Senate for Circular Economy: When the Biggest Companies Join Forces
The Senat für Kreislaufwirtschaft brings together eight of Austria’s largest companies — including supermarket chains Billa and Spar, Brewer Union, and the dairy giant NÖM — along with major plastic and packaging manufacturers. The initiative is coordinated by ARA, the national recycling organization.
The Senate proposes four strategic priorities:
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a clear national circular economy strategy,
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simpler cross-border movement of recyclable materials within the EU,
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a coordinating body to align ministries and speed up decision-making,
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extended producer responsibility for textiles, similar to current rules for packaging.
This cooperation demonstrates strong industry commitment to invest in recycling and sustainability.
Zero Pellet Loss: Preventing Microplastic Leakage
Plastic pellets — tiny grains used as the base of most plastic products — can easily escape into the environment. Austria’s Zero Pellet Loss initiative teaches companies how to prevent pellet losses during production and transport.
Measures include filtered drains, special collection baskets, sealing of containers, regular vehicle checks, suction systems, and continuous staff training.
The result: cleaner rivers, reduced ocean pollution, and a more responsible plastics industry.
Zeroplast: Bio-based Plastics Without Fossil Resources
The start-up Zeroplast, now part of Greiner AG, develops innovative plastic alternatives made from cellulose fibers, plant-based waxes, and chalk. These materials offer a promising path toward plastics without petroleum, supporting Austria’s leadership in sustainable material development.
Green Tech Valley: Austria’s Hub for Green Innovation
Located in southern Austria, the Green Tech Valley Cluster connects over 300 companies and research institutes focused on clean energy, mobility, sustainable construction, digitalization, and circular economy solutions.
In the plastics field, companies like KRM Kunststoff-Recycling-Maschinen and Binder+Co are among Europe’s pioneers in advanced recycling machinery and sorting technologies.
FolienKreislauf2030: Rethinking Plastic Film Recycling
Plastic films are one of the most difficult packaging materials to recycle. The FolienKreislauf2030 project, funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), aims to significantly increase the recycling rate of these films by 2030.
The project brings together academia (JKU Linz) and industry (EREMA, Walter Kunststoffe, Energie AG), and early research already highlights a large potential to recover more polyethylene films from Austria’s waste streams.
Plastic Pirates – Go Europe: Young People Mapping Waste
The European Plastic Pirates initiative engages thousands of students aged 10–16 in collecting plastic waste samples from rivers and coastlines. Their data helps scientists map pollution hotspots and identify environmental risks. This is one of the largest citizen-science projects in Europe focused on plastic pollution.
Optimize2Recycle: Designing Packaging That Truly Recycles
Three Austrian plastic producers, together with research institute OFI, are developing packaging that is far easier to recycle. After identifying poorly recyclable materials, the project aims to develop alternative solutions that work in real recycling systems.
Running until 2025, this initiative shows how quickly innovations can move from research into industry.
Austria as a Circular Economy Pioneer
From national strategies to hands-on technological innovations, Austria demonstrates how circular economy principles can be put into practice. These initiatives not only reduce environmental impact but also support new business models, strengthen industry competitiveness, and create long-term economic opportunities.
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