The CO₂ arithmetic, material by material
Average CO₂ emissions in the EU are 7.5 tonnes per capita and year. Measured against that, it becomes possible to place what recycling actually achieves.
Emissions avoided
0tonnes CO₂
That much does not arise, because we separate material instead of burning it.
Equivalent to the annual emissions of a city of around 130,000 people. For comparison: the EU average is 7.5 tonnes of CO₂ per capita and year.
Calculator
What your volume avoids in CO₂
Pick a material and a volume — the calculator sets secondary against primary production.
- CO₂ emissions avoided —t
- Energy saved against new production —%
- Equivalent to the annual emissions of —people in the EU
For aluminium the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group states a range of three to five tonnes of CO₂ per tonne — hence the span.
Basis of calculation
- Aluminium: secondary production needs 5 % of the energy of new production from bauxite, saving 3–5 t CO₂ per tonne.
- Ferrous metals: 16 % energy saving and 1 t CO₂ per tonne against steel from ore.
- Plastics: recyclate needs around 10 % of the energy of virgin material, saving about 4 t CO₂ per tonne.
- Reference value: 7.5 t CO₂ per capita and year, EU average.
All figures are taken from the published statements of the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group. This is an approximation and does not replace a life-cycle assessment to ISO 14040.
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Energy input
Secondary against primary, per material
The bars show the energy input of secondary production relative to primary production.
Aluminium
Plastics
Steel
Figures according to the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group.
The arithmetic
How the total figure is arrived at
All values are taken from the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group’s own figures and reproduced here unchanged.
Aluminium: the energy needed to produce aluminium from waste is only five per cent of that for new production from bauxite. One tonne of recycled aluminium saves roughly three to five tonnes of CO₂ emissions — the equivalent of half a year’s emissions of an average European.
Ferrous metals: producing secondary ferrous metals saves 16 per cent of energy costs and one tonne of CO₂ per tonne compared with new steel from ore.
Plastics: producing post-consumer recyclates needs around ten per cent of the energy of virgin material. Every tonne of recycled plastic avoids about four tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
In total, by recycling 850,000 tonnes of metal scrap and plastic waste per year MGG achieves a saving of roughly one million tonnes of CO₂ — equivalent to the annual emissions of a city of around 130,000 people.
In brief
Putting it in context
The CO₂ saving of the Müller-Guttenbrunn Group arises from the difference between primary and secondary production of the materials it produces. With around 850,000 tonnes of metals and plastics processed each year, avoided emissions amount to roughly one million tonnes of CO₂ per year.
Aluminium has the greatest leverage: extracting it from bauxite is so energy-intensive that secondary production manages on around five per cent of the energy and avoids three to five tonnes of CO₂ per tonne. For steel the relative advantage is smaller, but because of the volumes involved it weighs heavily in absolute terms.
For plastics the advantage is almost as large: recyclates need around ten per cent of the energy of virgin material and avoid four tonnes of CO₂ per tonne.
For comparison: average per-capita emissions in the European Union are 7.5 tonnes of CO₂ per year. The group’s annual saving therefore corresponds to the annual emissions of a city of roughly 130,000 inhabitants.
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