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The digital circular economy : can the digital transformation pave the way for resource-efficient materials cycles?

  • Germany's waste management system is one of the world's most advanced - its primary objective is to dispose of waste in a way that is safe for both people and the environ- ment. However, only about 14 per cent of the raw materials used in industry are derived from recycling processes; the remainder are still sourced from primary materials. The circular economy is not yet being implemented on a large enough scale. Recyclates or recycled materials, i.e. secondary raw materials recovered from waste, are being fed back into production and usage processes at volumes that are far below what is possible. If this system were to be improved, loss of value, dependence on volatile commodity markets, lower resource productivity, and externalities inGermany's waste management system is one of the world's most advanced - its primary objective is to dispose of waste in a way that is safe for both people and the environ- ment. However, only about 14 per cent of the raw materials used in industry are derived from recycling processes; the remainder are still sourced from primary materials. The circular economy is not yet being implemented on a large enough scale. Recyclates or recycled materials, i.e. secondary raw materials recovered from waste, are being fed back into production and usage processes at volumes that are far below what is possible. If this system were to be improved, loss of value, dependence on volatile commodity markets, lower resource productivity, and externalities in the form of environmental pollution could be avoided. A drive towards digitalisation in industry and the waste management sector could make this happen. A study by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) indicates that no other lead market in the environmental sector stands to benefit from digitalisation more than the circular economy - and that, at the same time, no sector has ever been so poorly positioned.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Document Type:Working Paper
Author:Henning WiltsORCiDGND, Holger Berg
URN (citable link):https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:wup4-opus-69785
Publisher:Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie
Place of publication:Wuppertal
Year of Publication:2017
Number of page:7
Series Title (English):In brief
Volume:2017,4
Language:English
Divisions:Kreislaufwirtschaft
Dewey Decimal Classification:330 Wirtschaft
Licence:License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung-Nicht kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung