Join the US trade

mission to Germany

You will visit the Harz region for 5 days and learn about business models of critical raw materials from e.g. batteries and electronical devices.

Germany wants to become climate-neutral by 2045. To achieve this, whole industries have to undergo a structural change to advance in the decarbonisation of production processes especially for crucial materials like metals and minerals. Decision-makers from American companies can see this for themselves: As part of the ISW program of Germany Trade and Invest, a business delegation from the United States will travel to Harz from 21 to 25 August 2023 to find out about the market potential in the field of circular economy and recycling of critical raw materials. The aim of the trip is to introduce the economic potential of the region of Harz to American companies and stakeholders and to connect the German industry with them.

The Recycling-Cluster for Economically Strategic Metals (REWIMET e.V.) and the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour, Transport and Digitalization of Lower Saxony invite American companies and networks to a business trip to the region of Harz. Participants will benefit from the network of the organisers, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), the foreign trade promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany, REWIMET as well as the local service providers, the company energiewaechter and the German Chambers of Commerce in the US (GACC MidWest, GACC South, GACC West). The trip is part of the “ISW”-program developed by GTAI for and with partners from the regions in structural change in order to internationally promote the individual regions‘ strengths and opportunities and facilitate cross-border cooperation.

Who should join:

• American executives from companies, scientific institutions, networks and institutions within the value chain of recycling, minerals and rare earths who are interested in cooperations with German companies & institutions. Participation is limited to 12 companies or institutions.

What we offer:

• 5-day program with visits to companies, industrial parks and research institutions
• Networking event with industry experts and testimonials
• Participation in the REWIMET-symposium on recycling, circular economy and strategic important metals
• Individual matchmaking
• Briefings on market development and program
• Organisation and payment of hotel accommodation from Monday-Friday for one representative

Lets talk about local industries and the recycling of critical raw materials

• The Volkswagen Group is located in nearby Wolfsburg. The company is currently establishing a battery recycling plant in the city of Salzgitter with many more decentralized plants to follow in the near future. In the long term, the Volkswagen Group has set itself a very ambitious goal: to recycle 97 percent of all raw materials. Today, it is 53 percent, and the pilot plant in Salzgitter will bring this figure up to 72 percent.

• TANIOBIS GmbH, headquartered in Goslar, is a leading global producer with over 60 years of experience processing high-quality materials based on tantalum and niobium. In addition to the Goslar site, the company has branches in Laufenburg (Germany), Tokyo and Mito (Japan), Map Ta Phut (Thailand), and Needham, Massachusetts (U.S.A.). The company produces solutions for a wide range of different applications, including for customers from the automotive, energy, aviation, electronics, chemicals, and medical technology industries.

• The Battery LabFactory Braunschweig (BLB), as an established transdisciplinary research center of the TU Braunschweig, is one of the leading institutions in the field of battery research in Germany. The BLB is an R & D platform for circular production, diagnostics and modelling/simulation of batteries of the current and future generations.

• Duesenfeld GmbH is a pioneer in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries and has developed processes that do not require the initial melting or heating of the battery modules. The innovative process focuses on environmental friendliness, CO2 avoidance and high recycling efficiency. Duesenfeld achieves a recycling rate of 72 % in mechanical recycling; with the processing of the black mass in Duesenfeld Hydrometallurgy, the material recycling rate increases to 91 %. Duesenfeld thus goes far beyond the current requirements of the EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC.

• Salzgitter Group is one of the largest steel producers in Europe with an annual output around seven million tonnes. Currently the company intensivies its activities in scrap and steel recycling in order to achieve its goal to become climate neutral in 2030. Therefore, several projects for the use of green hydrogen in steel making processes are under development with partners from industry and research. The company also owns 20% of AURUBIS which is the largest copper producer in Europe and as well the largest copper recycler worldwide.
  

Participation opportunities

Besides the official site visits and appointments in the region, there will also be a half-day networking & matchmaking event  on 23 August 2023 in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. The delegates from the USA will be given the opportunity to get in contact with German partners from industry, research and politics. The aim is to find potential business and project opportunities.

Site visits in Harz Region

Half-Day Conference

Background of the program

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. GTAI supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany. This inbound delegation trip is part of their ISW-program, which has been developed for and with partners from the regions in structural change in order to internationally promote the individual regions‘ strengths and opportunities and facilitate cross-border cooperation. International companies have the chance to visit a specific German region in order to get to know a particular industry ecosystem and network with local industry players to elaborate their next steps to enter the German market and find new business partners