No one has been talking about Germany as a recycling world champion for a long time. But the question still arises as to where Germany is positioned in the circular economy in an international comparison. On the basis of patent applications, Prognos tried to answer this question on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung with the study "Innovation Analysis of the Circular Economy".
The production of information and communication technologies generates high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, while the useful life of many devices is becoming ever shorter. The study "Greenhouse Gas Savings through the Reuse of Selected ICT Devices" conducted by Fraunhofer Umsicht uses a life cycle analysis to investigate the extent to which the reuse and refurbishment of smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop PCs can contribute to reducing these emissions.
The increasing quantities of waste electrical and electronic equipment are posing considerable challenges for policy-makers, businesses and waste management systems worldwide. An effective circular economy requires that both formal and informal material flows are transparently recorded and quantified. Using the Netherlands as an example, the study "Improving WEEE monitoring: insights from the Netherlands" conducted by Dutch scientists analyses how an almost closed monitoring system for WEEE can be established, which data gaps still exist, and which measures are suitable to improve the recording of informal flows in the future. The study was published in the journal "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".
Digitalisation, artificial intelligence and the ongoing transition to a climate-neutral economy are changing business models, production processes and job profiles worldwide. The World Economic Forum's "Future of Jobs" report shows just how much the labour market is set to change by 2030.
The gasification of residual forestry waste, recycled waste wood, MSW and ligno-cellulosic crop wastes is an emerging pathway to producing liquid fuels. At the high temperatures and pressures in the gasifier, these feedstocks are converted into syngas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Subsequently, the syngas can be converted to methanol or synthetic Fischer Tropsch liquids such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The handling of these non-homogeneous, solid materials is critical to the successful operation of the gasifier to enable a viable recovery and chemical recycling (chemcycling) pathway.
Recycling has long been more than just waste recycling. With increasingly strict regulatory requirements, growing recyclate quotas and the pressure to decarbonise, the role of the industry is changing fundamentally. What is needed is not only efficient processes, but also the ability to build and control functioning circular ecosystems. The study "A dynamic capabilities framework for building circular ecosystems by focal firms" conducted by Spanish and Brazilian researchers shows which strategic competencies companies need in order to do so and why recycling companies in particular can play a key role in the process.
WEEE is a source of annoyance: the quantities are constantly increasing, the already complex recycling is made more difficult by design developments and every new battery threatens to fire. Therefore, in the "EU Recyclers' Roadmap: For a circular & future-proof e-waste sector", Recycling Europe proposes six measures to improve things.
E-waste is one of the most recyclable, but at the same time technically most demanding waste streams worldwide. In view of rising raw material prices, growing quantities and stricter environmental require-ments, classic, chemical-intensive recycling processes are coming under increasing pressure. Reagent-free technologies based on physical separation principles promise higher energy efficiency, lower emissions and new ways in urban raw material extraction. The study "Review of Reagent-Free Electronic Waste Recycling: Technology, Energy, Materials and Spatial Effects" by scientists from Kazakhstan and Croatia analyzes the state of the art and evaluates industrial perspectives. The study was published in "Recycling".
Increasing waste volumes, ambitious recycling quotas and growing cost pressure pose funda-mental challenges for municipalities and waste management companies. Artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are opening up new ways to make collection, sorting and material flow control more efficient, transparent and sustainable. The study "Revolutionizing urban solid waste management with AI and IoT: A review of smart solutions for waste collection, sorting, and recycling" by a Saudi Arabian scientist shows how digital systems can evolve from an addi-tional technological benefit to a strategic key for the circular economy.
The automotive industry is at the heart of Europe's efforts to close resource cy-cles and drive the transition to a circular economy. The study "Increasing plastic circularity in the automotive sector: Supply chain analysis and policy options from the European Union (EU)" by scientists from Italy and the Netherlands examined plastic circularity in the automotive sector. In doing so, it focuses on the drivers and hurdles of recycling. The study was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".
And once again, the EU wants to speed things up. This time, the "Industrial Accelerator Act" is to be about selected industrial sectors. The main focus is on public procurement and approval procedures.
Where does Germany stand in terms of the circular economy and what about the European goals? The Bertelsmann Foundation's study "Circular Economy Strategies of the EU and Germany in Comparison" examined the status quo in Germany. In addition, it was examined whether the German targets correspond to those of the EU.
Extended producer responsibility is considered the backbone of European recycling policy. But while collection and recycling rates are increasing, waste volumes continue to grow, while reuse and repair remain structurally underfunded. As part of the planned Circular Economy Act, Zero Waste Europe pro-poses a fundamental realignment of extended producer responsibility in the policy brief "Extended Pro-ducer Responsibility (EPR) for waste reduction".
Digital product passports are considered a key tool for promoting transparency, sustainability and circular economy in global value chains. Especially in the area of critical raw materials for batteries, they are intended to overcome regulatory fragmentation and provide reliable infor-mation on origin, processing and reuse. However, their cross-border implementation raises considerable legal questions. The white paper "Digital Product Passports and Critical Raw Ma-terials for Batteries: Legal Conflicts and Principles for Cross-Border Cooperation" by UNECE analyzes the central legal conflict areas in the implementation of digital product passports in global CRM battery value chains and develops principles for an internationally coordinated legal framework.
The circular economy is facing a technological turning point. Increasing material flow volumes, more demanding material composites and ambitious recycling targets require new solutions beyond classic process optimization. Artificial intelligence is evolving from a promise of innovation to an operational tool - in sorting systems, logistics systems and already in product design. The study "Leveraging artificial intelligence for economic development: Innovations in Circular Economy and waste reduction strategies" by scientists from Uzbekistan shows how data-based technologies are transforming the waste management and recycling industry, which economic and ecological effects are realistic and which strategic prerequisites must be met for successful implementation.
The transformation towards a resource-efficient and climate-neutral economy will be decided in the SME sector. Companies from the recycling, waste disposal, logistics and processing sectors in particular are at the interface of climate protection and industrial value creation.
Digital twins are considered a key technology of Industry 4.0. But their potential extends far beyond efficiency gains in production. As a data-based mapping of products and processes, they can create the transparency required for closed material cycles. In the article "Digital twins as enablers for circular economy development in the context of Industry 4.0", scientists from the University of Cologne show how digital twins and digital product passports can change recycling and what economic opportunities arise from this. The article was published in the "Journal of Applied Organizational Psychology".
Digital technologies are considered the key to the circular economy. But new data shows that digitization alone does not bring about sustainable transformation. Only when digital participation strengthens social security, political stability and intergenerational justice will the willingness to implement circular business models increase. The study "Digital Equity as a Catalyst for Circular Economy Transition" by researchers from Dubai shows why the circular economy needs more social infrastructure than technical innovation.
The construction industry needs to drastically reduce its environmental footprint through the transition to a circular economy. The central tool here is material passports, which provide digital information on the origin and recycling potential of building materials. Despite technical advances, however, research remains fragmented, as the link between data quality and practical circularity strategies such as reuse is often missing. This unsettles decision-makers and hinders nationwide deployment. The study "Evaluating material pass-ports for circularity in the construction industry" by Chinese academics closes this gap through a systematic analysis of literature and case studies. The aim is to develop a stand-ardised data structure that defines the necessary depth of information for a sustainable circular system.
The circular economy is considered a central concept for sustainably coping with the increasing consumption of resources and the growing amounts of waste. More than two billion tons of waste are already generated worldwide per year, and this number is projected to grow to 3.4 billion tons by 2050. This development is a burden on the environment, the economy and society in equal measure. Digital technologies open up new perspectives for this. They can modernize traditional waste management systems and effectively support central principles of the circular economy. At the same time, there are considerable challenges. Against this background, the study "Artificial Intelligence and IoT for Smart Waste Management: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Directions" by Indonesian scientists examines the role of AI and IoT in the circular economy, presents key applications and discusses obstacles as well as opportunities for a sus-tainable transformation. The study was published in the "Journal of Future Artificial Intelligence and Technologies".
