In Germany, recycling and waste management make a significant contribution to sustainable development. As the country is not rich in raw materials, for long-term economic development Germany is reliant on the identification and implementation of measures to further increase resource efficiency. Steps towards achieving this aim include:

• Identification of secondary raw material sources including quantity and quality
• Development of processes to even out the quality of secondary raw materials in the production process, or through downstream processing
• Analysis of material characteristics, application fields and markets for the re-use of secondary raw materials

Typical fields of work in the research unit for recycling are the automotive industry, electric and electronic products, the paper and the construction industries. Beside the recycling of plastics, metals and mineral raw materials are also investigated.

With comprehensive facilities and equipment, ranging from material testing, through chemical analysis to mechanical processing, the Fraunhofer ICT can provide accurate and practice-relevant responses to challenges faced by our commercial customers.