Resources & Circularity.

Our aim is to increasingly decouple the consumption of resources from the growth of our production volume and reduce the use of primary resources in our vehicles.

The worldwide consumption of resources is growing – with negative consequences for the environment and society. That’s why we want to make our contribution to promoting both economic growth and sustainability. For example, we are consistently working to increasingly close material cycles. The use of resources and the circular economy are one of the six sustainability focus areas at Mercedes-Benz.

Materials.

We focus on reducing the amount of primary materials used by increasing the proportion of secondary materials.

Materials overview

Recycling.

The overarching goal of the circular economy is to preserve the value of products, components and materials for as long as possible. To achieve this goal, we focus on Rethink, Reduce, Repair and Recycle. We use these 4 R's to align our activities to promote circularity at Mercedes-Benz.

Recycling Overview

Core topics in the resource and circularity economy field.

We have defined clear ambitions, goals and milestones for the responsible use of resources in our sustainable business strategy. Plastics, steel and aluminium are a particular focus, as they are required in large quantities in vehicle production and are particularly energy- and resource-intensive. We pay special attention to continuously reducing the quantities of these raw materials used in each vehicle. To this end, we are already pursuing the Design for Environment approach during the development of a vehicle. We design our vehicles to be as resource-efficient as possible throughout their entire lifecycle. In doing so, we take responsibility in terms of the product and the production process. For example, we are increasingly using secondary materials in our vehicles and continuously improving the efficiency of our production processes.

Bionic design.

Shaping, materials, efficiency: How we use bionic design to optimise lightweight construction and aerodynamics.

Innovative materials.

Quality, functionality, durability: How we develop innovative materials that aim to improve the driving experience and reduce the environmental impact.

From scrap tyres to door handles.

With the use of chemical recycling we aim to close the material cycle of old car tyres and thus reduce both the consumption of fossil resources and our carbon footprint.

Closing the recycling loop.

Our battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim started operating in 2024. This is how we want to reduce our resource consumption and strengthen Germany as a business location.

More on the Kuppenheim recycling factory

360° environmental check on Mercedes-Benz models.

Consumption, emissions, use of recyclates: In-depth information on our Mercedes-Benz vehicles’ environmental performance. .

Environmental check overview

Raw Material Report.

We report on our activities to respect human rights in raw material supply chains and on our progress in the context of our sustainable corporate strategy.

To our Raw Material Report

REACH Information.

Information on the European Chemicals Regulation.

To the REACH Information