Circular Balancing
The resources of our planet are too valuable to be used just once, and the production of primary raw materials is energetically demanding. The use of recycled raw materials, for example in the zinc sector, reduces the CO2 footprint by a remarkable 95% compared to the processing of zinc ores – this potential must be considered for the design of future applications, also in comparison to other materials. Nevertheless, primary raw materials cannot be completely dispensed with. Often, qualities are required that cannot yet be represented with recycled raw materials. Also, not enough recycled raw materials are available to meet the continuously increasing demand. Only an intelligent mix of primary material and recycled raw materials results in efficient use of resources. For the material zinc, the used quantities are tracked through a continuously developed mass flow analysis (MFA) [1,2], creating transparency and the basis for responsible action.
