The minerals industry is moving forward: actions instead of words

But it won’t work without timely and comprehensive support from politics, as became clear at the 10th bvse Minerals Day.

“After 462 days of the Replacement Building Materials Ordinance (EBV), the industry can be proud of what has already been achieved during this time,” explained the chairman of the bvse Minerals Association, Michael von Malottky, in his opening speech at the bvse Minerals Day in Bad Neuenahr. Recognized experts discussed the status quo and the practical and legal challenges of the industry in front of and with around 140 participants. The relevance and dynamism of their innovative and solution-oriented companies became clear.

EBV is neither a top nor a flop – make timely adjustments

“The replacement building materials regulation is neither a top nor a flop, but a big step in the right direction,” emphasized bvse managing director Stefan Schmidmeyer. “It is important that necessary adjustments are now implemented promptly by the legislature in order to increase the practicality of the regulation and the acceptance of substitute building materials,” demanded Schmidmeyer. “In this context, we also expect that the regulation to determine the end of waste status, with an early end to waste for all substitute building materials and all material classes, will now be moved forward as quickly as possible,” emphasized Schmidmeyer. Meanwhile, the industry will not let up and will continue to actively work on solutions, assured Schmidmeyer.

3rd version of the LAGA M23 enforcement aid released for May 25

“The LAGA M23 will provide the industry with crucial support in this.” The plan is to publish the LAGA FAQs Version 3 by May 2025 at the latest, which will contain further clarifications for enforcement,” explained Johannes Walter, consultant at MLUK Brandenburg and head of LAGA Adhoc -Committee Replacement Building MaterialsV.

Pioneering initiatives using the example of Rhineland-Palatinate

In addition, some federal states, particularly Rhineland-Palatinate, have already implemented the first positive initiatives to promote the acceptance of secondary building materials. In Rhineland-Palatinate, tenders for public construction projects are now formulated in a product-neutral manner, and the use of quality-assured mineral substitute building materials (MEB) is expressly desired, reported Marc Rauhut, head of the road construction section at the Rhineland-Palatinate State Office for Mobility (LBM).

However, a lot still needs to happen for this circular action to become a matter of course in all official institutions on a nationwide level, as became clear in a subsequent discussion.

Asbestos, PFAS and Co: Legal certainty now

The area of ​​tension in demolition and dismantling between legal requirements and the promotion of a circular economy was also highlighted. Walburga Sodermanns-Peschel from the German Demolition Association (DA) emphasized the need for harmonization of existing and planned legal regulations, for example in the amendment to the Hazardous Substances Ordinance and in waste law. Sodermanns-Peschel emphasized that legal certainty must finally be created for everyone.

Beate Weiß, material flow manager at Otto Dörner GmbH, reported on the first positive, practical approaches and new options for the safe disposal of low-contaminated asbestos-containing material and small quantities of up to 10 m³ for specified construction waste. These result from the introductory decree for LAGA M23, which came into force for recycling companies in Schleswig-Holstein on March 21, 2024.

When it comes to the quality of replacement building materials, the following applies more than ever: “Less is never more!”, said QUBA Managing Director Thomas Fischer with his pleasingly positive and data-based assessment of QUBA quality assurance and certification of replacement building materials, looking back on 15 months of the Replacement Building Materials Ordinance. “More than 1,300 “QUBA certificates” issued in accordance with EBV guidelines, approximately 2.8 million tons of EBV-compliant, quality-monitored secondary building materials that have so far been placed on the market by QUBA mark users and around 300 ongoing certifications that Quality Assurance Secondary Building Materials GmbH permanently supervised, leave no more room for speculation or interpretation, explained Fischer.

AI and digitalization are redefining the industry

The lectures by Carsten Preuss (Mineral Waste Manager) and Max-Frederick Gerken (Optocycle GmbH) make clear that new and important impulses for economical, ecological and time-efficient material flow management will be provided in the future by AI and digitalization.

CO2 reduction and pricing: Industry is shaping change

Climate change and legal requirements for CO₂ reduction make it urgently necessary to rethink the construction industry, which accounts for around 40 percent of global CO₂ emissions. The first innovative and new creative solutions have already been developed and launched in the minerals industry, such as the use of demolition concrete as a CO₂ sink, as shown in the contribution by Valentin Gutknecht, co-founder of the Swiss startup Neustark.

However, the mineral recycling industry is also well advised to prepare for CO₂ pricing in the construction industry today. “With its new CO₂ reporting tool, the bvse supports its member companies in order to meet legal requirements and take advantage of competitive advantages,” explained Maxime Rehbock, who supports the companies as a contact person at the bvse with regard to all questions regarding the sustainability tool.