Recycling strategies for a sustainable raw material supply of high-tech industries

With its high proportion of classic industries and due to the numerous high-tech companies based there, Germany's economic situation is especially dependent on a secure supply of raw materials. Regional structural differences result in sometimes significant differences with regard to the characteristic raw material demand of individual federal states. This article will present a method, based on specific assessment criteria, for determining the economic significance of a raw material for the individual federal states in Germany. Furthermore, it will be identified which waste flows contain relevant potential for secondary raw materials, the utilisation of which can make a sustainable contribution towards securing the raw material supply.