EUROPEAN DIALOG INITIATIVE – PEOPLE PROCESS PLACES
GETTING STARTED ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION HOW WILL TOMORROW’S MARKET DEVELOP?
2021 PAGE 14 INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR MICHAEL BRAUNGART Mission Positive PAGE 20 TOPIC DIALOG Green Deal, Luxembourg
WE CANNOT SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME MINDSET WE USED WHEN WE CREATED THEM. Albert Einstein
INTRODUCTION The European imperative!
The European economy faces major challenges. The familiar industrial age of the last century is drawing to a close, demanding not just technical innovation but a radical reorientation of industries and sectors, completed with new digital business models. We are at the beginning of a transformation into a more ecological, resource-friendly and climate-positive world in which we all need to rethink cities and company locations, redevelop urban districts and their logistics networks, and reinvent products and their production and composition.
provides exclusive insights into workshops and innovation labs run by our sponsors, idea providers and hosts.
While the topic ‘Connected towards the New Decade – What can Europe offer as an industrial base?’ defined our dialog in 2020 (see page 6/7 of the 2020 review with numerous new ways of thinking and problem-solving approaches), this year’s debate focuses on the European imperative, that is, the initial phase of sustainable transformation. This will involve us pursuing the fusion of economy and ecology, which can be developed into a profitable USP for our cities, industrial bases, and companies. This is the future of European's economy.
Together with our sponsors, hosts and Drees & Sommer colleagues, I look forward to the analog/digital continuation of the exchange of ideas with you and your company. Let us not content ourselves with hypotheticals. Rather, let’s join together to give the European imperative power, space and time.
That is why the 2021 PEOPLE PROCESS PLACES dialog initiative will travel to innovation hot spots in Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. For the fifth year in a row, interdisciplinary, cross-industry and transnational sessions will discuss fundamental aspects of the future in the context of analog and digital transformation. The 2021 Dialog Initiative
The range of topics is enormous. We will discuss the realignment of production and logistics, the future of corporate real estate, and urban innovations. Numerous partners and hosts will present their sustainable solutions to us. All topic dialogs, workshops, think tanks, and matchmaking offers have one goal: Maintaining the competitiveness of our companies and industrial sites through new profitable solutions.
Kind regards,
Götz Schönfeld Head of Business Transformation and Network Management (BTM)
THE SPONSORS OF THE EUROPEAN DIALOG INITIATIVE 2021 We would like to work with you to exploit the opportunities offered by the resourcefriendly development of the industrial, energy, construction, infrastructure and mobility sectors. For sustainable cost-efficient development. For a livable future.
ABB Elektrifizierung is a leading global provider of electrification solutions and is committed to the safe, intelligent and sustainable electrification of the future.
Our goal is to inspire people, improve their quality of life and conserve natural resources. We aspire to achieve the highest levels of quality and reliability. In short, we want to create technology that is ‘Invented for life’.
As one of the largest IT companies in the world, Fujitsu supports its customers in all aspects of digital transformation. Our products and services range from IT equipment, consulting and cloud services to complete IT operations.
Signify is the world’s leading provider of lighting for business and home use and of lighting solutions for the IoT. Our energy-efficient products offer people greater safety and convenience.
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Founded in 1997, BEOS AG is a leading asset manager and project developer of corporate real estate in Germany. It develops and manages mixed-use commercial properties with the guiding principle ‘think ahead’.
As a digital think tank, Comma Soft AG advises companies on digital transformation, and develops and implements solutions based on new technologies such as AI, data science, analytics, cloud services and IT security.
macom Group is Europe's leading engineering company for media technology and IT consulting, planning, implementation and operation. The focus is on the digitization of modern work, learning, event and customer environments.
We break with the conventional separation between consulting and implementation – and thus stand for integrated logistics solutions. Our digital services make our customers’ business operations faster, more transparent, and more efficient.
As a partner of future-oriented companies, we are specialized in optimizing automated logistics systems. We use innovative robotics and data-driven, flexible automated solutions to shape the future of intralogistics.
We release your entrepreneurial power. Our specialities: Transformation, innovation, digitization, brand & communication. We are Fritz-Effekt corporate consultancy, the WAYS Innovation Factory, the brandneo agency and the Unternehmerkraft publishing house.
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IMPRESSIONS OF THE 2020 DIALOG INITIATIVE Analog, digital, hybrid
Connected towards the next decade – what can Europe offer as an industrial base? We were looking for answers to this question last year. And we found them, despite – and in part thanks to – the corona pandemic.
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2020 was turbulent and exhausting, but it was also very instructive. We faced many upheavals during the pandemic. The focus on the issues of digitization, sustainability and a transformed work environment became even more intense. Cross-industry and cross-border thinking and acting in networks became important for the future-oriented orientation of companies in the DACH region. It was gratifying that we were able to continue our interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. The initial analog events were
followed by digital interviews, think tanks and workshops, as well as a range of hybrid and digital events. Our dialog initiative started in January with the first dialog in Schwäbisch Hall – traditionally held in the runup to the summit of global market leaders. Takeaways for participants included proposed solutions for climate-neutral management in industry, the handling of emerging markets, cross-site networking, targeted data management,
Interested? Find out more about 2020 here:
in the form of interviews with experts from business, the scientific community, and politics. These included Santosh Wadwa, Head of Product Channel Sales, Central Europe at Fujitsu, who spoke
“
If we draw any conclusions from the corona pandemic, they will primarily be about the structures of our national and international cooperation and about best practice experiences.” Adalbert M. Neumann, CEO Busch-Jaeger and Head of Global Marketing and Sales, ABB Smart Buildings
and innovative building automation. At the beginning of March, in Fujitsu’s Highlight Towers in Munich, we focused on the topic ‘Human Centric Innovation – People at the Heart of Innovation’. During a panel discussion, high-level guests such as Prof. Horst Wildemann from the Technical University of Munich, spoke about the conditions for innovations in education and business, and people as customers, innovators and managers. For a while, events after that were purely digital – for example
about digitization during the pandemic. Mark Poppenborg and Lars Vollmer, the founders and CEOs of Intrinsify, inspired us with ideas for modifying the way corporate culture is organized. And Lars Baumgürtel, managing partner of Zinq, advocated for the Circular Economy: “An economy and an industry that relies on secondary materials is highly resilient,” he said. The autumn became hybrid. During the topic dialogs at KPS and Unternehmerkraft at Phoenix-Lake in Dortmund and Braincourt in Vienna, physically present and digitally connected participants exchanged views on optimized value chains through digitalization, the potential of pooling, business model innovations, and many other topics.
And finally, the digital closing forum of the 2020 dialog initiative in November brought all the findings together. Two of the key messages were: If companies want to strive for the future, they must develop new, innovative business models in parallel to their core business. And small and medium-sized companies need courage, strength and perseverance in their approach to change in order to remain competitive. 2020 was a year like no other. It knocked us back, but it also pushed us forward. Change remains a constant – and we want to shape it. The Dialog Initiative continues...
Last year we had to repeatedly adapt our formats at short notice – between analog, digital or hybrid. We attempted to find the right format for each situation. This year, we want to continue this approach with you. Let’s stay agile and flexible, both in our companies and in our networking.
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WHAT SECURES OUR FUTURE? What is the driving force behind the 2021 European Dialog Initiative? Finding answers to key questions, particularly to the overarching one: How can we develop competitive solutions – and do that today, rather than tomorrow? Our focus: People, Process and Places.
PEOPLE – Sustainable transformation can only succeed if people realize that it is necessary – and if they are convinced that it will result in success. People must be at the heart of all decisions, including those taken by companies. The topic PEOPLE delivers interdisciplinary, cross-industry impulses. How can we prevent and combat skill shortages? How does the transformation affect organizational culture, employees, and corporate management? Can a sense of purpose be used to engender loyalty in high-flyers? Do we embrace diversity? What will the new normal force us to rethink? How is consumer behavior changing?
PROCESS – Agile, connected and flexibly customizable processes are the future. But how can we transform production and logistics sustainably and efficiently? What do companies need to do to both achieve their sustainability goals and be economically successful? The PROCESS topic delivers interdisciplinary and cross-industry impulses. What does reshoring offer as an eco-friendly alternative? What impact does the Circular Economy have on production? What possibilities does connectivity open up in manufacturing? What are the elements of a sustainable economic or consumption model, or lifestyle? Which new technologies, social initiatives and business models could become major sustainability innovations?
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What are the sustainability impacts of various political and economic frameworks? What will CleanTech lead to?
PLACES – Corporate real estate and sites must adapt to the new global conditions. Flexible, connected, relevant and smart – these attributes have to be brought to life. And they should also be agile, digital, sustainable and crisis-proof. They are key factors in a successful future strategy. Companies also need to carefully consider geographical locations themselves. The PLACES topic delivers interdisciplinary cross-industry ideas. What contribution do company buildings make to the carbon-neutral company? Can we counter the VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) with flexible business locations? How do we get real estate digital ready? What cross-border challenges are there? How can we cope with the pressure for efficiency and cost reduction? How can the increasing space-competition for housing, commercial and services be resolved? How can we make infrastructure more efficient, take advantage of social, environmental and cultural opportunities in urban districts, and develop alternative usage concepts? And finally, why is it worth transitioning towards ‘Circular Real Estate’?
OUR TOPICS FOR 2021 MAY 2021 MISSION TO ZERO
NOVEMBER 2021 GETTING STARTED ON SUSTAINABLE TRANSFORMATION SEPTEMBER 2021 GREEN DEAL AND SUSTAINABILITY
MARCH & JUNE 2021 ALL ELECTRIC SOCIETY OCTOBER 2021 URBAN SOLUTIONS AND SMART CITY
JUNE 2021 HOW WILL TOMORROW’S MARKET DEVELOP? APRIL 2021 THE FUTURE OF LIGHT
The European Dialog Initiative remains flexible. Find out more about the most important developments here.
PEOPLE
PROCESS
PLACES
> URBAN SOLUTIONS smart, green and cost-efficient: the blue way > NEW NORMAL Embracing new living environments > NETWORKED THINKING Achieving more (and added value) together > FLEXIBILITY Learning lifelong learning > CUSTOMER CENTRICITY Demand-focused business models
> AUTOMATION Scalable efficiency and locational advantage > GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN Aviation ahoy! > SUSTAINABILITY Achieving intergenerational equity with the Beneficial Company > CIRCULAR ECONOMY Today’s products as the raw material depots of tomorrow > VALUE CREATION PROCESSES Global, automated, intelligent?
> CIRCULAR REAL ESTATE Appreciation meets street appeal > SPATIAL EFFICIENCY Cutting costs now > SMART BUILDING Secure use of building data > FLEXIBLE OFFICES for an unpredictable world > MIXED-USE BUILDING Everyone under one roof
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FACTS & FIGURES TARGET 2050:
Largely greenhouse gas
NEUTRAL!
Sustainability
GROWTH OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
IN GERMANY COMPARED TO 1990:
TARGET 2030:
55%%
2020:
35%%
RENEWABLE SHARE OF GROSS ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION 2010:
THE ENERGY TRANSITION IS FORGING AHEAD!
16,9%%
2019:
43%%
GOAL 2030:
65%%
EU
43% Renewable share of gross electricity consumption in 2019
GER
45%
23%
35%
Lower greenhouse gas emissions than in 1990
➜ Source: German Federal Government ➜ Source: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
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➜ Source: German Federal Government
BIP
12%
Lower primary energy consumption than 1990 despite increase in GDP
Hydrogen
THE GLOBAL MARKET IS GROWING FORECAST DEVELOPMENT OF DEMAND IN TWH 2015: 2.222
2050:
21.667
2,300
BILLION EURO
2030: 3.889
FORECAST DEVELOPMENT OF SALES VOLUME 2030: 125 BILLION EURO
2050:
➜ Source: Hydrogen Council
LABOR MARKET POTENTIAL 2030: 4.5 MILLION 2050: NEW JOBS
30
12
Electricity generation
14
%%
29
%%
Building heating and electricity
MILLION
21
%%
%%
Mobility and transport
HYDROGEN DEMAND 2050 25
Industrial energy ➜ Source: Roland Berger 2020
%%
Industrial raw materials
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TOPIC DIALOG Research and Development Center, ABB
SAVE THE DATE
May 11, 2021, digital Switzerland is one of the most innovative countries in the world and has topped the Global Innovation Index for years. The European Dialog Initiative wants to know: How does that work? A digital think tank covering all aspects of ‘Mission to zero’ will deliver answers. We will discuss sustainability management and intelligent data, the mobility of the future, green bonds and Cradle to Cradle, and the dovetailing of research and business in open dialog and workshop sessions with you and DACH region participants from industry, the automotive, logistics, and energy sectors, and from urban and regional development
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authorities. The digital exchange will be followed by an analog/physical excursion. Later in the year we will visit an ABB innovation center as an example of Best Practice.
Interested in attending?
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR INDUSTRIAL CENTERS At its Lüdenscheid site, ABB has realized a solution that intelligently combines all aspects of energy supply and takes a resource-friendly approach to meeting the needs of industrial production. Many companies want to take responsibility for a sustainable future. The design of the energy transition is a challenging, complex task for which there have been virtually no solutions to date. This applies in particular to small and medium industrial centers. ABB presents itself as the engine of change with a manufacturing site that is almost entirely carbon-neutral. The heart of intelligent energy control is the energy management system, which is scalable and highly flexible, and which is specifically geared to the requirements of industrial sites and functions as an adaptive system.
completely self-sufficient with regard to power supply. Direct data transfer to the energy supplier ensures that residual electricity demand is met with 100 percent green electricity, if required. This enables ABB to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 629 tonnes per year. This project demonstrates how the company has managed to increase its own energy production, reduce carbon emissions, cut energy costs, and integrate e-mobility. The project also shows that sustainable energy production is feasible for established buildings and properties. In that sense, the energy management at the Lüdenscheid site serves as a blueprint for all those who want to achieve similar goals and contribute to climate protection.
The photovoltaic system on the car park roof is the basis for a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution. Of some 1,084 MWh generated per year, an average of 86 percent is consumed on-site, with the remaining 14 percent being exported to the grid. On sunny days, the production buildings are
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MISSION POSITIVE
INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR MICHAEL BRAUNGART, FOUNDER AND CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER OF EPEA
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DREES & SOMMER (DS): Prof. Braungart, the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan is a key element of the European Green Deal. In your view, what opportunities does this offer companies in the industrial, automotive and logistics sectors in the DACH region? PROF. MICHAEL BRAUNGART (MB): None at all. The Circular Economy is like linear thinking in a circle. It’s all about optimizing what already exists. In principle, this means a standstill. Actually, in the EU we should have talked from the outset about a Cradle to Cradle economy with products of appropriate quality. Instead, the Circular Economy is already being massively abused. In the Netherlands, they mix highly toxic fly ash into building blocks and turn old PET bottles into bicycle paths, creating a microplastics problem without end. The New Deal is a huge support program for the garbage industry. DS: So how can we manage to make Cradle to Cradle the basis for action at EU level? MB: With a fundamentally different strategy. The Circular Economy has certainly adopted elements of Cradle to Cradle. For example, it distinguishes between the biosphere and the technosphere. Copper is incredibly toxic in the biosphere, but can be used in the technosphere without any problems. Understanding this is vital for nutrient management. But despite this, there is still a waste management industry as part of the Circular Economy. The New Deal is a huge support program for the garbage industry. But nature does not recognize waste. A product that becomes waste simply has a
quality problem. The 1.5-degree target does more harm than good. The planet has been destroying itself for a long time. Antarctic ice is disappearing, the Greenland ice sheet is melting, and the permafrost is thawing. If we achieve the 1.5-degree target, the planet will continue to destroy itself, just at a slightly slower rate. And that’s actually even more damaging for the planet. If a system collapses quickly, niches can regenerate. But if it breaks down slowly, the niches die with it. So we need different targets – positive ones that are much more ambitious. It’s a bit like making hamburgers out of tenderized Scottish Highland beef. DS: What exactly do you have in mind? MB: We should say that we want to have the same levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2100 as we did in 1900. We have to actively isolate carbon dioxide. One goal would be that in ten years we only use plastic and fuel manufactured from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We should stop the import of animal feed. And also, a car has never been recycled into a car or a mobile phone into a mobile phone. I dismantled a Mercedes: It uses 46 different steel alloys with chromium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, tungsten, antimony, bismuth, titanium and so on – all valuable non-ferrous metals. And what do we do with it? We make reinforced steel. We call that recycling – but it is simply the most wretched form of downcycling. It’s a bit like making hamburgers out of tenderized Scottish Highland beef. None of the 41 rare elements in a mobile phone are recovered – none of the germanium, gallium, or indium. This has to stop, otherwise we will not
BRAUNGART EPEA – Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH and Leuphana Universität Lüneburg > BRAUNGART EPEA founded in 1987 by Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart in Hamburg > EPEA stands for Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency. From the very beginning, its goal has been to be an innovation partner for environmentally friendly products, processes, buildings and urban districts. > The EPEA follows the Cradle to Cradle principle developed by Michael Braungart and American designer William McDonough, according to which products are circulated in biological or technical cycles to allow the nutrients and materials to be repeatedly used for new products. > EPEA believes that economic viability, social justice and ecology are not mutually exclusive, but, in fact, mutually promoting. Sustainability is an opportunity for innovation rather than a burden. > Founded in 1946, Leuphana University Lüneburg sees itself as a university for civil society. One of its pillars is sustainability research.
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A PRODUCT THAT BECOMES WASTE SIMPLY HAS A QUALITY PROBLEM
be credible. Otherwise we will only be acting as if we want to change something, but we will already have given up on our future. We have mandatory limits for particulate matter, but only for outdoors, not for indoor environments. I visited 16 kindergartens in a medium-sized city and they should all have had to close, because not one of them met the outdoor particulate limit. That’s quite absurd. Each of us loses more than five and a half years of life expectancy due to particulate matter. We have mandatory limits for particulate matter, but only for outdoors, not for indoor environments.
movie title): ‘In Danger and Deep Distress, the Middle Ways Spells Certain Death’. Have you ever seen a climate-neutral tree? No, a tree is always good for the climate. Humankind can only be climate-neutral if it no longer exists. We have to learn to be climate-positive. Just like the cherry tree, which does not avoid, reduce and save in spring, but is beneficial for 200 other species. We build passive houses and think that’s a peak achievement. Instead, we should build buildings like trees, ones that clean the air and water, buildings that are useful. My biggest enemies are the sustainability officers in the companies.
DS: Clearly, you are not a big fan of the Green Deal and European environmental protection efforts, because they are not sufficiently strict.
DS: What advice do you give companies or institutions to set them on the right path?
MB: Europe is trying to solve problems with the same mindset that caused them. This will not work. The Green Deal will go off at half-cock. It creates the illusion of a good future through the false goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050. But remember (as in the
MB: Develop new business models – that is the most important thing. Nobody needs a photovoltaic system. What people need is something that captures light and generates electricity. We are currently optimizing in the wrong places because we have outdat-
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ed mindsets. For the EU, the Circular Economy is also about the longevity of products. But a washing machine that lasts 40 years is a major disaster, because then the innovative washing machine with energy- and water-saving features and gentle processes never reaches the market and the old one with its 150 stinking plastics continues to contaminate the gas-tight building. We found rubber seals from Malaysia in a German branded product that release more benzene than you inhale at any filling station. My biggest enemies are the sustainability officers in the companies. They were once important to create awareness. In the meantime, they have all set themselves up nicely to manage the demise. The understanding of sustainability is still based on the 1987 United Nations Brundtland Report, namely meeting people’s needs without detrimental effects on future generations. That is fundamentally wrong. Do we not want the best for our children? According to the European understanding, humankind should constantly apologize to nature for even existing. Europe sees environmental
protection as a moral obligation rather than realizing that it is the only innovation opportunity we have. We can afford intelligent waste. Whether you look at digitization, nanotechnology, genetic engineering or other areas of innovation – we are lagging, in the best case, at least 15 years behind in every area. But we know how to make things that are healthy for people and the environment and really suitable for a world of ten billion people. In order to benefit from this, we need to move away from sustainability thinking and towards genuine quality thinking. We don’t need to minimize our ecological footprint, but rather to increase it and turn it into a wetland. The earth has massive excess of energy input. We can afford intelligent waste. But to come back to the original question: Companies should grab the EU money before anyone else does, and then use it to act in the spirit of Cradle to Cradle. DS: You mentioned that, in terms of innovation, Europe lags behind other regions of the world, such as the United States or Asia. What do they make of Cradle to Cradle? MB: In the academic context, Cradle and Cradle is most successful in Japan. They have a good sense for quality management. China has also understood Cradle to Cradle. We have to combine their recycling mindset with the American will to act, the European capacity for thorough conceptual thinking and the southern joie de vivre, and then something good will come of it. DS: Do you have a message for young people? MB: Don't let people take you for a ride. The people who are in leading positions right now are living at your
expense. You are going to have to pay it all off. It really irritates me how amazingly benign even the Fridays for Future movement is when it settles for the 1.5-degree target. That only means we are destroying the future of young people a little less. DS: So what is your forecast for the next ten years? Have we nevertheless set ourselves on the right track with the Green Deal and the many initiatives started by companies that at least want to become climate neutral, or are we barking up the wrong tree because we have not yet understood that we need to become climate-positive? MB: The opposite of good is ‘with good intentions’. We need to understand that less bad is not good, and that it is not right to say that I will protect my children by beating them less often from now on. And despite this, I am driven by incredible optimism. Cradle to Cradle has now been around for 20 years as a concept and we have developed more than 11,000 products in that time. If you consider how long innovations normally take to catch on, that is amazingly fast. The mobile phone and the Internet took decades to become generally available. Cradle to Cradle is now being taught in every design school on the planet. Architects and designers are becoming more important because they are not making hazardous waste look pretty, but are really working as designers. And that’s great!
About Prof. Michael Braungart Prof. Michael Braungart was born in the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1958 and studied chemistry and process engineering. In the early 1980s, he became involved with Greenpeace. His constant aim has been to develop solutions to complex environmental problems. He is the co-inventor of the Cradle to Cradle principle and an internationally recognized expert and the recipient of multiple awards. Prof. Braungart teaches at several universities in Germany and the Netherlands, but has also taught in the UK and the USA. He is a professor for eco-design at the University of Lüneburg.
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A NEW START
Moving towards a paradigm shift
Is the conventional circular economy simply a case of old wine in new bottles? Sadly, yes, because the Circular Economy label is often used for systems that do not do justice to its name and attempt to meet the criteria. A real Circular Economy is one that actually strives to stop producing waste, and instead creates industrial products, buildings and urban districts that still have value after their initial purpose has been fulfilled. The magic formula here is Cradle to Cradle (C2C for short), exemplified by a union of two parties acting out of conviction: Michael Braungart and Drees & Sommer. Founded in 2019, EPEA GmbH – Part of Drees & Sommer has set itself the task of establishing C2C as a new design principle for industrial goods and buildings. Cradle to Cradle wants to put an end to the current ‘Take Make Waste’ model, which is based on turning raw materials into products and then sending them to landfill. In C2C, the quality of the nutrients used is maintained. Because goods are produced in such a way that, when they are no longer needed, they can be dismantled and the ‘ingredients’ separated and sorted by type, allowing new goods to be created – without using any new raw materials. Buildings, for example, are then no longer simply places where people live or work – they are also raw material depots.
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Sustainability is an opportunity, not a burden. Peter Mösle, Managing Director of EPEA GmbH – Part of Drees & Sommer, sees the Circular Economy based on C2C as an alternative model that has the potential to become Industrial Revolution 5.0. So it pains him all the more to see the term deliberately misinterpreted or even misused. “Today’s circular economy is just a relabeling of waste management. Otherwise, nothing has changed,” he says. “There are some cheats who make new products out of toxic waste and then talk about the Circular Economy.” They turn waste into more waste: Waste to Waste instead of Cradle to Cradle. And it goes without saying that C2C products only use nutrients that have been proven to be pollutant-free. EPEA – Part of Drees & Sommer is tackling this failing head-on. The company is promoting a Circular Economy that lives up to its name. A Circular Economy that makes waste disposal sites redundant. A Circular Economy that combines cost-efficiency, social justice and ecology, rather than seeing them as irreconcilable principles. And a Circular Economy that sees sustainability as an opportunity for innovation rather than as a burden.
“
There are some cheats who make new products out of toxic waste and then talk about the Circular Economy. That’s why alignment with the Cradle to Cradle® design principle is so important, because it defines the quality.” Peter Mösle, Partner Drees & Sommer
Circular Economy powered by Cradle to Cradle®
The road to becoming a Beneficial Company The first step is to get rid of untruths. The idea that Germany is recycling world champion is a myth, says Peter Mösle. “Rather than the officially claimed rate of 73 percent, our recycling rate is 35 percent.” This is wasted potential in many ways, downcycling rather than recycling. That is why the communication of value and values is one of EPEA's missions: The goal is to guide and support each company on the way to becoming a Beneficial Company. The EPEA movers and shakers call it ‘a paradigm shift towards Growth 2.0’. Yet this is not making sacrifices for a good cause, but involves growth that is both positive and profitable. Heavyweights from several sectors are already on board, and
the list of partners continues to grow. The material health and recyclability of the resulting products – carpeting, window systems, bicycle tires, crayons, polo shirts, plastic packaging and much more – are impressive. The Dutch municipality of Venlo built its new town hall with the support of EPEA. And in Düsseldorf, a timber hybrid office building is currently under construction that significantly reduces carbon emissions and whose components can be dismantled and reused at some point – thanks in part to reversible connections.
Drees & Sommer stands for a circular economy, that deserves all our efforts and attention. Goal: A circular economy that is is useful – and yet profitable.
‘The Cradle’, as the house is aptly called, is based on considerations reaching far into the future. This, is part of how EPEA sees its role: The future is there to be tackled. Now. Today's Linear Economy DISPOSAL SITE
Material Formulation
Component Production
Product Assembly
Sales & Distribution
Use & Collection
ENERGY ENVIRONMENT
PRIMARY RESOURCES
CONVENTIONAL DESIGN
WASTE
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TOPIC DIALOG Green Deal, Drees & Sommer
September 16, 2021, Luxembourg Discuss aspects of shaping the future in the context of the European Green Deal with us and with business leaders, the scientific community and political representatives. In addition to companyrelated, Circular Economy and energy-specific input, we will surprise you with a special kind of supporting program.
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Interested in attending?
SAVE THE DATE
THE NEW GREEN DEAL – EUROPE TACKLES THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Climate neutrality by 2050, the enhancement of regional value creation and the climate-friendly reorientation of the industry – these are all objectives of the European Green Deal. In this context, circular solutions for products and buildings and future-proof energy storage systems for the decentralized supply of cities and industrial sites are extremely important. But how can we achieve short-, medium- and long-term objectives at the local, national and European level? What measures are already needed today to achieve effective Green Deal-compliant climate protection, and to generate added value and profits? Are corporate, climate, mobility and hydrogen
strategies in harmony or opposed to each other? How can the economy be combined with ecology, and security of supply with decarbonization in such a way that the global competitiveness of Europe as an industrial base and of its small, medium and large enterprises is not jeopardized? Knowledge carriers from different companies from several European locations will hold discussions, give comments and answer questions.
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WE HAVE TO RETHINK BUILDINGS
Creating vibrant, attractive and sustainable living environments
Investors, project developers and building operators encounter many challenges: For example, they want to achieve their ROI goals and carbon reduction targets, optimize operating costs, and minimize maintenance costs in the long term in order to be future-oriented. These challenges are the reason to develop products and solutions in an interdisciplinary manner across teams. They offer an opportunity to rethink buildings, to reinterpret and use existing data and insights and, in short, to create real added value.
To create things that are truly new, it is important to think in new ways and combine a wide range of different areas. There is a constant stream of smart innovations in the areas of security (site security, access control) and energy (efficient heating and cooling systems, mobility solutions). The smart building sector is also constantly innovating, facilitating the operation and use of buildings in the long term, for example through a significant improvement in maintenance times. This brings us one step closer to buildings that are attractive, sustainable and efficient. But the key lies in intelligently linking the individual solutions. Sensors, technologies and building systems equipment already deliver huge amounts of data. And the volume of data is constantly growing as a result of digitization via the Internet of Things (IoT). Intelligent IoT networking and smart services create new living and work environments. Connected buildings communicate with their users, facility management, and the owner. They understand their environment, interact, learn and adapt. Bosch aspires to sustainably improve the quality of life of people in buildings.
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HYDROGEN, THE DRIVING FORCE
Interview with Mathias Füller
DREES & SOMMER: Mr. Füller, the German Federal Government presented its hydrogen strategy in 2020. What do you think of it?
power large consumers such as trucks, ships and even industries. Our innovative products are a perfect fit for production, distribution, storage, and use.
FÜLLER: The carbon debate has amplified the importance of hydrogen as a potential energy carrier. Companies like Equinor, Shell and BP are being forced to adopt new business models. The development of technology for the production and use of hydrogen is proving to be an important industry driver in Germany. We must use our knowledge and experience to develop cost-efficient, marketable solutions. I believe we are in a position to play a leading role.
DS: If you look at the status quo in Germany from outside, you see standalone solutions. Big players are undertaking their own projects. But what about their scalability? FÜLLER: We need new structures in order to be able to send clear signals. Laws and rules for approval procedures, mandatory subsidy models, but also greater consumer confidence. I am sure, however, that in the future there won't be just one carrier, but a combination of different ones.
MATHIAS FÜLLER Vice President Vertical Market Management Process Industry, Phoenix Contact
DS: What is your strategy at Phoenix Contact? Are you managing to transfer research findings to industry? FÜLLER: Phoenix Contact has set itself a 10-year goal based on the vision of an All Electric Society. In the future, we will gain more and more renewable energy from solar and wind power. The biggest challenge at the moment is the storage and distribution of this volatile form of energy. Power-to-X technology can play a significant role here. The produced hydrogen can be used to
You can read the full interview with Mathias Füller here (in German):
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FUTURE SOLUTIONS NETWORK Wrapping up
FUTURE SOLUTIONS NETWORK
Joint solutions for the future
Joint solutions for the future Thinking and acting collectively is a prerequisite for shaping the future in a constructive and positive way, especially in these uncertain times. The era of acting in isolation is over. Learning from each other, standing up for each other and shaping things together – all within interdisciplinary networks – that is the approach which is in great demand. Lone wolves die slowly but surely. So, as the initiators and sponsors of the 2021 European Dialog Initiative, we would like to make you a unique offer. Choose what you think are the most burning issues and questions from a comprehensive menu. We will discuss and answer them together with you in an open exchange of ideas tailored to your personal needs.
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Regardless of whether you want to focus on transforming, decarbonizing, reorganizing, developing, planning, building, producing and operating, or working and managing, the range of topics in our network offers valuable insights into the work currently being done in leading companies’ and institutions’ ‘future workshops’.
SELECTION OF TOPICS FROM OUR NETWORK: > Mission to Zero > Empowering the All Electric Society > Smart City Solutions > Customized Smart Buildings > Future Logistics Solutions > Sustainable ICT Solutions > Cradle to Cradle (C2C as the only true Circular Economy)
COMING TOGETHER IS THE BEGINNING. STAYING TOGETHER IS PROGRESS. WORKING TOGETHER IS SUCCESS. Henry Ford
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