Goldrichtig - Is gold recycling the future?
About this place
Challenges of gold mining At present, the gold price is at a record high: over CHF 87’000 per kilogramme. Strong demand leads to intensive extraction. But this often has serious consequences, as the exhibition shows: industrial mining destroys landscapes and creates environmental risks from cyanide, while often illegal mines use toxic mercury under dangerous conditions. A large share of the gold mined worldwide is processed in four refineries in Switzerland. Gold recycling as a sustainable solution As gold extraction is expensive and harmful to the environment, recycling is becoming increasingly important. Many goldsmiths’ studios now work only with recycled gold. An estimated one third of the gold held by the Swiss National Bank is in Swiss households, for example as unused jewellery in drawers, because it has either been forgotten or gone out of fashion. This old gold can be melted down and reused. Thanks to new technologies, even the smallest amounts of gold can be recovered from existing materials. New recycling methods The exhibition presents innovative approaches to gold recycling, for example recovering gold from waste. Valuable metals, including gold, are extracted from the ash produced by incinerated household waste. This form of gold recycling is not only ecologically sensible, but can also be financially lucrative. Another highlight of the exhibition is gold recovery from electronic waste. Smartphones and other devices contain valuable gold that has so far often been extracted using large amounts of energy and toxic chemicals. New, more environmentally friendly processes, such as using whey proteins to recover gold, could offer a sustainable alternative here. Conclusion: recycling that really adds up for a sustainable future The exhibition «Goldrichtig – Ist Goldrecycling die Zukunft?» at Museum Schloss Burgdorf highlights the challenges and opportunities of the gold market. The path to a more sustainable future for the gold industry lies in the responsible production and use of the precious metal, as well as its recovery. The exhibition invites you to question how we handle finite resources and to take responsibility for the impact of gold mining on people and nature.