How can complex environmental impacts be communicated in a way that is easy to understand? The “resources SAVED by recycling” study uses tangible conversion examples to make environmental impacts more accessible. In 2025, Interzero saved approximately 3 million barrels of crude oil by keeping around one million tonnes of plastics in the loop through recycling. This is equivalent to roughly 9.5 million passenger car fuel tank fill-ups of 50 litres each.

But how is this figure calculated? The calculation is based on the scientific impact indicator “Abiotic Resource Depletion – Fossil Fuels”, which measures the consumption of fossil resources such as crude oil, natural gas and coal across a product’s entire life cycle. To determine the savings, Fraunhofer UMSICHT compares the energy required to produce plastics from virgin raw materials with the energy needed for plastic recycling. The resulting energy savings are then converted into an easy-to-understand unit using the energy content of crude oil. This makes the benefits of the circular economy transparent, measurable and tangible.