German politicians should recognize the value of the domestic metals recycling industry by including its representatives on the planned expert council for climate protection, the local metal traders association said.
Germany’s ruling coalition in September agreed a package worth more than 50 billion euros of measures through to 2023 to protect the climate and boost its green credentials.
“Recycling saves raw materials, energy and also CO2,” Zieringer said, adding that German industry could use more recycled materials and provide a better “ecological balance”.
This would improve CO2 savings, which in 2017 for recycling copper, aluminium and zinc totalled between 6.5 and 8 million tonnes, according to data from the VDM. Climate-harming emissions in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, fell 4.2% last year to 869 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, according to data from the federal environment agency, UBA (Umweltbundesamt).
