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“The ideas are there, the future is all about the realisation.”
COLOGNE, February 19, 2025
17 months after the German Substitute Building Materials Ordinance (EBV) came into force, speakers and attendees at the RECYCLING CONGRESS in Stockstadt summarised the ordinance on the requirements for the installation of mineral substitute building materials. The presentations clearly showed what is already working well in connection with the EBV and where there is still a need for optimisation. Manufacturers, users, representatives of the authorities, lawyers and experts presented their points of view and repeatedly referred to practice.
Around 200 interested professional visitors attended the RECYCLING CONGRESS on 12 and 13 February 2025 at the Coreum in Stockstadt. The congress was organised by DA Service GmbH for the first time on the initiative of the German Demolition Association's (DA) Recycling and Disposal Committee. At the start on 12 February, many attendees took part in a guided tour of the Coreum Expo Park, during which recycling solutions were presented. At the evening get-together, the attendees came together over dinner to socialise in a relaxed atmosphere.
The focus throughout the event was on practical relevance. This was also emphasised by Johannes Schlenter, Chairman of the DA Executive Board, in his opening speech on 13 February, the actual day of the congress. The subtitle “From practice for practice” was deliberately chosen to offer all attendees practical solutions. Michael Weiß, Chairman of the DA's Recycling and Waste Management Committee, led through the wide-ranging programme of presentations and drew a brief conclusion after each one.
Katrin Mees, head of the DA office in Berlin, introduced the topic and first gave an overview of the results of the member survey on the implementation of the EBV and highlighted the main problems with implementation, but also pointed out possible solutions.
Acceptance of recycled building materials benefits from EBV
As someone who is directly affected by the EBV, Robert Oettinger, Managing Director of Oettinger GmbH, reported on best practice examples for the production and use of mineral substitute building materials and soils. “One ordinance is better than 16 different regulations. The acceptance of recycled building materials has increased. The manufacturers who have worked well and cleanly before are also doing very well now”, says the entrepreneur.
After each lecture block, attendees had the opportunity to engage in dialogue with the speakers during a discussion. Attendees at the conference also used the regular breaks to socialise with other attendees, network and exchange ideas. The short, informal conversations at the coffee table were just as valuable as the technical discussions during the presentations.
In his presentation, Klaus Mesters from KM GmbH für Straßenbau und Umwelttechnik broke down the complex topic of external monitoring for manufacturers and showed that, based on his experience with external monitoring, shifts in material flows can definitely be demonstrably recognised due to the EBV limit values. In addition to his presentation of numerous practical solutions, Christoph Bocker from the Steinfurt District Environmental Agency reported on regular dialogue with other districts. “The EBV is compact, but not specific enough”, was his main criticism. In the course of the presentations, however, not only were problems, difficulties and questions regarding the implementation of the EBV addressed, but individual solutions were also repeatedly presented in accordance with the event concept.
End of waste possible for all mineral substitute building materials?
The RECYCLING CONGRESS was also unable to overlook the legal matter, and so lawyer Dr Markus Pauly gave an overview of the legal situation and the development of the content of the EBV with regard to the end of waste. Unfortunately, the various federal state decrees only take into account the good qualities of the MDBs, but from the lawyer's point of view, RC-2 and RC-3 class material can also reach the end of waste. The regulation is subject to considerable legal doubt. He impressively demonstrated that the manufacturer of mineral substitute building materials can already reach the end of waste for his material based on the current legal situation according to the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act, but in fairness also pointed out the possible liability risks for the contractor in this context. “If the requirements for the end of waste status are met, the waste status no longer applies”, said Pauly. The end-of-waste status is therefore possible for all mineral substitute building materials.
Panel discussion offers space for visions and practice
A lively panel discussion brought up the exciting divergence between the politically often celebrated visions of a future circular economy and the current technically and economically realisable possibilities in a vivid way. The hyped component exchanges and the idea of having to reuse everything are unrealistic, as a 100 per cent reuse rate cannot be achieved.
Another focus of the discussion was the aim of the EBV. This consisted of legal certainty, a standardised regulation for all federal states and more sales for RC materials. Michael Weiß, who moderated the panel discussion, asked the attendees about the implementation status and whether acceptance could be increased. A clear increase in mobile processing in larger demolition companies could be observed, but also an increase in monitoring. Finally, the panellists were asked to state their wishes for the legislator. In order to achieve equivalence between primary and secondary building materials, the technical tests for both materials would also have to be standardised, as the extensive tests in accordance with the EBV currently only apply to secondary materials. The technical equivalence of RC materials is given, therefore a prioritisation obligation for RC materials should be imposed. Support from the public sector is also desirable to promote acceptance and demand.
Michael Kreppold, Managing Director of Konrad Kreppold GmbH, demonstrated that the production of aggregates and aggregates for R-concrete can be a second mainstay for processors. Finally, Dr Gregor Silvers from Max Wild GmbH gave a further practical insight into the company's own floor washing plant and answered the question of how the quality of the end product can be improved.
After a day full of practical insights, solutions, opinions, discussions and dialogue, Michael Weiß bid the audience farewell. He concluded that the ideas were there, and that the future would be about implementing them.
