For EPEA, urban mining means “systematic management of inventory” by recovering resources and integrating them into the production cycle in order to promote a sustainable and resource-efficient economy.
As part of potential analyses, inventories and material transfer, optimization potential is identified and meaningful fields of action are pursued up to replacement or high-quality recycling.
C2C Engineering focuses on the implementation of circular systems in the planning process in terms of recyclability, separability and material health. Urban mining focuses on the recovery of building materials that are already in circulation. Urban mining strategies thus complement C2C principles and lead to a holistic concept that can be integrated into new construction, conversion and dismantling.
Continuing to use existing buildings as resource-efficiently as possible and at the same time modernize their energy efficiency is one of the biggest challenges of this decade. EPEA is helping to shape this transformation according to the Cradle to Cradle® principle. We analyse the material value of existing portfolios, develop urban mining concepts and bring materials back into circulation through our industrial reuse network of product manufacturers.
The reuse and recycling of components and materials are key components of EPEA's industrial reuse strategy. Quantitatively increasing construction and demolition flows account for more than half of the total waste generated in Germany. This development makes it necessary to design qualitative urban mining concepts in collaboration with manufacturers and demolition companies in order to close material cycles.
The aim of the urban mining approach is to regionally reuse dismountable components as complete components as far as possible without or with little preparation. Recyclable building materials should be recycled to a high standard and problematic substances should be specifically removed from the raw material cycle.
