The boom in raw materials extracted from waste opens the door to scammers

After large companies, small companies in Austria are now discovering the circular economy for themselves. But not everyone gets what they need.

When the first plastic bottles are sold in Austria on January 1, 2025, and consumers no longer dispose of their beverage containers but return them to the supermarket, the topic of the circular economy will quickly hit the headlines. This has long been a reality for local businesses. 9.5 percent of all raw materials they use in production come from recycled materials. This is more than the EU average, but well below what the law requires from 2030. Businesses know this – and they are reacting, according to the results of the ARA’s current Circular Economy Barometer.

Accordingly, 83% of the 100 or so companies surveyed already have concepts in place to reduce the use of materials, reuse as much as possible, collect waste separately, and increase the use of secondary raw materials. The participation of local businesses in the circular economy has never been greater. And unlike before, it's not just big international companies that are spending money on this. “Even small companies with up to ten employees are now increasingly investing in this area,” says Anna Kölnig of NIQ/GfK, which devised the CE measure. But getting started with a circular economy is not always as easy as hoped.