REPRINT FROM THE MAGAZINEKunststoffeVOL. 84, 1994/95 AHRENSBURG IMPULSES:"Think Tank" for Plastics and EcologyOffer of Dialogue with the Plastics Industry(translation from German reprint) CARL HANSER VERLAG, MUNICH Preliminary remarks Driven by a hitherto unsatisfied urge to improve his material prosperity, man is using the resources of this earth on such a scale that one can safely predict that the basis for the existence of future generations is endangered. The task of solving this global crisis is made more difficult by the fact that the pace of population growth is undiminished. As a result of intensive farming, industrial fishing and forestry, building and "cultivation", habitats are being destroyed and the diversity of species diminished. Fertile soil is being lost through erosion , drinking water is becoming scarce. The climate is threatened by growing energy consumption worldwide, by agriculture (methane), industry, traffic and private consumption (CO2, CFCs). These key areas in which the environment is threatened[1] must become the focus of public attention, of politicians, industry and individuals. The present emphasis on "waste management" is one-sided and is not a true reflection of the part that waste plays in the destruction of our environment[2]. If industrialised society wishes to make progress towards a sustainable form of economic activity and way of life - and it will have to do so if it does not want to be forced to sooner or later by disasters - it must as soon as possible develop solutions with a long-term impact for the main problem complexes.[3]/4 But man today seems unable to do this of his own accord. Egoism and lack of foresight mean that he almost always fails to react until disaster is imminent or has already occurred - at any rate it is rare for him to take long-term preventive action. As a result, our knowledge of the real causes of the growing destruction of the environment has hitherto led to no more than "eco-cosmetics" (eco-marketing, German Packaging Ordinance) and to "appeasement innovations"[5]. A sustainable economy, however, requires that people think and act in terms of long periods and complex relationships. This is something that has to be taught and learnt in the face of ways of thinking that are rooted deep in our culture. It requires, for example, the realisation that in the long term - for the future of our generation and of subsequent generations in a sound natural environment - "well-being" is more important than material consumption and "affluence", i.e. qualitative rather than quantitative growth. A strategy for developing sustainable economic structures ("sustainable development") cannot therefore confine itself solely to developing appropriate technologies and materials. It is necessary to analyse and break down the deep-seated barriers that even today present obstacles to the kind of behaviour that makes all-round ecological sense. Conserving and regenerating nature as the basis for our life and our economic activity must be given top priority in society. Objectives T he ideal form of sustainable economy (given a stable population) will be based entirely on foodstuffs and materials that can be produced without predatory depletion of the basis of life. These must be made available in the long term - on the basis of solar energy and/or other energies that do not harm the environment. It is dubious, to say the least, whether the "renewable energy sources" popular today can be used on a large scale as substitutes for oil or coal. In global terms we will in the future have if anything insufficient crop land at our disposal for feeding the world's population; the energy balances of renewable sources of energy - where they are at all positive - are not convincingly so; they require intensive farming, the main cause of unnatural soil erosion, destruction of species and groundwater contamination[6]. Furthermore, the approach ignores the fact that today man is already making direct or indirect use of 60 % of the total continental photosynthesis output of the biosphere (i.e. plant products) [7] . It is therefore uncertain whether additional renewable energy sources could - quite theoretically - be made available for industrial and consumption purposes, and if so in what quantities, without doing severe and lasting harm to nature. There is thus a need for basic research to develop technologies and materials that could make high-efficiency solar-photochemical synthesis into one of the mainstays of our supply of raw materials in the future. In societal terms, the sustainable economy of the future will have to reach a consensus that no more food, energy and raw materials may be used than remain sustainably available in the long term. And only so much that their residual and processing products can be absorbed without harm by the metabolism of nature as a whole. To this end the society of the future must devise control mechanisms that make it obvious to every individual that the economically sensible course is to behave in an ecologically responsible manner. There must be a change in the criteria for "success" and "well-being". The road to a sustainable economy A s a rule, complex systems can only be controlled by simple mechanisms. The use of complex control mechanisms tends to result in the opposite of what was intended, i.e. failure. What is more, a system can be controlled better by means of "input" than "output". For this reason it does not lead to a form of economy that is sufficiently more acceptable in ecological terms, it does not pave the way for a sustainable economy, if for example only the "output" of the economic system, in other words its waste, is subjected to control. The ecologically harmful flows of energy and materials in industrialised society cannot be reduced to an acceptable level by "blocking up the outlet". But that is precisely what is being attempted in the German Packaging Ordinance (Verpackungsverordnung) and the planned Waste Management and Product Recycling Act (Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz), which do not influence the flow of materials and energy ultimately responsible for waste production (i.e. neither the nature nor the quantity of the goods produced and consumed). Neither does the present over-complicated tax legislation permit any sensitive reorientation of the style of life and economic activity to a level that is ecologically (more) acceptable. What we have to call for instead, is that by means that are as simple, comprehensible and reliable as possible, individuals and industries should be guided towards a style of life and economic activity that is commensurate with a sustainable economy. By means of simple and clear control mechanisms (prices, taxes, charges) it must be made abundantly clear to state, producers and consumers in a socially balanced manner what actions consume how much environmental resources and/or cause what environmental damage. As nothing can happen without expenditure of energy - raw materials cannot be produced, processed or consumed, neither can environmental damage (from water pollution through soil erosion to resulting illnesses) be remedied - the obvious course would be to control the flow of energy as the key parameter in an ecological reorientation of the economy[8]. In our view, therefore, a steady increase in energy prices, by the same amount each year but with cumulative effect, could be a simple, effective and understandable instrument in the context of an "ecological tax reform" [9] . For example, an annual rise of 5 % in real (inflation-adjusted) terms could in the medium term exercise a considerable controlling influence and bring about the necessary_ revolution in energy efficiency. At the same time both private consumers and industry must be relieved of financial burdens by simplifying the tax system and doing away with public charges. Fears that high energy prices might paralyse industry have been dispelled by empirical studies_. A continuous rise in energy prices could gradually become an effective brake on the quantitative growth of energy and materials flows; it could become a driving force for the start of "qualitative growth". It could at the same time be an efficient means of gradually solving the waste problems, since energy is needed to create products, distribute and use them and also to reprocess them and dispose of their waste. It is to be expected that all branches of industry - but especially the plastics industry because of the properties of its materials - will make a growing contribution to the necessary energy efficiency revolution in the form of innovations. Universities and industry will have to cooperate more closely, without losing sight of their separate functions; basic research must be aware of its responsibility for the on-going development of a science with a future; applied research/development and basic research require intensive communication bridges. It is indispensable that the artificial distinctions still made between the scientific disciplines be abandoned. Ecology, ecological engineering, bionics, technology evaluation and political analysis, among others, will be important integrative sciences of the future. The innovation thrust towards greater energy and raw materials efficiency which is associated with rising energy prices will automatically (have to) be accompanied by corresponding opinion-forming processes in society. Instead of the compartmentalised education practised today there will be a need for a holistic educational approach taking greater account of the natural sciences and ecology. Environmental education must become an integral part of our educational system, from kindergarten and school, through vocational training and university to adult education. At the same time a profound analysis of the decision-making structures, motives and flows in our society is needed to enable us to devise the appropriate control mechanisms and successful curricula. Just as important (and difficult) is the task of reaching a consensus on the need for our concepts for the road to a sustainable economy to be pragmatic. What this means is merely that, having regard to all possible aspects, they should be genuinely practicable, feasible and at the same time lead to the objectives in view. The plastics industry's potential contribution: the new ecological profile T he plastics industry (both producers and converters) has at its disposal a material that offers the prerequisites for manufacturing and using products with a high degree of energy efficiency. Their wide range of properties and the ease with which they can be formed in a number of different processes make it possible to manufacture products with economical use of energy and to save large amounts of energy (and materials) by using the durable products for long periods. What is more, the plastics converting industry is, thanks to its medium-sized industrial structure, in a position not only in Germany but worldwide, to respond flexibly to changes and thanks to its broad regional distribution to offer its products and services without the need for excessive transport inputs. In particular, the latest basic research findings in the field of (non-equilibrium) thermodynamics and new polymer materials suggest that it may in future be possible to exploit other as yet unsuspected possibilities with respect to properties and functions that will bring about a substantial improvement in the energy efficiency of the economy and of everyday life. Here nature too, with its structural and functional principles tried and tested in the evolutionary process, can provide numerous ideas that (by means of ecological engineering and bionics) can be implemented with the aid of plastics in particular, with their diversified classes of materials and their broad spectrum of possible conversion processes. "Sustainable development" demands that materials be used where they display a high suitability for use and the minimum possible strains on nature and the environment. This means that products made of plastics have a part to play that is already important, but will become even more so in the future [10] . By using plastics (e.g. as a substitute for wood) it would be possible to ensure that habitats necessary for the march of evolution and the regenerative capacity of the ecosystems were available on a much larger scale and human interference in these areas was drastically reduced_. Utilisation of nature, whether by agriculture or forestry or by the removal of raw materials, must be pursued in a way that is compatible with nature. What we need for the manufacture of products in future is a "materials mix" in which suitability for use, energy efficiency and resource efficiency and compatibility with nature are criteria for the use of materials. In future the attention of the plastics industry should be focused even more on offering "a maximum of performance capacity with a minimum of plastics". The most important contribution made by plastics will increasingly be to save energy, raw materials and water in the manufacture and use of products. But even establishing sensible cascades of product and materials use under the dictate of minimum entropy production[11] is an important marginal condition for the development of materials and systems. "Recycling" must not be an end in itself, but must be pursued in such a way that it results in fewer environmental assets being consumed compared with the use of other raw materials. Thus if the possibilities of plastics, of polymer materials, were used to the full, they could emerge as a principal material in a future ecologically sustainable economy. To this end it is also necessary to ensure the on-going ecological optimisation of plastics types and possibly weed out certain products from the ranges with the aim of offering the type of plastic that is ecologically most suitable in each individual case. The plastics industry is thus an industry that has the potential to play a constructive and driving role even today on the road to a sustainable economy. Those social groups and individuals who advocate an ecological reorientation of society therefore hope that the plastics industry will give strong and also political support to their call for a regular annual increase in energy prices by (inflation-adjusted) 5 % (or some other equivalent measure that is suitable as an economic control instrument for bringing industry round onto a course headed for sustainability). At the same time other taxes and public charges should be reduced in order to make human labour less expensive again compared with technical energy. The plastics industry would be well advised to consider revising its profile, its image on the market: In the past it has been seen by the public and by its clientele largely as a supplier of (the maximum possible) quantities of numerous plastics that are selected by the downstream converting branches of industry for specific product needs, usually on the basis of functional suitability and price. In future it could present itself as a "system provider for energy saving and energy efficiency". Then plastics would no longer be regarded or purchased primarily as constructional or packaging materials, but as an important key element with which the customer (in industry or household) could save energy (and raw materials) and increasingly act in an ecologically more sensible fashion. There are four fields where comprehensive systems of energy saving and increased energy efficiency using plastics can make a special contribution to ecological reorientation: * "Mobility" * "Living" * "Industry" (materials and processes based on plastics) * "Food" (optimisation of growing, harvest, transport, processing, packaging with the aid of plastics) At the end of this article is a selection of possible project fields. These are intended merely as suggestions and are by no means exhaustive. Ecological optimisation of plastics types and of the range of plastics should also be a project field. An integral part of this new image should also be an improved presence on the market. Up to now plastics converters have only made a direct appearance in the market as suppliers of end products in rare individual cases, and plastics manufacturers (except in the case of paints) almost never. The plastics industry is predominantly a subcontractor. As a result it is foregoing opportunities for added value, but above all it is foregoing the chance of developing products and technologies closer to the market through direct contact with the final consumer. In the context of systematic reorientation towards the ecological profile of a "system provider for energy efficiency", therefore, it would be advantageous for the industry to handle its own marketing increasingly on a direct basis. T his could be coupled with the equally important task of communicating these objectives and the ecological background both inside and outside the company_, thereby playing a part in laying the intellectual foundations for the necessary social ecological reorientation. This could take a variety of different forms, e.g. through "normal" press and advertising work; through product information, open and self-critical product line analyses and environmental balances; through courses, symposia, books; through offers to schools and universities for joint practical education and training in the fields of natural sciences and ecology; through "open days"; through changes in vocational training curricula for plastics technicians and chemical laboratory assistants. Employees and works councils should be extensively involved in the dialogue on a change of profile. In the main problem fields of environmental destruction the plastics industry could optimise and/or develop the following products and technologies (these are only examples to stimulate discussion):
* Polymer types, range of plastics (ecological optimisation: minimisation
of consumption of environmental
resources)
* Heat insulation (e.g. free-flowing products for
rehabilitation
of older buildings;
freedom from emissions…)
* Transparent heat insulation
* Heat-storing glass covering
* Replacement of steel and aluminium (aircraft construction)
* Ecologically acceptable means of (plastics batteries, lightweight
transport construction)
* Corrosion protection (active corrosion protection, paints…)
* Wind energy (optimisation of rotors)
* Solar collectors
* Solar energy (coating of semiconductors, organic
semiconductors…)
(long-term: synthetic
raw materials with the aid of solar
energy
* Saving water (e.g. by water-free fibre colouring)
* Water treatment (membranes)
Offer of a dialogue T he concept put forward here is of course only intended as a first, provisional formulation. We are offering the plastics industry an intensive exchange of ideas with the participation of experts and decision makers in which the concept can be discussed, held up for criticism and modified jointly with representatives of the plastics industry. We believe that it is calculated to combine in a synergistic fashion the interest that the industry, its enterprises and their employees have in an assured future with the objectives of ecologically sensible use of natural resources.
Waldemar Bahr
Hanover Chemicals, Paper, Ceramics Trade
Union
Head Office Hanover
Environmental
Protection Department
Prof. Werner Ebeling
Professor of Humboldt University, Berlin
Member of
Theoretical Physics the Scientific Advisory Council of the
IÖW
Jochen Flasbarth
Economist, Bonn German League for Nature Conservation
(NABU)
President
Edgar Gärtner
Biologist, Editor-in-Chief of WWF Journal
Frankfurt/Main
Prof. Berndt Heydemann
Kiel Director of the Research Centre for
Ecosystems Research and Eco-Engineering
at the University of Kiel, former
Minister of the Environment of the state
of Schleswig-Holstein
Andreas Mieth Research Centre
Gerhard Jakubowski
Ahrensburg Communication and conflict consultant
Prof. Michael Jischa
Technical University of
Clausthal-Zellerfeld Clausthal
Institute of Technical
Mechanics
Ulrike Mehl , member of the German (SPD) member of the Environmental
parliament
Bonn/Nortorf Committee of the German Bundestag
Dr. Hans-Christian Mittag
Krefeld German League for Nature Conservation
(NABU)
Member of the presiding board
Prof. Hans Mohr
Stuttgart Academy for Assessing the Consequences
of Technology in Band-Württemberg
Michael Müller , member of the German Environment spokesman of the SPD
parliament parliamentary party
Prof. Werner Nachtigall
Saarbrücken University of Saarbrücken
Professor of
Zoology
Specialism: Bionics
Prof. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
Director of the Wuppertal Institute for
Wuppertal Climate, Environment, Energy
Member of
the Club of Rome
Dr. Bernhard Wessling
Ahrensburg Initiator of the "Ahrensburg
Impulses"
Managing Partner, Zipperling
Kessler & Co.
Dr. Stefan Zundel
Berlin Managing Director of the IÖW
Institute
for Ecological Economic Research GmbH
(IÖW)
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