4.2 Requirements and objectives for resource-saving products and services in everyday life in Vienna

Existing and newly created framework conditions are the cornerstones of strengthening supply and demand.

European framework conditions (see also Chapter 2)

• Transparency and consumer protection: With Directive (EU) 2024/1799, the EU strengthens consumers’ right to repair by requiring the provision of spare parts and extending warranty periods. Further planned measures include action against premature obsolescence - that is, the early and often deliberate ageing of products. The EmpCo Directive (EU) 2024/825 also increases transparency for consumers through reliable labelling and certification of sustainable and circular products and services.
• Reduction of packaging waste: One of the objectives of the European Packaging Regulation (EU) 2025/40 is to reduce packaging waste by 5 per cent by 2030 compared with 2018, by 10 per cent by 2035 and by 15 per cent by 2040. To achieve these requirements, certain types of single-use packaging must be removed from the market (through bans). Packaging material is to be minimised as a matter of principle, and the reuse of packaging increased (through reuse targets). Labelling and information obligations are also intended to improve separate collection. The introduction of a deposit-return system, mandatory recyclability and minimum recycled-content requirements also support recycling.
• Reduction of single-use plastic packaging: An example is the single-use deposit introduced in Austria at the beginning of 2025 for, among other items, plastic beverage bottles. It was implemented as a measure required under the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904 in order to increase collection and recycling volumes.
• Sustainable textile economy: The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles (COM/2022/141) defines clear requirements in the area of a sustainable textile economy: all textile products placed on the EU market are to be durable, repairable and recyclable and free of hazardous substances. They are to consist to a significant extent of recycled fibres and be manufactured in compliance with social and environmental standards.
• Prevention of food waste: The ongoing revision of the EU Waste Framework Directive places particular emphasis on the prevention of food waste. Awareness-raising, the promotion of food donations and numerous other measures are intended to reduce food waste from production through to consumption in restaurants and private households. The European Commission’s proposal stipulates that by the end of 2030, food waste in processing and manufacturing is to be reduced by 10 per cent, and by 30 per cent in retail, restaurants, food-service operations and households.

Other relevant regulations at EU level include, among others, the Medical Devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.

Austrian framework conditions (see also Chapter 2):

• Waste Management Act: The Federal Waste Management Act (Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz, AWG 2002) and the ordinances based on it cover numerous topics relevant to the circular economy. The AWG 2002 defines the conditions under which a material is to be regarded as waste and establishes nationwide objectives and principles of waste management as well as uniform terminology. It includes requirements for enforcing the waste hierarchy and promoting the circular economy. Specific waste-related ordinances under the AWG 2002 include provisions on the responsibility of manufacturers for packaging, electrical and electronic equipment and batteries, as well as criteria for determining when waste ceases to be waste and can re-enter the product or material cycle. Since 2024, the AWG 2002 has included a mandatory reusable-packaging quota for reusable beverage packaging.
• Waste Management Plan: The Federal Waste Management Plan (Bundes-Abfallwirtschaftsplan, B-AWP) provides a detailed insight into Austria’s waste management system and derives measures, strategies and programmes from it. These have significant planning relevance at the level of the federal provinces. The Federal Waste Prevention Programme appears as part of the B-AWP and addresses the first and second stages of the waste hierarchy (waste prevention and reuse). It makes a substantial contribution to meeting EU requirements and identifies as its guiding objective the halving of the per-capita volume of avoidable food waste at retail and consumer level by 2030.
• Prevention of food waste: Austria’s Strategy for the Prevention of Food Waste was published in 2021. The federal provinces and municipalities are responsible for managing waste from households and are therefore indispensable partners in its implementation. One of the objectives of the strategy has already been achieved: the 2023 update of the action programme Lebensmittel sind kostbar! (“Food is precious!”).
• Health sector: The nationwide strategy Klimaneutrales Gesundheitswesen (“Climate-Neutral Health Sector”) contains measures for all climate-relevant areas of action, such as sustainable procurement criteria, reusable medical products, the optimisation of packaging sizes for pharmaceuticals and waste management. To achieve climate neutrality by 2040, the strategy proposes incentives such as funding and statutory obligations for health and care facilities.

Vienna’s framework conditions for saving resources in everyday life (see also Chapter 2)

Many of the objectives set out in the overarching strategies and action plans of the City of Vienna are relevant for the production and consumption of food, textiles, and electrical and electronic equipment (for example, the Vienna Waste Management Plan and the Waste Prevention Programme 2025–2030; see also Chapter 2). Additional framework conditions are provided by the following foundational documents:

With the Vienna Food Action Plan Wien isst G.U.T. as an umbrella strategy, the City of Vienna affirms its commitment to a sustainable food supply. The plan sets out effective measures to reduce negative impacts along the entire value chain. The continuously expanded platform brings together initiatives, projects, programmes and events of the City and private stakeholders, as well as scientific insights into current topics.

Since 2004, the Agricultural Structural Development Plan for Vienna – AgSTEP has been a proven spatial planning instrument for safeguarding and preserving Vienna’s agricultural areas. The focus of the 2024 update was the delineation of agricultural priority areas. A total of 4,878 hectares have been designated as such and are therefore protected. This corresponds to around 82 per cent of Vienna’s total agricultural land.

Since 2015, Vienna has been part of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. A follow-up project has been the intensification of cooperation with the Urban Region Management (SUM) to ensure a sustainable supply of food from the immediate surrounding area. The SUM-FOOD dialogue platform has given rise, for example, to regular market dialogues with producers and procurers.

The Vienna Health Targets also include requirements for saving resources. Examples include optimised pharmaceutical provision and the synergies between climate protection and healthcare provision.

Key Vienna objectives for saving resources in everyday life: