STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUES ON RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

The demand for natural resources is increasing all over the world and certain resources are limited. This has lead to rising resource prices and it is most likely that this trend will continue in the long term. Resource efficiency therefore is a prevailing topic for the economy, consumers and policy. The Project 'Stakeholder dialogues on Resource Efficiency' aims to bring together relevant stakeholders to promote resource efficiency in the aluminium industry. Resource efficiency means using resources in an optimised way, so that the same output (a product or a service) can be produced with less input (resources). As a result, environment and climate are protected, competitiveness is strengthened, innovation is fostered and employment is safeguarded. For the aluminium industry, resource efficiency means optimising material flows and waste loops, and reducing the loss of material along the value chain and the life cycle of products. Taking social responsibility by acting resourcefully enhances the aluminium industry’s ability to compete, and increases acceptance of purchasers, staff and consumers.

The project brings together workers and management of the aluminium industry in a platform to discuss the importance of resource efficiency for their enterprises and staff. A steering committee – which consists of members of the Association of the Aluminium Industry (GDA), the Industrial Union of Metalworkers (IG Metall), and the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) – meets regularly to run the process.

Two workshops, as well as several hundred surveys and 16 interviews are carried out with the goal that workers (worker union) and management (business association) backed by policy support, collaboratively develop concrete projects for communicating and fostering resource efficiency. Experiences and concrete results of the stakeholder dialogue will be made accessible for the specialised public on an information platform. This platform is run by the network on resource efficiency initiated by the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.