When is the one adjective that comes to mind when you think about car electronics? Electronics in the car?
Well, I mean, there is a development you see now by a lot of manufacturers who are trying to use electronics and intelligent systems. So coming then to autonomous driving and all this stuff, trying to find new revenue streams, actually, because money is always behind. And that is, of course, a development which will take much more speed in the future for sure.
In your opinion, are cars that include electronic components easier or harder to adapt to circular economy principles than regular cars?
No, I think it will be easier because we are now at the starting point. So we are now in a industry which just start the development of this cars. So if you put now the right regulations in place, you can ensure that these car will be easier to recycle. If you look at at existing ones, then this approach was not there when they were started to to to to build them. Therefore, from my point of view, it will be easier if of course that would be the condition. You would now put the right regulations in place.
What can the automotive industry do to promote a circular economy, in your opinion?
Well, they can. Get together and before the state being at the European Union, the US, whoever will be start to regulate, put their own regulations in place to agree on that and put efforts together to to go this way. Because if every of the manufacturers being at European, US or Chinese do their own rules, then we will have a chaos and that will not lead to to to a real sustainable development in the future.
Um, do you have any concerns about privacy and personal data stored by car electronics, for example, GPS when thinking about reuse of car electronics?
Well, I personally do not have because I think it’s sometimes overregulated and in a lot of countries. So if you look at, for example, the European Union, it’s very much regulated at this point. I can but I can understand also people if they fear that there will be a data. So where they are driving, what is the driving behavior that will not be used in the right way? So this of course, you have to regulate, but the using it for a good purpose to understand where the car is going. Maybe it’s just some kilometers a day. Maybe it is not there to be used. But you can, for example, put car sharing or whatever in place. These data are very valuable for the future. So it’s it’s always to find the right balance in this.
Yeah. Does recycling and reusing mean different things to you?
Yes, sure. I mean, for example, if you take some areas so now let’s come back to to battery base So the beef vehicles in the industry then you have, I would say, always usage of the battery of ten years in the car. And then, of course, if it is in the right way manufactured, then you can use it another ten years at least in sectors where you need battery, where you need energy storage, for example. Yeah. So there’s there’s interesting start there. Interesting start ups already going this path. And that is for sure something which is different for recycling because the recycling would then be only after the second use. So that is a very important point.
On a scale of 1 to 5, one means not at all concerned and five means extremely concerned. How concerned are you about the issues of environmental waste and pollution?
Very concerned. Five Yeah. (Why?) Yeah, because I mean, you see, if you look at the waste, how we are dealing with it, it’s only growing. You think you are doing something, but in the end you see it again in the seas all over the world and that is actually destroying our environment, which should not be the way.
What, if any, actions do you take in your life to promote sustainability?
Well, I’m trying to reuse. I’m as I told you already with the iPhone as an example. And I’m trying also to, for example, not to drive the biggest cars, but just the smaller ones to be actually flexible in the mobility I’m using. So for example, flying less and being more on train or whatever on bicycling. So that is of course a way. And then if you look at the waste yeah, use less plastic, it’s not easy and. Also in Germany. So that is a development. Yeah.
Yeah. One of last questions. How much responsibility does each individual have to make lifestyle and consumer choices that help protect the environment?
Well, I think that that is a very, very valid question. And in the end, it should be decided by everyone, himself or herself, because the the politicians should put the right framework in place to not, I would not say, to oblige, but to encourage people to do the right things. So it’s always, again, a balance. I mean, in Germany, also the discussions forbidding something or better to promote a certain behavior. So these are always the two best you can go. And if you forbid something, it’s it’s easier, but maybe it will not lead to the result you want to have.
Last question. Do you see the circular economy as a local or national or international issue?
I mean, the circular economy should be always to this developed in the correspondent sector. So you cannot put overall rules. So if you let’s take the car industry again. Yes, there should be overruled. There can be also there should be also in the end, internationally to avoid any developments which are going in the wrong direction. But then it should be also local. Yeah, because locally you have also to to to put the right rules in place. So it is again a balance and depends on the situation, the sector and the industry.
And thank you very much. Welcome.
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