Michael Brunn

The circular economy is considered the key to resource conservation, climate neutrality and a secure supply of raw materials to industry. But one central problem remains unsolved so far: For many metal streams, there is a lack of reliable data on quantities, qualities and actual recycling paths. The analysis "Data requirements for a successful circular economy" by the Federal Environment Agency and the Ger-man Mineral Resources Agency shows that there are considerable information gaps along the entire val-ue chain.

The United Nations' Global Environment Outlook 7 describes the environmental crises of our time with unusual clarity, assigning a key role to the circular economy. Waste, materials and material flows no longer appear as marginal issues of environmental policy, but as central lev-ers for climate, resource and biodiversity protection. The article classifies the core messages of the report and shows why high-performance material and waste systems are becoming the strategic infrastructure of a sustainable economy.

CCU and CCS are considered essential instruments for achieving climate targets, especially in industries that are difficult to decarbonize. However, the effort required to install such systems is high, as is the energy consumption. In the study "CCU Technologies: Status Quo and Future Prospects", the think tank Industrial Resource Strategies investigated whether decentralized and less energy-intensive CCU pro-cesses can be used. The focus is less on the direct contribution to the climate and more on the develop-ment of competitive technologies.

The European Commission has announced a law on the circular economy for the third quarter. Now the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also commented on this. In the report "The EU Circular Economy Act-Key policy levers for Europe's Industrial Strategy", the organisation has outlined its ideas for the law.

As the study "Including Incineration in the EU-ETS: Potential Impact on Landfilling" by Dr. Dominik Hogg on behalf of Zero Waste Europe shows, the concern about a return to landfilling due to the inclusion of waste incineration in emissions trading is largely unfounded. Rather, existing regulatory restrictions, ris-ing landfill levies and structural market conditions determine the actual material flow shifts. The CO₂ price acts as an additional, but not dominant, control mechanism.

The demand for high-quality recyclates is increasing faster than the supply. Sorting, recycling and pro-cessing are becoming strategic bottleneck factors. According to the study "Waste recycling in Germany: The investment opportunity in the German recycling industry" by KPMG, new opportunities are opening up for investors and industry at the same time.

Plastics recycling remains a problem in the circular economy. According to researchers at Pforzheim Uni-versity of Applied Sciences, however, this does not necessarily have to stay that way. In the study "Waste Management 2.0 - Plastics Circular Economy of the Future - Challenges and Solutions", they analysed what should be done better. The study is part of the präziSort research project.

European waste policy is at a turning point. Despite extensive regulation and increas-ing recycling rates, significant amounts of residual waste remain that are landfilled or incinerated, thus affecting both climate and resource targets. The report "Marginalis-ing waste: A trade scheme to reduce residuals", prepared by Dr. Dominic Hogg for Reloop and Zero Waste Europe, examines the conception of an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for municipal residual waste as an innovative management tool.

Circle Economy's "Circularity Gap Report 2026 - The Value Gap" emphasizes that global resource produc-tivity has not been increasing for a decade. More and more material is being used without any real effi-ciency gains. The current Circularity Gap Report therefore no longer focuses on the use of secondary raw materials. Rather, it examines the extent of avoidable loss of value due to linear and inefficient economic practices.

The Single-Use Plastics Directive (SEA Directive) requires Member States to report regularly on their activities. Now the European Commission has published the first figures for 2022.