circular economy, WWF Germany has developed the Circular Economy Model Germa-ny (CEMG) together with Öko-Institut, Fraunhofer ISI and FU Berlin. This brochure consolidates the findings of the two extensive studies (modelling study and policy blueprint).
As part of the modelling, the environmental and economic consequences of CE measures were assessed for eight sectors (building construction and civil engineering, vehicles and batteries, information and communication technol-ogies (ICT) as well as household appliances, food and diet, textiles, packag-ing, furniture and lighting), the products of which are associated with high environmental impacts and have as a result high potential for the necessary transformation. The analyses cover the environmental impact categories of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), raw material consumption (RMC), total material consumption (TMC), land use and, in some cases, biodiversity, as well as the socio-economic indicators of gross value added, security of supply and labour needs.
As the first comprehensive CE model ever developed for Germany, the CEMG provides a sound, scientific basis for identifying quantifiable targets and set-ting priorities. Four scenarios are modelled. These clearly show which out-comes can be achieved for the target year 2045, depending on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the measures implemented. When selecting the CE measures to be analysed, particular attention was paid to the range of R-strategies and to the higher R-strategies that prioritise avoiding resource use. The underlying logic is simple: products that are not made in the first place or that last a long time reduce the need for resources and energy.
The result of the CEMG is clear: the transition to a CE is associated with sub-stantially positive environmental impacts in all the impact categories analysed in the study. In addition, our country and our economy will benefit considera-bly in terms of security of supply, and our dependence on critical raw materials will be reduced in the long term. Key socio-economic advantages arise because the massive follow-on costs of environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change are curbed. Last but not least, the necessary (and possible) transformation of Germany towards a holistic CE also creates opportunities for better quality of life and human health.
The table below (p. 15) shows selected results of the CEMG until 2045 com-pared to the 2045 Continue-as-Planned scenario. The Continue-as-Planned scenario only accounts for technological and political development pathways that have already been initiated or at least decided on. In addition, the table shows selected figures on monetary benefits and increased resilience resulting from the CEMG measures.
The CEMG policy blueprint picks up from where the modelling study left off, charting the path of transformation to a CE and describing various core elements that support each other in the process: (1) Vision and guiding principles, (2) Goals and indicators, (3) Governance, (4) Policy instruments to implement CE measures.
The vision includes five action strategies that are intended to contribute to the overarching environmental goals such as climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation: (1) Reduce resource streams, (2) Substitute mate-rials, (3) Slow down resource flows, (4) Intensify product use and (5) Close resource loops.
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Themen in »A Comprehensive Circular Economy for Germany in 2045«
Circular Economy Transformation Circular material use Biocapacity Car sharing Waste Management Ecodesign: Ecological footprint Linear business models National Bioeconomy Strategy Raw material consumption Product-as-a-service Remanufacturing