There is currently a significant discussion in our society about end-of-life electronics. The gigantic problem of e-waste has made headlines, as huge amounts of waste in the environment are threatening Earth’s ecosystems and even pose a threat to human health. On the other hand, mankind needs to work carefully with natural resources. So, the industry is under pressure to realize an increased circularity, meaning that recycling is a must, and no longer a goodwill. This forms the base for a resource change leading towards a circular economy.

Recycling procedures keep resources in the loop instead of discarding them in landfills or incinerators. Here, chemical recycling with dedicated process engineering complements mechanical recycling. So, trash turns into treasure, because especially chemistry enables procedures to dissolve the scrap and retrieve valuable materials. Siemens supports to establish stable and efficient procedures to maintain valuable materials in use.