Barbara Zeschmar-Lahl

Europe After 2030 – The Development of Waste Management into an Industrial Location Factor (ARC, 19.11.2025)

November 5, 2025

At the Advanced Recycling Conference on November 19, 2025, in Cologne, Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl will give a presentation entitled “Europe After 2030 – The Development of Waste Management into an Industrial Location Factor”, in which he will outline the contribution that the circular economy can make to the defossilization of raw material use in the chemical industry. The presentation is an update of a publication in Müll und Abfall 5, 2025.

A critical aspect of the defossilisation of the industry is the focus of legislation in Brussels, which on the one hand places far too much emphasis on the hydrogen path and at the same time over-regulates initial investments in the development of infrastructure. In the past, Germany has also focused one-sidedly on financial support for individual transformation projects (capex funding). Current developments show that it is politically easier to implement these subsidies. However, this is not enough because the framework conditions must also be created so that the defossilized products are competitive and are then also purchased. The necessary regulation requires a smart policy mix that, on the one hand, sets binding targets at the level of the individual companies, but on the other hand also promotes the creation of reliable markets for defossilized products.

Further details can be found on the event website.

Advanced Recycling Conference 2025

Müll und Abfall 5, 2025 (in German)

Metrics are the key: development of criteria and indicators for measuring sustainability in international chemicals management

September 2, 2025 At the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, it was agreed to minimize the adverse effects of chemicals on humans and the environment by 2020. To implement this so-called ‘2020 target’, the ‘Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management’ (SAICM) was established in 2006. As the mandate for SAICM ended in 2020, work on a successor framework began already in 2015. Due to the COVID pandemic, among other things, negotiations on the specific design were protracted. Finally, at the end of the 5th International Conference on Chemicals (ICCM5) on 30 September 2023 in Bonn under the German presidency, the ‘Global Framework on Chemicals’ (GFC) was adopted with the’ Bonn Declaration for a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste’. The GFC was also given the mandate to develop indicators for the goals and targets adopted by the conference. This task is now being tackled. The GFC can also draw on the results of our project on indicators for future global chemicals and waste management, which was commissioned by the Federal Environment Agency. In brief: The indicators combine the concept of sustainable chemistry with the requirements of sound management of chemicals and waste. A list of the 23 most important indicators from this project was recently submitted to the GFC by the German representative in the responsible working group, Dr. Christopher Blum (Federal Environment Agency). We are pleased that the indicators developed in this project now serve as a basis for the responsible GFC working group (Open-Ended Ad Hoc Group on Measurability and Indicators). We want to continue to support this important approach of the GFC. The planned scientific publication on the indicators developed in this project has just been published:

C. Blum, B. Zeschmar-Lahl, E. Heidbüchel, H. C. Stolzenberg, K. Kümmerer, A. Becker and H. Friege: Metrics are the key: development of criteria and indicators for measuring sustainability in international chemicals management. RSC Sustainability, 2025, D5SU00135H. DOI: 10.1039/D5SU00135H. Received 26th February 2025, accepted 8th August 2025, first published on 2nd September 2025.

Weitere Links:

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Metrics are the key: development of criteria and indicators for measuring sustainability in international chemicals management (2025)

C. Blum, B. Zeschmar-Lahl, E. Heidbüchel, H. C. Stolzenberg, K. Kümmerer, A. Becker and H. Friege: Metrics are the key: development of criteria and indicators for measuring sustainability in international chemicals management. RSC Sustainability, 2025, D5SU00135H. DOI: 10.1039/D5SU00135H. Received 26th February 2025, accepted 8th August 2025, first published on 2nd September 2025

RSC Sustainability (open access)

Supplementary files:

The new market for recycling additives – Need for action by the legislator (Müll und Abfall, 2025, in German)

July 11, 2025

The article by Prof. Dr. habil. Uwe Lahl and Dr. Barbara Zeschmar-Lahl on the topic “The new market for recycling additives – Need for action by the legislator“ has been published in Müll und Abfall 7, 2025.

In recent years, a market for chemical additives to improve the quality of plastic recyclates has been established. High growth opportunities are expected for these additives. The products are very diverse and can be used, for example, for the post-stabilization of recyclates or to reduce unpleasant odors. There are also products on the market that can repair damaged polymers. And additives are available that improve the miscibility of inhomogeneous sorting fractions. On behalf of a plastics recycler, the authors have attempted to find out the chemical identity and basic formulation of these plastic additives. However, this information is mostly not disclosed. Even in the available safety data sheets, the composition of these products was regularly not included. Only in individual cases, declarable individual substances have been specified. However, it is known from discussions and the gray literature that highly reactive substances are sometimes used for these products, which are to be added directly to the hot melt in the extruder. Now that the SME recycling industry is already confronted with plastic waste containing banned additives from the past (risk cycle, legacy-chemicals), a new problem is emerging for the future: are these practices sufficiently safe? The authors advise caution here and therefore advise against the use of recycling additives whose chemical identity and basic formulation are not disclosed.

Below you will find a link to the order form at Erich Schmidt Verlag.

Müll und Abfall 7, 2025

The new market for recycling additives – Need for action by the legislator (Müll und Abfall, 2025, in German)

Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2025): Der neue Markt an Recycling-Additiven – Handlungsbedarf für den Gesetzgeber. Müll und Abfall 7, 376-382

In recent years, a market for chemical additives to improve the quality of plastic recyclates has been established. High growth opportunities are expected for these additives. The products are very diverse and can be used, for example, for the post-stabilization of recyclates or to reduce unpleasant odors. There are also products on the market that can repair damaged polymers. And additives are available that improve the miscibility of inhomogeneous sorting fractions. On behalf of a plastics recycler, the authors have attempted to find out the chemical identity and basic formulation of these plastic additives. However, this information is mostly not disclosed. Even in the available safety data sheets, the composition of these products was regularly not included. Only in individual cases, declarable individual substances have been specified. However, it is known from discussions and the gray literature that highly reactive substances are sometimes used for these products, which are to be added directly to the hot melt in the extruder. Now that the SME recycling industry is already confronted with plastic waste containing banned additives from the past (risk cycle, legacy-chemicals), a new problem is emerging for the future: are these practices sufficiently safe? The authors advise caution here and therefore advise against the use of recycling additives whose chemical identity and basic formulation are not disclosed.

Müll und Abfall 7 (2025)

EU 2030 – Developing the circular economy into a location factor (DGAW, 20.6.2025, in German)

June 26, 2025

At the DGAW specialist event on 20.6.2025 in Berlin on the topic of EU 2030 – Developing the circular economy into a location factor, the contribution that the circular economy can make to defossilizing the use of raw materials in the chemical industry was discussed. In his introductory speech, Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl presented the DGAW position paper EU 2030 – Developing the circular economy into a location factor. He pointed out that the technical and political debate on climate protection focuses too much on the defossilization of the energy sector. “What is missing is an understanding of the importance of substances and molecules for defossilization”.

A critical aspect of the defossilisation of the industry is the focus of legislation in Brussels, which on the one hand places far too much emphasis on the hydrogen path and at the same time over-regulates initial investments in the development of infrastructure. In the past, Germany has also focused one-sidedly on financial support for individual transformation projects (capex funding). Current developments show that it is politically easier to implement these subsidies. However, this is not enough because the framework conditions must also be created so that the defossilized products are competitive and are then also purchased. In contrast, the DGAW position paper calls for a smart policy mix for the necessary regulation, which on the one hand sets binding targets at the level of the individual companies, but on the other hand also promotes the creation of reliable markets for defossilized products.

The updated version of his presentation is now available for download.

Presentation (in German)

DGAW, 2025

Müll und Abfall 5, 2025

OPEN ACCESS now: Third-generation biodegradable plastics—A complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem

June 25, 2025

The amount of plastic produced worldwide has reached 400 million metric tonnes in 2022. Estimated 3–5% of this amount ends up in the environment, where it poses significant threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. Littering, a growing global challenge, requires a combination approach to tackle its causes and mitigate its impact. There are different strategies to combat littering. But even with immediate and concerted action to reduce consumption of plastics, more than 700 million tonnes of plastic waste will cumulatively enter the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems until 2040. Waste management systems, even if improved, do not have sufficient capacity at the global level to cope with the huge mass of plastics entering the environment. Especially for plastic, which will foreseeable and inevitably enter the environment, where it can persist for hundreds of years (‘forever’ plastics), a solution is needed. Biodegradable plastics, that meet the criteria of ‘Safe and Sustainable by Design’ (SSbD) offer innovation perspectives and can be a complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem.

We are very pleased to announce that the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research – Leibniz-Zentrum für Marine Tropenforschung (ZMT) has granted open access to our joint article „Third-generation biodegradable plastics – A complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem“ due to high demand.

Lahl, R., Bleischwitz, R., Lahl, U., Zeschmar-Lahl, B. (2025): Third-generation biodegradable plastics – A complementary strategy to tackle the marine litter problem. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 44, 101925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2025.101925

Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy 44, 101925 (Open Access)

ABAS recommendation on communication in the event of under- or overestimated risks from biological substances published (in German)

June 6, 2025

The recommendation of the ABAS (Committee on Biological Agents) on Communication in the event of underestimated or overestimated risks from biological agents dated April 24, 2024 (long and short version, only in German) can now be accessed on the homepage of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). The recommendation is based on the preliminary work of the Risk Communication Working Group of the ABAS Subcommittee (UA) 2, in which Dr. Barbara Zeschmar-Lahl also participated.

DOWNLOAD BAuA-Homepage

DGAW-Podcast Episode 49 – The development of waste management into an industrial location factor – Europe after 2030 (Part 2) (in German)

June 4, 2025 The circular economy undoubtedly plays an important role in achieving the European climate protection targets by 2050. Dr. Beate Kummer (Director Public Affairs/Sustainability at Christ&Company) and Prof. Dr. Uwe Lahl (BZL Kommunikation/Sustainability) discussed the fundamental adjustments required to develop the carbon cycle as a location factor for European industry and what contribution the waste industry can make here in the DGAW podcast ‘Ressourcen Neu Denken’, episode 48. In this podcast episode, they continue the discussion on strengthening Europe as an industrial location and closing the carbon cycle with a particular focus on the political framework conditions and short and medium-term proposed solutions. The postcast is again hosted by Marvin Müller from Studio Grüner Ton. To the podcasts:

Further publications on this topic:

Gosten A., Holländer R., Kummer B., Lahl U., Quicker P., Reichert D., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2025): Europa nach 2030 – Die Entwicklung der Abfallwirtschaft zum industriellen Standortfaktor. Müll und Abfall 5, 277-296. ONLINE
DGAW: DGAW-Positionspapier: EU nach 2030, Kurzfassung (in German). ONLINE
Lahl U., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2024): Material Recycling of Plastics—A Challenge for Sustainability. Sustainability 2024, 16, 6630. ONLINE

Europe after 2030 – The development of waste management into an industrial location factor (Müll und Abfall, 2025, in German)

Gosten A., Holländer R., Kummer B., Lahl U., Quicker P., Reichert D., Zeschmar-Lahl B. (2025): Europa nach 2030 – Die Entwicklung der Abfallwirtschaft zum industriellen Standortfaktor. Müll und Abfall 5, 277-296

„After almost 40 years of amendments to the existing Waste Management and Circular Economy Act, it is time to reprioritise legislation in the coming German and European legislative periods in order to combine the aspects of resources,
climate neutrality, environmental impact and Europe as a business location.

The development or transformation of waste management can make an important contribution to maintaining Europe as an industrial location.

To achieve this, the existing legal framework, which begins with the last user’s ‚will to dispose‘ of a product, must be changed. The structures, terminology and objectives of the relevant laws must be redefined and adjusted.

To this end, ten priority fields of action with concrete implementation proposals and regulatory recommendations for political and social decision-makers are presented. It not only explains why the carbon cycle is a leading factor for the further development of waste management and Europe as a business location, but also which regulatory levers should be activated.“

Müll und Abfall 5 (2025)

About Barbara Zeschmar-Lahl