We are delighted to welcome Dr. Lukas Gast to our team as Team Leader Circular Economy as of March 1, 2024.

We are delighted to welcome Mr. Daniel Ohl to our team as a new INZIN Fellow on July 1, 2024.

Mr. Ohl is researching new indicators and evaluations of technologies for the circular economy. He completed his Master’s degree in Applied Chemistry at TH Köln in September 2023 with a focus on green and sustainable chemistry. Before that, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Chemistry at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. Last year, he completed an internship at Prognos AG in the field of sustainability consulting with first projects in the field of circular economy and chemical recycling.

The transition to a decarbonized economy is increasing the demand for rare earths and industrial metals. Securing a sustainable supply of raw materials is therefore essential for the successful transformation of Germany as an innovative industrial location.
As Germany and the EU are heavily dependent on individual countries for the extraction and processing of rare earths and industrial metals, effectively recovering them and closing raw material cycles is a key challenge. This expert forum focused on the barriers that need to be overcome for a cross-sector circular economy.

Together with representatives from politics, science and industry, the expert forum discussed which political framework conditions could lead to more effective recovery of rare earths and industrial metals. Input from Dr. Michael Weltzin, Division IVB1 Mineral Raw Materials, Circular Economy, Technical Supervision BGR of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), Dr. Lukas Gast, Team Leader Circular Economy at the Institute for the Future of Industrial Society (INZIN), and Dr. Britta Bookhagen, Head of the Recycling Raw Materials Department at the German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA), contributed to a successful event.

Circular innovations for a green economy in NRW

The expert discussion with Andreas Mucke (Circular Valley) and Philipp Böhm (NEEW Ventures GmbH) was moderated by Dr. Lukas Gast (KNUW). The panel discussion provided an overview of new and existing circular business models, the innovation landscape in NRW with concrete examples of successful start-ups that address the challenges of the circular economy from digitalization and AI to product design and recovery through to recycling with the aim of closing material cycles and contributing to a circular economy.

Hydrogen and the circular economy are growing together in the Ruhr metropolis

The Ruhr region is one of the most important economic regions in Europe and, due to its energy-intensive industries, will need to have an even more extensive hydrogen infrastructure in the future. Key customers include the chemical and metallurgical industries, plant and mechanical engineering, the logistics sector and companies in the circular economy. Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich and Christina Zollmarsch from Business Metropole Ruhr GmbH spoke about the potential and challenges of the regional hydrogen economy and its integration into the future circular economy in NRW.

Greenhorn meets Expert

At the Greenhorn meets Expert event, INZIN fellow Christian Großhauser presented the activities of the INZIN Institute. During speed networking, the “greenhorns” were able to exchange ideas with the “experts” and get to know their potential employer.

Science and business: shaping innovation together

During the panel discussion, which was moderated by Holger Lange (Stadtreinigung Hamburg), Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich emphasized the relevance of cooperation between science and industry in order to drive innovation.Green Economy as a driver of innovation in NRW

Green Economy as a driver of innovation in NRW

At the event, which was chaired by Dr. Ewa Harlacz and INZIN scholarship holder Konstantin Saure, innovative start-ups from NRW presented their digital business models in the areas of circular economy, water management and mobility and showed how they can contribute to the sustainable development of the region.

HiiCCE Science Corner “Young science in the waste management industry”

As part of his presentation “Resource strategies for cities in NRW”, INZIN scholarship holder Konstantin Saure presented the current status of the circular economy in NRW and outlined possible future developments.

Other special highlights of IFAT Munich 2024 were the visit by State Secretary Viktor Haase and the signing of the “Circular Value Creation Round Table Charter”.
State Secretary Viktor Haase explained: “We want to make North Rhine-Westphalia the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe. This transformation will be a major effort. However, we will only succeed if we manage to drive forward the ecological transformation and at the same time make our federal state one of the most sustainable and competitive business locations in Europe. In a modern economy, climate protection, the preservation of our natural resources, good jobs and social security are inextricably linked. The circular economy is an important lever for achieving this goal of transformation.”

Another highlight was the KNUW-DGAW joint brunch with over 50 participants from various companies and associations. With pretzels, veal sausage, wine and wheat beer, the penultimate day of the trade fair was heralded in a relaxed atmosphere and at the same time offered the opportunity for mutual exchange and networking.

We would like to thank all participants for their interest in our formats, DGAW for the joint stand and support and our colleagues from the KNUW team!

Metals for Progress | Passion for Metallurgy | Together with YOU

With these claims, Aurubis in Lünen near Dortmund makes it clear how relevant metals are for the transformation process in a circular economy.

Aurubis AG is a leading global supplier of non-ferrous metals and one of the largest copper recyclers in the world. The company processes complex metal concentrates, scrap metals, organic and inorganic metal-containing recycling materials and industrial residues into metals of the highest quality. Aurubis produces more than 1 million tons of copper cathodes every year and various products made of copper or copper alloys such as continuous cast wire rod, shapes, profiles or flat rolled products. Aurubis also produces many other metals such as precious metals, selenium, lead, nickel, tin and zinc. The portfolio also includes other products such as sulphuric acid and iron silicate.

Sustainability and decarbonization are elementary components of the Aurubis strategy.
The Group’s recycling center, where complex recycling materials are processed, is located in Lünen. Around 650 employees produce anodes, cathodes, iron silicate sand and by-products there. Companies such as Aurubis provide environmentally neutral process technologies and recycling routes for copper recycling in line with the circular economy.

We would like to thank Aurubis for the informative visit to the recycling center and look forward to further cooperation.

From February 5 to 7, 2024, the seminar “Sustainability in Companies” took place at TU Dortmund. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich, 23 dedicated students presented lectures on various areas of sustainability.

Topics included the “three-pillar model” and the “Club of Rome”, as well as insights into the activities of the EU and the UN. Furthermore, we were thrilled to have speakers from the companies Gertec, EEW Energy from Waste, EDG Entsorgung Dortmund GmbH, DEW21, Aurubis and Remondis at the event!

We thank all participants for the fascinating insights and their commitment!

On January 25, 2024, the Status Report on the Circular Economy 2024 was presented as part of a virtual press conference.

After a welcoming address by Stefan Rummel, Messe München, Prof. Dr. Martin Faulstich, INZIN – Institute for the Future of Industrial Society, Prof. Dr. Klaus Gellenbeck, INFA GmbH, and Dr. Jochen Hoffmeister, Prognos AG, presented the key findings of the report.
The press conference was moderated by Felix Kirschenbauer.

In the status report, 14 associations and IFAT Munich present the current status of the German circular economy. The new edition provides an up-to-date, comprehensive and broadly coordinated overview of the organizational structures, volumes, capacities, economic relevance, innovative capacity and future economic and social challenges facing the circular economy in Germany. The report thus provides valuable information about the current and future tasks, achievements and goals of the industry to politicians and the business community, as well as the media and interested experts.

The press conference can be accessed here.

Further information and key findings

The 2024 Status Report (PDF)