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About Circular Futures - Circular Economy Platform Austria

Multi-stakeholder platform, think tank, incubator and catalyst for projects and initiatives accelerating the transition to a circular economy in Austria and Europe

Circular Futures was initiated by the environmental umbrella organization Umweltdachverband at the end of 2016 and is a collaboration of several umbrella organizations that advocate the transition to circular economy in politics and legislation. The collaboration partners of the platform are the Umweltdachverband (UWD) in Austria, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) based in Brussels as well as the Reuse and Repair Network Austria (RepaNet) and the Association Waste Consultants Austria (VABÖ) in Austria.

We connect people, ideas and knowledge for a more circular economy in Austria

Within the framework of the platform, activities for the development of a holistic circular economy are implemented in Austria. These include round tables, workshops and events as well as the development of background papers and information materials. Our work focusses on the necessary political and legal framework for the transition to a circular economy. A central concern of the platform is to promote a progressive understanding of the circular economy in Austria, which understands the circular economy as a process of change in society as a whole and which covers both the social and economic transformation processes required for this. Accordingly, with our activities we promote the exchange between various stakeholder groups from the areas of environment, economy and social affairs and bring them to a table with representatives from politics, science and administration in order to jointly develop future-oriented solutions for a more circular economy in Austria.

Our work is embedded in a broad network of organizations and actors across Europe. From the very beginning we have worked with pioneers in the circular economy such as Circle Economy in the Netherlands, SITRA in Finland, Zero Waste Scotland in Scotland or Circular Change in Slovenia as well as the globally active Ellen MacArthur Foundation and brought them to Austria with their activities. Circular Futures is also anchored in the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform as part of the work plan of the coordination group and is represented there via the EEB.

In their study "Major Circular Economy Networks in Europe", the authors, the Institut national de l’économie circulaire and the French network Orée, identified us as a key player in the circular economy in Europe.

About the partners

"Circular Futures - Plattform Kreislaufwirtschaft Österreich" is a collaboration between the Umweltdachverband and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the Reuse and Repair Network Austria (RepaNet), and the Verband Abfallberatung Österreich (VABÖ), a waste disposal consultancy association with 355 local environmental and waste consultants.

Umweltdachverband

Umweltdachverband (UWD) initiated and leads this project.

As a nonpartisan platform, the Umweltdachverband represents 36 environmental and nature conservation organizations with approximately 1.4 million members throughout Austria. For more than 40 years, the Umweltdachverband has been paving the way in sustainable development and in safeguarding individuals’ right to lead healthy, environmentally diverse lives.

The objectives of the Umweltdachverband are, on the one hand, to protect the environment through direct conservation initiatives, and on the other, to raise societal awareness, especially by supporting its member organizations.

European Environmental Bureau 

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) was founded as a non-governmental organization in Brussels in 1974. It is an umbrella organization with over 140 environmental organizations across Europe. Its primary objectives are to protect and improve the condition of the environment in Europe.

As an intermediary/the environmental voice of its members, the EEB provides a powerful channel for its organizations to contribute to and participate in environmental decision-making processes in Brussels. The European Environmental Bureau operates an information service, organizes various working groups, and generates position papers on topics of environmental relevance and specifically on subjects that need stronger representation at EU-level. It represents member associations at the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. Furthermore, the EEB supports and accompanies member organizations in their activities addressing European environmental issues at national levels. The EEB is part of the Green 10, a coalition of ten of the largest European environmental organizations. Through this network, the Umweltdachverband is able to utilize the expertise and diverse proficiencies of EEB member organisations.

Reuse and Repair Network Austria (RepaNet) 

The Reuse and Repair Network Austria (RepaNet) is the voluntary interest group of reuse enterprises and networks in Austria. RepaNet is committed to strengthening the framework conditions for the reuse and repair sector and to creating employment opportunities in this field for disadvantaged groups in the labour market, especially through social integration.

Through this cooperation partner, Plattform Kreislaufwirtschaft Austria can draw upon an Austrian-wide reuse network and its associated reservoir of industry expertise, as well as its European network RREUSE (Re-use and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises. 

Verband Abfallberatung Österreich (VABÖ)

The Verband Abfallberatung Österreich (VABÖ) is the trade association of municipal environmental and waste consultants in Austria. VABÖ is devoted to promoting circular economy among the population, administration, and private enterprise at both the national and international level. The tasks of this consultancy body consist of both providing sustainable environmental and waste guidance and directly promoting and executing waste prevention measures. Through partnership with VABÖ, Plattform Kreislaufwirtschaft Austria can benefit from the resources and knowledge of the 355 consultants aligned under this association.