Editorial 1 Tribologie + Schmierungstechnik · volume 72 · issue 2/ 2025 DOI 10.24053/ TUS-2025-0006 “The Circularity Gap Report 2025” by Circle Economy (2025) Amsterdam states that more raw materials are still being extracted than recycled. Closed material cycles can significantly reduce the demand for raw materials and contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. However, globally, the share of secondary raw materials used in production is declining. This fell from 7.2 to 6.9 percent compared to the previous report. Global exploitation of raw materials, namely Crops, Crop residues, Grazed biomass and fodder crops, Other biomass, Coal, Petroleum, Natural gas, Other fossil fuels, Iron ore concentrates and compounds, Copper ore concentrates and compounds, Gold ore concentrates and compounds, Other metal ores, Sand gravel and crushed rock for construction, Limestone, Structural clays and Other nonmetallic mineral has tripled over the past fifty years. Most recently, it rose to 100 billion tons. This could not be offset by secondary raw materials that are returned to the cycle from previous production, mostly Construction & demolition (49.6 %) and Industrial (44.0 %) waste. Their volume has also been growing for several years. A truly circular economy can be more resource-efficient, the report states. The potential for this is there: If all waste that is not currently recycled, 16 % is controlled and 57 % uncontrolled disposed, were made usable, the recycling rate used could increase from 6.9 to 25 percent, the experts calculated. The share of fossil fuels is declining from above 18 to under 16 % of all raw materials, according to data from Circle Economy. Nevertheless, the volume has increased from 6.1 billion tons at the beginning of the 1970s to 15.8 billion tons this decade. This corresponds to 13.3 percent of all materials used in the global economy. The transition to a solar-based economy will initially be material-intensive, but with intelligent processes, the use of materials can become more economical. Principles such as longer service life, reuse, and recycling earlier must be considered both in infrastructure investments and in the production of goods. By the middle of the century, the world population will grow by 2.5 billion people. This will require a significant expansion of infrastructure, for which countries should rely more than before on existing material stocks. The wealthier industrialized countries should ensure that they do not further expand existing material stocks, suggests the report. The report compares the global average lifetime in years of selected assets such as vehicles (17), buildings (54) and appliances (9) and remarks that there are no targets set to increase the lifetime or recycle rates. The “Gesellschaft für Tribologie e.V.” has published 3 Tribology in Germany studies, where the one named “Wear protection and sustainability as cross-sectional challenges” shows examples how to reduce the circularity gap, so remember Tribology is everywhere. Your editor in chief Manfred Jungk Circular Economy