RTI Focus Area: Circular Economy & Production Technologies

In the RDI focus area "Circular Economy & Production Technologies" (KLWPT), research on innovative solutions for the resource transition contributes to transforming Austria and particularly its production landscape towards a circular economy.

The current global resource consumption far exceeds the Earth's regenerative capacity. If everyone lived and operated like we do in Austria, we would need 3.7 planets to cover this resource consumption. Due to the still dominant linear economic system, valuable resources are lost as so-called "waste."
In contrast, resources are considered throughout their entire lifecycle in a circular economy. With the adoption of the Circular Economy Strategy in Austria in 2022, the path to a sustainable and circular society and economy was established.

A central part of the value creation process and thus of the circular economy is production. The manufacturing of goods is the largest economic sector in Austria, significantly contributing to national economic performance with about 68 billion euros of gross value added (19% of GDP). However, this also involves enormous resource consumption and high emissions: the industry and energy sectors (including emissions trading) are responsible for about 44% of national greenhouse gas emissions.
To maintain our planet as a habitable environment in the long term, societal and economic transformation is essential. Therefore, "Circular Economy & Production Technologies" has been established as an RDI focus area in line with mission-oriented innovation policy.

Aligned with common goals in research, technology, and innovation, measures are implemented that are anchored in various national funding initiatives and contribute to the mission "Austria on the Way to a Sustainable and Circular Society."

The five central goals of the RDI focus area KLWPT are:

  1. Optimize resource use
  2. Intensify product usage
  3. Close material cycles
  4. Increase technological sovereignty
  5. Ensure resilient companies in Austria

For current information on this focus area, such as reports, studies, and much more, visit open4innovation - Circular Economy