  To achieve climate neutrality, synergies between circular economy and
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions must be strengthened. Previously idle
emission reduction potentials of resource efficiency are to be exploited. Since
all potentially possible emission reduction measures are linked by
interactions, the evaluation of a single measure in terms of cost efficiency,
effectiveness, and compliance with climate protection targets is very complex
and requires a model-based analysis that takes the entire energy system into
account. This work advances an energy system model for Germany so that through
comprehensive modeling of industrial processes and implementation of recycling
options, the impact of recycling measures in the context of national greenhouse
gas mitigation strategies can be analyzed. The scenario evaluation shows that
different recycling strategies have large effects on the German energy system.
Without recycling energy demand in 2050 will increase by more than 300 TWh and
cost of transformation will rise by 85% compared to a reference scenario. On
the other hand, if maximum recycling rates can be achieved, costs of
transformation can be reduced by 26% until 2050. Recycling is an essential and
cost-efficient greenhouse gas reduction strategy for future low-carbon energy
system designs.
