Raw Material and Resource Efficiency
Conserve resources, reduce material costs and protect the environment with green technology solutions.
GreenTech Solutions for Greater Efficiency and Competitiveness
Global resource consumption continues to rise with severe ecological and economic consequences. The Earth Overshoot Day calculated by WWF makes this trend particularly clear:
- Earth Overshoot Day 2025: By 24 July 2025, humanity will have used all the natural resources the Earth can regenerate in a year.
- Germany’s Overshoot Day: As early as 3 May 2025, Germany will have exceeded its annual resource budget.
For Germany as a country with limited raw material reserves, efficient use of materials and resources is crucial. Boosting material and resource efficiency helps reduce dependency on global supply chains, cuts costs and strengthens long-term economic competitiveness. In addition to the threat of resource scarcity, the extraction of primary raw materials emits large volumes of CO₂ and contributes to environmental pollution. The greatest share of resource consumption occurs in industrial processes.
Enhancing material and resource efficiency delivers sustainable and economically significant benefits:
- Reduced resource consumption through optimised processes
- Lower material use enabled by innovative technologies
- Cost savings through more efficient production methods
In particular, combining such improvements with a well-functioning circular economy can cut resource consumption and material usage. Even minor changes in production processes can lead to substantial savings in materials, CO₂ emissions and costs. This is not only environmentally friendly, it is also economically smart.
Market Segments of Raw Material and Resource Efficiency
Raw material and resource efficiency spans two key market segments, each facing its own set of challenges. Both segments offer numerous green technology solutions provided by specialised suppliers and service providers. You’ll find them listed in the GreenTech BW Atlas.
Circular and Material-Efficient Production Processes
Material-efficient and circular production processes help reduce material consumption and lower environmental impact. This segment includes:
- Consulting and planning for resource efficiency
- Eco-design: designing products to minimise environmental impact across the entire life cycle
- Remanufacturing: refurbishing and reusing products instead of producing new ones
- Green Technology to enable a closed-loop circular economy
From small-scale improvements to the complete implementation of new facilities: the GreenTech sector offers a wide range of solutions to achieve meaningful waste reduction and conserve resources.
Cross-Sector Technologies – Industry-Wide Solutions for More Efficiency
Cross-cutting technologies are used across various industries to increase resource and material efficiency. These include:
- Measurement, control and regulation technology for optimised resource use
- Smart packaging solutions to minimise material use
- Digital tools for more accurate resource planning
Digitalisation is especially effective in enhancing raw material and resource efficiency. By improving the flow of information, it enables more efficient use of materials and equipment, avoids unnecessary processes and creates intelligent connections. These innovations are a key pillar of cleantech and support goals like waste reduction and sustainable sourcing in industrial production.
Discover our Spotlights!
Can we recover precious metals such as palladium?
Hansgrohe extracts palladium from the rinsing water used in its plastic electroplating process and returns it to the material cycle.
In 2024 alone, the company recovered 4.9 kilograms of palladium worth around 200,000 € – a transferable solution for using critical raw materials more efficiently.
Get in Touch
Raw material and resource efficiency is just as diverse as the challenges it seeks to address. Do you have ideas, feedback, suggestions or questions you’d like to discuss with us? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch!
“It’s well worth taking a closer look at resource efficiency within your own company – it can also help reduce costs.”
Britta Großmann, Project Lead KEFF+
