Baden-Württemberg as a state lacking substantial quantities of raw materials and a location of high-tech production depends on the efficient use of raw materials and recycling of resources from waste. To cope with the challenges in resource economy and to support the companies in Baden-Württemberg, the state government decided on January 09, 2018 to establish a Think Tank “Industrial Resource Strategies” together with industry and science. Today (February 20), the Baden-Württemberg Minister of the Environment, Franz Untersteller, officially opened the Think Tank at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
“Resource extraction, resource utilization, resource efficiency, and resource recovery are in the responsibility of politics and industry,” Untersteller said to the about 75 invited representatives of industry, politics, science, and administration. “The Think Tank is to enhance dialog between industry and politics, as it will only be possible to implement a viable resource strategy with the know-how and practical knowledge of the companies in the state.”
“Limited availability of resources plays an important role in the development and advancement of new technologies. For this reason, we consider it our obligation to use resources sustainably and responsibly,” said the President of KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. “I am very happy that KIT, based on its broad range of disciplines, can make valuable contributions to the Think Tank for the benefit of society, economy, and environment in our state.”
The spokesperson of the Think Tank “Industrial Resource Strategies” and Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs of KIT, Professor Thomas Hirth, added: “With the Think Tank, we will study the raw materials cycle in a holistic way, from extraction to use to recycling, including technological, economic, ecological, and social impacts. The benefit for society and the preservation of our natural basis of life will be as important to us as economic success.”
First main activities of the Think Tank “Industrial Resource Strategies” have already been defined. It will analyze the transparency of resources, recycling and circular economy models under ecological and economic aspects, and impacts of industrial change on the supply, availability, and security of resources.
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Initially, the Think Tank is scheduled for a duration of four years. The costs of EUR 2 million per year will be shared by the state of Baden-Württemberg and industry. The Think Tank will be located at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). A project council will discuss strategic topics and the topics to be covered by the Think Tank.
So far, the following companies and associations have declared their preparedness to co-fund the Think Tank: AUDI AG, Badische Stahlwerke GmbH, Carl Zeiss AG, Daimler AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Scholz Recycling GmbH, SchwörerHaus KG, Umicore AG & Co. KG, Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. Landesverband Baden-Württemberg, Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG.
For more information on the Think Tank, click: www.um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/wirtschaft/ressourceneffizienz-und-umwelttechnik/think-tank/(in German only)
Brochure for downloading: www.um.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/publikation/did/think-tank-industrielle-ressourcenstrategien (in German only)
More information on resource efficiency and on the state’s strategy for resource efficiency can be found on the website of the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Ministry at www.um.baden-wuerttemberg.de.
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