Germany is #6 in the 2025 SDG Index
Germany ranked #6 with SDG Index Score 75.
Here are the Top-10 SDG countries in EU:
#1 Finland (81.1)
#2 Denmark (79.7)
#3 Sweden (79.4)
#4 Austria (77.3)
#5 Norway (76.2)
#6 Germany (75.0)
#7 France (73.9)
#8 Slovenia (73.8)
#9 Czechia (73.7)
#10 Iceland (73.4)
Here are the Top-10 SDG countries in EU:
#1 Finland (81.1)
#2 Denmark (79.7)
#3 Sweden (79.4)
#4 Austria (77.3)
#5 Norway (76.2)
#6 Germany (75.0)
#7 France (73.9)
#8 Slovenia (73.8)
#9 Czechia (73.7)
#10 Iceland (73.4)
The full report, performance of European countries, other indexes, and graphs you may find here.
Kiefel marks anniversary, moves forward with innovation centre
The Germany-based packaging machinery manufacturer celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and is marking the occasion with investments in technology, management, and customer support
Kiefel announced its Customer Innovation Centre Polymer is nearing completion. The Germany-based packaging machinery manufacturer celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and is marking the occasion with investments in technology, management, and customer support.
The new polymer Customer Innovation Centre (CIC), located at Kiefel’s headquarters in Freilassing, is set to enhance the company’s capabilities in packaging solutions. Scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2025, the centre offers customers access to new machinery and laboratory facilities to support product development and optimisation.
The centre features Kiefel’s latest series machines for tool and product sampling, as well as customer-oriented prototyping. Advanced laboratory services, including microscopic examinations, material and layer thickness measurements, and statistical analyses, provide critical support for innovation.
Kiefel plans to present NATUREFORMER KFT 90.1 and other innovations at the K 2025 in Düsseldorf this October.
The new polymer Customer Innovation Centre (CIC), located at Kiefel’s headquarters in Freilassing, is set to enhance the company’s capabilities in packaging solutions. Scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2025, the centre offers customers access to new machinery and laboratory facilities to support product development and optimisation.
The centre features Kiefel’s latest series machines for tool and product sampling, as well as customer-oriented prototyping. Advanced laboratory services, including microscopic examinations, material and layer thickness measurements, and statistical analyses, provide critical support for innovation.
Kiefel plans to present NATUREFORMER KFT 90.1 and other innovations at the K 2025 in Düsseldorf this October.
Pruvia to build industrial-scale pyrolysis plant in Germany
Construction is expected to start in June 2025, with operations planned to start in the fourth quarter of 2026
Germany-based chemical recycler Pruvia announced plans to build a 35,000 tonnes/year pyrolysis plant in the Gendorf Chemical Park, near the Austrian border in the Bavarian town of Burgkirchen.
BASF Performance Materials using 100% renewable energy in all European plants
The plastics producer operates 10 plants in Europe, including its division within the world’s largest integrated chemical complex in Ludwigshafen, Germany
The Performance Materials division of chemical giant BASF has started using 100% renewable energy in all its European plants as of 2025.
The changeover applies to the compounding of Engineering Plastics, Polyurethanes and Thermoplastic Polyurethanes and Specialty Polymers. With the turn of the year, in total nine Performance Materials production sites across Europe have been converted.
Within the next few years, BASF intends to continuously convert all its operations globally to renewable electricity. This will be achieved through the expansion of renewable energy production via significant projects. For example, the world’s biggest offshore windfarm owned by BASF and Vattenfall and located on the Hollandse Kust Zuid started its operations in 2023 and enables innovative, emission-free technologies at several production sites all over Europe. Schwarzheide, BASF’s second largest site in Germany, now integrates a 24-megawatt capacity from solar energy.
BASF aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 compared to the base year 2018 and become climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve this ambitious goal, BASF is increasingly focusing on renewable energy, optimizing raw material procurement and production processes, and promoting and implementing a circular economy.
Read more here.
The changeover applies to the compounding of Engineering Plastics, Polyurethanes and Thermoplastic Polyurethanes and Specialty Polymers. With the turn of the year, in total nine Performance Materials production sites across Europe have been converted.
Within the next few years, BASF intends to continuously convert all its operations globally to renewable electricity. This will be achieved through the expansion of renewable energy production via significant projects. For example, the world’s biggest offshore windfarm owned by BASF and Vattenfall and located on the Hollandse Kust Zuid started its operations in 2023 and enables innovative, emission-free technologies at several production sites all over Europe. Schwarzheide, BASF’s second largest site in Germany, now integrates a 24-megawatt capacity from solar energy.
BASF aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030 compared to the base year 2018 and become climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve this ambitious goal, BASF is increasingly focusing on renewable energy, optimizing raw material procurement and production processes, and promoting and implementing a circular economy.
Read more here.
Plastic packaging recycling rate breaks record in Germany
While plastic packaging went above and beyond the legal recycling target, both glass and carton beverage packaging missed their targets
2024 German Recycling Report:
Germany hit a plastic packaging recycling rate of 68.9% in 2023, establishing a new record.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR) have revealed that German dual systems saw increased recycling in 2023, with the share of mechanically recycled plastic packaging increasing from 42.1% to 68.9% between 2018-2023.
Apparently, the German waste management sector collected, sorted and recycled more than 5.5 million tonnes of packaging waste from private households in 2023, with the aim of recovering raw materials to be put back into circulation.
The agencies state that statutory recycling quotas have increased since 2018, with dual systems meeting five out of the eight target rates. For plastics, there are two separate quotas: one for mechanical recycling and another that includes both recycling and energy recovery.
The UBA and ZSVR have emphasized that strict household waste separation is essential for achieving higher recycling rates, especially as starting in 2030, all packaging must be recyclable and new EU regulations will require companies to include a minimum share of secondary raw materials (recyclates) in their packaging. Consumers can find information on waste separation in Germany on the Mülltrennung wirkt website.
Germany hit a plastic packaging recycling rate of 68.9% in 2023, establishing a new record.
The German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Zentrale Stelle Verpackungsregister (Central Agency Packaging Register – ZSVR) have revealed that German dual systems saw increased recycling in 2023, with the share of mechanically recycled plastic packaging increasing from 42.1% to 68.9% between 2018-2023.
Apparently, the German waste management sector collected, sorted and recycled more than 5.5 million tonnes of packaging waste from private households in 2023, with the aim of recovering raw materials to be put back into circulation.
The agencies state that statutory recycling quotas have increased since 2018, with dual systems meeting five out of the eight target rates. For plastics, there are two separate quotas: one for mechanical recycling and another that includes both recycling and energy recovery.
The UBA and ZSVR have emphasized that strict household waste separation is essential for achieving higher recycling rates, especially as starting in 2030, all packaging must be recyclable and new EU regulations will require companies to include a minimum share of secondary raw materials (recyclates) in their packaging. Consumers can find information on waste separation in Germany on the Mülltrennung wirkt website.
CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference 2025
29-30 April 2025, Maternushaus, Cologne (Germany)
The CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference has successfully established itself as an international and unique meeting and networking ground for the entire Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and Power-to-X industry and its customers. The upcoming 13th edition of the conference will take place on 29–30 April 2025, Cologne, Germany as a hybrid event. Organiser nova-Institute expects over 230 leading international experts in the field of CCU, green hydrogen production and Power-to-X. Once more the event will showcase the latest innovations and most important developments in the fast-growing field of Carbon Capture and Utilisation with plenty of opportunities to network.
A milestone for the enforcement of CCU was reached on 28 June 2024 when the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament published the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) in their Official Journal.
New and leading players demonstrate novel and improved applications based on the use of CO2 as feedstock. Main topics of the conference include innovation, strategy & policy in CCU, carbon capture technologies, green hydrogen production, Power-to-X for fuels (transportation and aviation), CO2-based chemicals, materials and polymers, mineralisation and advanced technologies, research for CCU, electrochemistry and photochemistry.
All information is here.
A milestone for the enforcement of CCU was reached on 28 June 2024 when the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament published the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) in their Official Journal.
New and leading players demonstrate novel and improved applications based on the use of CO2 as feedstock. Main topics of the conference include innovation, strategy & policy in CCU, carbon capture technologies, green hydrogen production, Power-to-X for fuels (transportation and aviation), CO2-based chemicals, materials and polymers, mineralisation and advanced technologies, research for CCU, electrochemistry and photochemistry.
All information is here.
Sustainability Science Summit 2025
From February 19 to 21, 2025, Berlin hosted the Sustainability Science Summit under the motto "Advancing Sustainable Development."
It continued the series of German Future Earth Summits organized by the German Committee Future Earth (Deutsches Komitee für Nachhaltigkeitsforschung). It provided a platform for the exchange of new scientific findings, research needs and aspects of research funding in the field of sustainability science.
Around 250 participants from Germany and abroad took part over three days. Three plenary panel discussions brought the participants together in the large hall of the Umweltforum and offered the opportunity for an intensive exchange. The topics included the question of how sustainability science can contribute to the transformation towards sustainability, as well as national and international trends in science funding.
After the Summit, the statement was sent to political representatives involved in the negotiations following the German federal elections, along with 700 signatures. Download the statement on sustainability science (in German).
Read more here.
It continued the series of German Future Earth Summits organized by the German Committee Future Earth (Deutsches Komitee für Nachhaltigkeitsforschung). It provided a platform for the exchange of new scientific findings, research needs and aspects of research funding in the field of sustainability science.
Around 250 participants from Germany and abroad took part over three days. Three plenary panel discussions brought the participants together in the large hall of the Umweltforum and offered the opportunity for an intensive exchange. The topics included the question of how sustainability science can contribute to the transformation towards sustainability, as well as national and international trends in science funding.
After the Summit, the statement was sent to political representatives involved in the negotiations following the German federal elections, along with 700 signatures. Download the statement on sustainability science (in German).
Read more here.
