Final Report of the Platform for dialogue on secondary raw materials – Courses of action for strengthening the contribution of secondary raw materials in ensuring the security of metal and industrial mineral supply

As an industrial nation, Germany is dependent on a secure and sustainable supply of mineral raw materials. In addition to the domestic extraction and the import of raw materials, the recycling of raw materials will play an increasingly important role as a further pillar of supply in the future.

This final report (executive summary) of the Dialogplattform Recyclingrohstoffe (“Platform for dialogue on secondary raw materials”) sets out concrete measures for specific material flows that will strengthen the contribution of recycled raw materials (secondary raw materials) to Germany’s security of supply of metals and industrial minerals. Together with the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA), acatech has coordinated the dialog process commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) over the past two years. In a total of eight sub-working groups, 94 material flow-specific options for action were developed, which were summarized in fact sheets with a detailed analysis of barriers and conflicting objectives for the material flows aluminium, iron and steel, copper, technology metals as well as building raw materials, gypsum, ceramic raw materials (refractory ceramics) and industrial residues/by-products.

The results show that a sustainable strengthening of recycling can only be achieved with a suitable mix of instruments that includes aspects of regulation, incentives, technology and digitalization as well as infrastructure and logistics.