On the day after the Bundestag elections, the economy is making clear demands to the parties, which, under the leadership of the CDU/CSU, should now improve the framework conditions for a strong economy. The BDE is calling for decisive measures to ramp up the circular economy.
The German Association of the Waste Management, Water and Circular Economy is urging that the following be implemented in the first 100 days after the election to boldly set the course, to tackle the ramp-up of the circular economy for greater resilience, raw material security and the use of modern recycling technologies.
„Our economy is facing huge challenges - but also enormous opportunities. The new German government must take decisive action in the first 100 days to focus on investment and planning security, digitalisation and reducing bureaucracy. This is the only way to give our industry the boost it urgently needs to establish state-of-the-art recycling technologies and an innovative circular economy across the board. Bold steps are needed now for the three Rs: resilience, raw material security and state-of-the-art recycling technologies, and clear, reliable framework conditions must be created in the first 100 days after the election. This also means that large parts of the circular economy should be understood as securing raw materials and should therefore be part of the economic department.“
Anja Siegesmund, Managing President of the BDE
At the end of 2024, the BDE, together with the industry associations bvse and VBS, had already developed a 10-point plan for the first 100 days of the future federal government which focussed on the circular economy as the key to Germany's competitiveness as a business location (we reported).
„However, we are also supplementing our demands for the first 100 days with fundamental expectations of what needs to happen by the end of 2025 and throughout the entire legislative period: We are calling for a comprehensive package of measures that not only ensures the competitiveness of our industry, but also also makes a significant contribution to raw material sovereignty and climate protection. This includes supporting the raw materials fund in the federal budget, implementing the reorganisation of departmental allocations by the end of 2025 and establishing and convening the platform on which measures of the National Circular Economy Strategy are to be prioritised with the participation of industry. Everything is feasible and achievable,“ explains Siegesmund.
However, the BDE also has clear objectives for the legislative period itself: „In the next four years, a strengthening pillar for the German economy can be created with the ramp-up of the circular economy. This applies to all material flows (metals as well as minerals). However, this requires Clear rules right at the start of the value chain in the design of a product with Design for Recycling, clear guidelines for the public sector when it comes to awarding contracts and the use of recycled raw materials as well as minimum recycling quotas.“
The complete catalogue of demands from the Federal Association of the German Waste, Water and Recycling Industry (BDE), the Federal Association of Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (bvse) and the Association of Bavarian Waste Management Companies (VBS) can be found here.
Source: BDE
