Securing strategic raw materials through circularity

For Germans, Germany's raw material security starts at the recycling center, as the IFAT Circularity Monitor, a representative YouGov survey commissioned by IFAT Munich, shows. 73% of Germans rate the circular economy as important with regard to national (raw material) security, and more than half see it as a pacesetter for new economic growth. At the same time, 83% state that they still feel poorly or only sufficiently informed about this subject.

IFAT Munich is adding a decisive dimension to the concept of green defense, previously used primarily in the context of military sustainability strategies and environmentally friendly defense technologies: as a concept for society as a whole that combines ecological stability, resource sovereignty and economic resilience.

“Although, intuitively, the idea of green defense is already well understood, it now also needs to be fleshed out in political and economic terms,” says Ambassador (ret.) Wolfgang Ischinger, Chair of the Munich Security Conference. “Raw materials are instruments of power. Dependence means vulnerability. If we recover rare earths from old devices instead of importing them at high cost, we strengthen our technological sovereignty. If we keep steel, aluminum or copper in circulation, we make ourselves resilient to market distortions. Green defense means that the circular economy becomes a factor for geopolitical stability.”

57% of Germans see circularity as a key to reducing dependence on imports – a clear signal of social support for the circular economy. Anja Siegesmund, Executive President of the Federal Association of the German Waste, Water and Recycling Industry (BDE), is campaigning for a more effective circular economy: “Our member companies are ready. Strategies and concepts alone do not offer our companies any investment security. What matters now are clear resource targets, binding recycling quotas, and public procurement that favors circular materials. We are part of the solution for greater competitiveness and raw material security.”

Only 10%** of Germans fear that the circular economy could have a negative impact on companies in Germany. YouGov also surveyed a representative sample of decision-makers for the IFAT Circularity Monitor. The B2B survey also reaches a clear conclusion: 88%** expect a consistently implemented circular economy to be able to contribute to an economic upturn in Germany. “These figures provide a boost,” says Siegesmund. “They show that people are ready for a policy that combines sustainability with security. Green defense is not an abstract strategy – it is a mission.”