On 22 March, the participants had the opportunity to network and exchange ideas well into the night. It is particularly pleasing that both the number of participants and exhibitors increased once again. New this year was that the conference had a specific theme – ‘Sustainability in demolition’ - which ran through the entire event and was omnipresent in the presentations and discussions.

In the panel discussions, the invited sustainability experts discussed, among other things, the recycling possibilities of R-concrete against this backdrop.  Aside from the questions of whether the breakthrough of recycled concrete will succeed at all, and whether the hype actually makes sense from an economic and sustainability perspective, one central point should always be in focus: it is irrelevant whether R-concrete is used in the construction of a new high rise building, in the foundations of a wind turbine or in road construction as a new road surface. The most important thing is that the primary raw materials and the associated resources are conserved. Therefore, the question of whether a particular type of recycling is upcycling or (only) downcycling does not even arise. The main thing is that it is recycling.

As far as the two juxtaposed recycling options are concerned, companies must be free to choose the most sensible option. The choice should be made considering economic efficiency, environmental aspects (such as local recycling options) and sustainability. If we want to understand the circular economy in such a way that the built environment, i.e. the urban environment, should also be used as such, then the existing buildings and infrastructure are the raw materials that should be brought back into the cycle. The decision on which cycle to choose can only ever be made individually and locally. Hence the following questions are of crucial importance in this context: where can the most resources and the most processing and transportation emissions be saved? 

The answers to these questions are always different. In one case, the production of R-concrete may be the more sustainable alternative to recycle the demolition material. In another case, using the material in road construction may prove to be a better recycling alternative. In both cases, aggregates are returned to the cycle, which are available for many more demolition, processing and recycling cycles in the urban environment and thus for the circular economy. It should therefore not be the aim that the entire construction waste goes into the R-concrete, as it could happen that the material is missing in other areas (e.g. in road construction) and has to be replaced by primary raw materials.

The demolition industry plays a key role in a functioning and coherent circular economy. Without secondary materials from demolition, a genuine circular economy will not be possible. This year's Fachtagung Abbruch, with its theme, ‘Sustainability in demolition’, and the related presentations and panel discussions, played their part. They also showed how sustainably the demolition industry has been working for years, or even decades, and the innovations with which it is preparing for the future. Perhaps this will finally give the industry the public attention and appreciation it has long deserved.

The great interest, lively discussions and audience participation at the Fachtagung Abbruch 2024 have shown that we are on the right track. However, there is still a lot to be done to make the circular economy sustainable and economical in order to protect the environment and primary raw materials in the best possible way.