22 June 2010

A new assessment of the material use of renewable raw materials

A new study from the nova-Institut shows higher resource efficiency, climate protection, improved security of raw material supplies and employment benefits through the increased material use of agricultural and forest products.
Realignment of the policy framework supporting renewable resources is required.
The nova-Institut in Hürth (Rheinland) has provided the first comprehensive study of all industrial material uses of renewable raw materials in Germany - domestically produced agricultural materials, wood and imported materials. Data from all sectors has been systematically collected and analysed to identify the characteristics of these materials from a public policy perspective. This analysis was used to frame proposals for the most appropriate ways of providing public support for these uses.
If criteria such as resource use efficiency, climate protection, security of raw material supplies and employment are taken seriously, the policy framework used to support energy and material uses of renewable materials needs to be rebalanced so that the current bias in favour of bioenergy is overcome.