Conference
Korean-German Climate & Environment Conference 2022

On July 20th, the Korean-German Climate & Environment Conference on "Circular Economy in Korea and in Germany: Recycling and Reuse of EV Batteries" took place. During the course of the conference, a wide range of Korean and German experts from research, development, and government were heard. Project examples and cooperation ideas from both countries were also presented, as well as business models from companies. The interns David Straub and Sabine Leykam were also able to attend the event.

With the increase in demand for batteries for electric vehicles and industrial use, the development of a safe and sustainable value chain is becoming increasingly important. When planning such a value chain, attention must of course also be paid to the scarce resources, and methods for remanufacturing already used batteries must be developed. As Federico Diaz Betancourt of the Volkswagen Group said: "after use is before use".

The ever-expanding industry experiences its greatest drivers for sustainable activities from the regulations and incentives created by governments. The conference participants agree that it is now time to take the next, more profound steps and that cooperation between Korea and Germany can set standards for sustainability.