A study by Fraunhofer UMSICHT once again confirms the positive climate impacts and resource savings resulting from circular economy solutions and recycling. By recycling 1.94 million metric tons of recyclable materials in 2024, Interzero saved approximately 1.04 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and 8.09 million metric tons of primary resources. The biggest driver of these savings at Interzero is the circular management of plastics.
Berlin. Securing the future through the circular economy: recycling is an effective lever for reducing the earth’s overload and achieving the European climate neutrality targets. Interzero’s study “resources SAVED by recycling 2024”, published today, illustrates the extent to which this actually protects the climate and conserves resources: According to calculations by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Europe’s leading recycling service provider will have recycled around 1.94 million tons of recyclable materials in 2024, saving 8.09 million tons of primary resources. This corresponds to the weight of over four million SUVs.* At the same time, Interzero’s recycling activities avoided a total of 1.04 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This corresponds to the CO2 emissions caused by around 3.2 million one-way car journeys between the Interzero sites in Warsaw and Valencia.**
“Every raw material counts – the circular economy combines resource conservation with responsibility for future generations,” says Jan Kroker, CEO of the Interzero Group. “Together with our customers, we are driving forward sustainable innovations that offer both ecological benefits and strengthen economic competitiveness.”
One example: with its internationally renowned competence center for recycled plastics, Interzero supports industry and trade in switching to recyclable plastic packaging and the use of recyclates. This enables companies to stand out on the market – and at the same time meet the legal requirements of the new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which came into force in February 2025.
The results of the Fraunhofer UMSICHT study also underline the importance of consistent recycling, especially in the area of plastics and lightweight packaging: this fraction accounts for 49.9 percent of the total amount of recyclable materials recycled – and is also responsible for the “lion’s share” of the ecological impact: Interzero 2024 achieved 54 percent of the resource savings and even 62 percent of the total savings in greenhouse gas emissions by recycling petroleum-based materials.
“The figures confirm our commitment to modern plastics recycling and spur us on to continue improving the recycling of packaging waste from the Yellow Bag in particular,” says Jan Kroker.
From waste separation in households to high-tech sorting and processing: for the circular management of raw materials to succeed efficiently, many wheels must mesh together. With the “resources SAVED by recycling” study, Interzero has been providing important arguments for the circular transformation for over 15 years. The annual calculation by Fraunhofer UMSICHT not only proves the positive environmental impact of Interzero’s work, but also supports the circular economy service provider’s customers with transparent sustainability communication.
*/** The conversion examples are based on:
* https://www.autoscout24.de/informieren/ratgeber/kfz-technik/gewicht-von-autos-frueher-und-heute/
** Calculation basis: ⌀ CO2 emissions of newly registered passenger cars in Germany in 2024 according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, www.kba.de
About Interzero:
Interzero is one of the leading service providers in the field of closing product, material, and logistics loops, as well as an innovation leader in plastics recycling with the largest sorting capacity in Europe. Guided by the principle of “zero waste solutions,” the company supports over 80,000 customers across Europe in the responsible management of recyclable materials, thereby helping them improve their own sustainability performance and conserve primary resources. With approximately 2,000 employees, the company generates revenue of over one billion euros (2021). According to Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Interzero’s recycling activities saved 1.04 million metric tons of greenhouse gases and 8.09 million metric tons of primary raw materials in 2024 alone, compared to primary production. As a pioneer in the circular economy, Interzero is the recipient of the 2024 German Sustainability Award as well as the associated special prize in the “Resources” transformation category. For more information, visit www.interzero.at.
Find out more in our current brochure on ” resources SAVED by recycling “
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