The German government has approved a Lightweight Construction Strategy aimed at reducing resource consumption, lowering CO2 emissions, and enhancing Germany’s competitiveness.
Lightweight construction: A versatile solution for a sustainable future The Lightweight Construction Strategy focuses on the core idea of saving weight, materials, and energy while ensuring or even improving the functionality and performance of products. It is considered a cross-sectoral technology applicable to various industries. For instance, lightweight construction using wood can enable better expansion of existing buildings, creating sustainable new living spaces. In the medical field, lightweight solutions for prosthetics and orthotics can significantly improve therapies and patient treatments.
The advantages of lightweight construction extend to the automotive sector, where reduced weight in electric vehicles can lead to increased driving range. Additionally, lightweight materials find widespread use in sports and recreational equipment, such as bicycles, due to their combination of low weight and high strength.
Emphasizing circularity and resource conservation The Lightweight Construction Strategy focuses on technologies, processes, and products that optimize material cycles. This approach ensures the recyclability of lightweight materials right from the product development stage. By extending the life cycles of resources, natural resources are conserved and preserved.
A holistic approach to sustainability The Lightweight Construction Strategy adopts a comprehensive and cross-material approach that addresses all three dimensions of sustainability: ecology, economy, and society. It aims to enhance the understanding and awareness of the benefits of lightweight construction while making it more practical and implementable. Lightweight construction is relevant for various materials, including plastics, metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, steel, natural materials like wood, cellulose, basalt, and composite materials.
Advantages of lightweight construction The benefits of lightweight construction are manifold:
- Climate protection and resource conservation: Lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced consumption of raw materials such as coal, iron ores, oil, gas, and wood in both production and product use.
- Reducing dependence on energy and raw material imports: Saving, replacing, and recycling materials help reduce import dependencies.
- Strengthening the German industrial sector: Ongoing innovation in lightweight construction leads to sustainable and climate-friendly systems, positioning Germany as a competitive provider on international markets, unlocking growth opportunities.
- Societal impact: Climate protection contributes to a better future for upcoming generations.
Eight action packages of the Lightweight Construction Strategy The core of the strategy consists of eight action packages designed to further improve the funding framework for lightweight construction. Special attention is given to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as drivers of innovation and economic growth. Measures include easier access to investment capital, low-interest investment loans, and enhanced financing instruments.
The strategy also promotes faster transfer of research knowledge and technology into practical applications through networking, cross-sectoral collaborations, studies, real-world laboratories, and demonstration projects.
To strengthen circular economy practices, the strategy introduces new rules for eco-design and encourages the use of norms and standardizations to facilitate cooperation and competition in the lightweight construction sector.
Moreover, quantitative instruments and metrics, such as environmental assessments and digital product passports, will be developed to better measure the positive impacts of lightweight construction on climate, environment, economy, and society.
Lastly, a consumer-oriented communication strategy will inform both experts and the general public about the diverse potentials of lightweight construction. Furthermore, companies will receive support in accessing foreign markets to enhance international competitiveness and forge global alliances in the lightweight construction field.
https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/aktuelles/leichtbaustrategie-2204010