Anja Siegesmund leaves the BDE
Change of leadership at the BDE: Executive President Anja Siegesmund hands over her office to Vice President Matthias Harms on 31 January 2026.
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According to a study by the Öko-Institut, the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging by the dual systems saves greenhouse gas emissions. This would save 1.95 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent. The results of the study were presented at IFAT in Munich.
With the collection, sorting and recycling of paper/cardboard/cardboard (PPK), glass and lightweight packaging the dual systems generate secondary raw materials, replace fuels in the cement plant and generate electricity and heat by incinerating the waste in substitute fuel cogeneration plants and waste incineration plants. In this way, they contribute to climate protection: in 2020, the recycling of packaging, the emission of climate-damaging greenhouse gases was reduced by 1.95 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents reduced in 2019, the reduction amounted to 1.72 million tonnes.
However, the packaging recycling organised by the dual systems also indirectly emissions from the waste incineration plant (WIP) avoidedas the used packaging would otherwise be incinerated there. Taking into account these indirectly avoided emissions, the climate protection contribution for 2020 was as much as 2.88 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (2019: 2.63 million tonnes).
The current study by the Öko-Institut "Waste separation works - ecological benefits and potential through the correct separation and recycling of packaging" - carried out on behalf of "Waste separation works" - confirmed and quantifies the ecological benefits and climate relief contributions of packaging recycling compared to energy recovery of the entire collection volume in a waste incineration plant.
"The superiority of the dual system is evident in all environmental categories analysed: Climate change, acidification, eutrophication, particulate pollution and fossil energy use. Due to the increasing decarbonisation of the electricity mix, the climate and environmental protection contributions of packaging recycling will increase even further, while the contributions of energy recovery will fall massively in the future."
Günter Dehoust, Öko-Institut
The volume flows of the dual systems determined for the study make it clear that the sThe recycling of used packaging is already a relevant source of raw materials for the German and European economy. is: 4.02 million tonnes of secondary raw materials were produced across all fractions in 2020.
"Both the quality and the quantity of raw materials provided by the dual systems continue to increase. The dual system is therefore an essential part of the strategy to switch from a linear to a circular economy."
Axel SubklewSpokesman for the "Waste separation works" initiative
Source: "Waste separation works"
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