For over 100 years, Germany's industrial landscape has been shaped by fertilizer production through potash mining. Potassium, which is essential for plant growth, is mined in the form of potash salt from depths of up to 1,500 meters. During production, up to 70 percent of the salt extracted is dumped as waste in spoil heaps, which have a significant impact on the environment.
Without the fertilizer production of potash mining, modern agriculture would not be possible and it would no longer be possible to feed the world's population.