3.3 Focal points for Vienna’s circular economy
The City of Vienna pursues three fundamental priorities for circular economic activity across all sectors.
- Markets, companies and cooperation in the circular economy
- Innovation for the circular economy
- Awareness and skills for the circular economy
Markets, companies and cooperation in the circular economy
To guide the economy towards a resource-saving future, the City relies on circular-oriented public procurement, the promotion of and advisory services for companies in the ecological transformation of production processes, and on paving the way for new business models. For joint success, it is crucial that the metropolitan region works together and that Vienna anticipates and actively shapes logistical challenges.
BEST PRACTICE
ÖkoKauf Wien (Vienna’s sustainable procurement programme)
Since 1998, Municipal Department 22 – Environmental Protection (MA 22) has been implementing ÖkoKauf Wien, the City’s sustainable procurement programme. Its aim is to give preference, when awarding contracts, to environmentally friendly and resource-saving products and services – for example in construction, textiles, food, electrical appliances and furniture.
Vienna Standard Luminaire
Municipal Department 33 – Vienna Public Lighting (MA 33 – Wien leuchtet) has developed an exceptionally maintenance-friendly and flexible street luminaire: the so-called Vienna Standard Luminaire. It permits the use of different LED modules from various manufacturers within a single luminaire housing. The system is specially designed to meet the requirements of a large city such as Vienna.
Kreative Räume Wien – service for activating vacant spaces and interim use
Kreative Räume Wien is a service for activating vacant spaces and has been working since 2016 on the use of space for culture, social initiatives, the creative industries and neighbourhood work. Acting on behalf of the City of Vienna, the service supports people seeking space, advises property owners and accompanies projects.
Lever 1: The City of Vienna as a guarantor of circular demand through public procurement
The City of Vienna, in its role as a public contracting authority, has a significant lever for stimulating the economy through the substantial demand generated by public procurement. Year after year, it purchases products and services of all kinds worth several billion euros: planning services, construction services, food, textiles, cleaning agents, detergents, disinfectants, office supplies, furnishings, electrical and electronic equipment, and much more.
With ÖkoKauf Wien, the City has had a well-established programme for ecological procurement for many years. It already contains a range of measures for saving resources and for the circular economy and is to be further expanded in this respect.
Our activities
- Saving resources before procurement: The review of the 10-R principles becomes standard before every procurement process. Possible measures range from planning the procurement of circular products or planning services, to passing on products within the organisation, through to refraining from procurement through more efficient use and sufficiency (see also Chapter 5).
- Targeted use of procurement procedures: Instruments such as negotiated procedures, alternative and variant tenders, innovation partnerships or competitive dialogues are applied as required in order to create incentives for companies to offer circular-ready products and services.
- Circular criteria: Service descriptions, technical specifications, performance conditions as well as suitability, selection and award criteria are reviewed in line with the 10-R principles, in a straightforward manner. In doing so, existing systems are taken into account - for example, in new construction and refurbishment, the Circularity Factor for Vienna and the EU Taxonomy. These criteria are also extended to product groups not yet covered.
- Joint procurement: Cross-departmental cooperation among municipal departments and organisational units is strengthened wherever possible. This applies in particular to product groups where centralised ecological procurement does not conflict with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises or regional value creation.
- Support for procurers: Checklists, guidelines, procurement-relevant product databases, as well as training and networking opportunities for procurers, are further developed and established across the City of Vienna, its undertakings and its companies.
- Monitoring: Data on procurement processes (for example environmental impact, life-cycle assessments, procurement volumes) are collected, processed and used by all organisational units of the City of Vienna to further develop the ÖkoKauf Wien programme.
Lever 2: Circular processes and products as a competitive advantage
For a circular Vienna, companies based in the city need to align their activities with economic, environmental and social objectives. In the interplay between the City administration and the business sector, the aim is to advance the circular economy in a targeted manner within the framework of their shared interfaces (regulatory instruments, land and infrastructure, innovative ecosystems and financing).
Our activities
- City-owned companies with strong capacity to shape developments: The Wiener Stadtwerke Group and Wien Holding use their coordinating role to develop cooperative, group-wide circular-economy strategies that are linked with decarbonisation plans and sustainability reporting.
- The City as an enabler: The City’s city-owned companies act as pioneers of the circular transformation. They develop, test and implement suitable procedures, technologies and solutions at an early stage wherever this is technically, legally and economically feasible.
- Repair Bonus and Vienna Bonus: Existing initiatives such as the Vienna Repair Bonus and the Vienna Bonus, which strengthen local services and regional procurement, are evaluated and adjusted as required.
- Supported innovation and business advisory services: The City of Vienna supports companies in transitioning to circular products and business models. Working in close coordination, OekoBusiness Wien and the Vienna Business Agency provide companies with information, services, funding and infrastructure to support their concrete steps towards the circular economy.
- Adapting regulatory frameworks: Guidelines and regulations (e.g. the Trade Regulation Act) are examined and further developed with regard to potential barriers to the circular economy (see also Chapter 5).
Lever 3: Markets, logistics and cooperation for resource exchange in the Vienna metropolitan region
At present, there is only limited supply and weakly developed markets for used goods, secondary raw materials and reusable materials. For this reason, establishing and strengthening such markets is essential. This requires stimulating market activity and promoting, developing and building self-sustaining structures. A location policy that takes production and logistics across the entire metropolitan region into account (for example for food and construction materials) can foster economically viable cooperation and resource exchange between regions, sectors and industries.
Multimodal hubs such as the Port of Vienna play a central role in building an efficient circular-economy market. Existing sites and infrastructure can be purposefully used and further developed for secondary-material logistics, handling of excavated material, or circular freight transport, as well as for innovative logistics concepts.
During the establishment phase of circular markets, analysing potential, sector-specific characteristics and challenges, as well as cooperative operating models, is a crucial prerequisite. A holistic ecosystem from the outset – one that involves all stakeholders relevant to recycling and the reuse market, makes consistent use of digital possibilities and integrates efficient, target-group-oriented logistics solutions – is key to success.
Our activities
- Foundational work on material flows: The City supports studies on the urban and regional economic status quo and on the potential for circular flows of goods and materials within the region, as well as on exchange relationships with other regions. This includes, among other things, volumes, qualities, waste shares and the need for logistics space (see also Chapter 2).
- Cooperation for increased regional independence: Strategic guidelines for economic cooperation and targeted networking formats on the circular economy in the Vienna metropolitan region are developed in cooperation with existing networks (e.g. Stadt-Umland-Management, waste associations) (https://www.wien.gv.at/pdf/ma18/wien-plan.pdf, accessed 2 July 2025).
- Organisational models for resource exchange: The City supports the development of circular-oriented marketplaces and the associated logistics and helps shape market activity in Vienna (e.g. through consulting, pilot projects, participation).
- Sharing and joint use: Sharing offerings are supported in suitable fields of application, where operated by private providers, and based on demand.
Innovation for the circular economy
Working hand in hand with a strong City administration and high-performing City-owned companies, key stakeholders in research and the economy are driving forward innovations for the circular economy. Co-creation and participation support the practical development and implementation of new technical solutions for saving resources and for the circular economy.
The themes of saving resources and of the circular economy complement the City of Vienna’s existing innovation funding instruments. Together with federal funding instruments, they are expanding Vienna’s innovation potential for circular economic practices.
BEST PRACTICE
Vienna Planet Fund
Through the Vienna Planet Fund, the Vienna Business Agency supports innovative companies and founders in implementing climate-friendly and resource-saving projects in Vienna. Funding is provided, for example, for investments, training and qualification measures, as well as consulting and development services for implementation.
Climate Lab
The Climate Lab develops cooperation programmes, creates space for exploration and builds a cross-sectoral community for the circular economy. It initiates cooperation between companies and public administration, offers programmes for promising start-ups and scale-ups across Europe, and provides opportunities for networking.
thinkport VIENNA innovation lab
The innovation lab supports sustainable logistics solutions that address the challenges of the circular city and develop comprehensive, long-term responses. The lab serves as a neutral, objective and expert point of contact for all matters relating to freight logistics in the City of Vienna and thus provides important support for the circular economy.
Lever 4: Innovation support and advisory services for circular business models
Supporting new business models for circular products and services is an important component for the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy. In addition to ensuring the careful use of natural resources, new value-creation opportunities also arise for companies - for example through product-as-a-service offerings or through the continued use of secondary resources.
Key activities in this field include funding instruments and advisory services. Innovation support for circular business models increases regional value creation, generates jobs and strengthens Vienna’s research and development capacities.
Our activities
- Funding and advice on new business models: The development of new products and services that pave the way towards a zero-waste economy is supported by the Vienna Business Agency. Advisory services such as OekoBusiness Vienna are being further developed and expanded to include future issues of the circular economy as well as the development of product-as-a-service models for shared use, rental, leasing or contracting instead of purchase.
- Integrated development projects: The City of Vienna supports companies based in Vienna and research, technology and innovation (RTI) institutions in acquiring and participating in national and international development projects on the circular economy that take integrated and holistic approaches (for example to preserve the existing building stock from the interwar and post-war periods).
- Cooperation with higher education institutions: The City of Vienna cooperates with higher-education institutions based in Vienna, universities, universities of applied sciences and research organisations, as well as with the creative industries, in planning and steering the transformation towards a circular economy (for example building on the City of Vienna Endowed Professorship for Circular Economy and Transformative Business Models - Stadt Wien Stiftungsprofessur für Kreislaufwirtschaft und transformative Geschäftsmodelle).
Lever 5: Co-creation as a basis for accelerating the transition to the circular economy
A closer interaction between research, companies, the City administration, organisations and the general population in developing solutions for saving resources is intended to support the speed of implementation of circular solutions “made in Vienna”. Parallel processes and fragmented responsibilities can, for example, significantly impede investment and resource efficiency.
Our activities
- Co-creation for new ideas and products: The City fosters interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral structures for the development of circular solutions (for example Biofabrique Vienna).
- Public–private collaboration: Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration between the City and companies will increasingly be used in the development of projects, guidelines, ordinances, legislation and funding regulations (for example adapting construction standards).
- Places of co-creation: New initiatives and formats of collaboration between educational and training institutions, repair businesses, maker spaces*, youth centres, leisure facilities and others will be supported in integrating circular-economy priorities (see also Chapter 4).
*Maker spaces are open, shared workshops and often networking locations (incubators) for technology-oriented start-ups. Their offering consists of technical infrastructure (machinery and tools), contacts with the business community and funding bodies, and know-how for business creation.
Lever 6: Research translation and scaling for a circular Vienna
Research and development on societal, technical and economic solutions for saving resources and for the circular economy should take place with the involvement of users, the City administration and companies. The aim is the rapid translation of scientific results into users’ processes and their rapid, broad application.
Innovative process and product developments that take potential business models into account from the outset are essential prerequisites for successful solutions. Innovation-promoting legal frameworks are indispensable for many circular-economy solutions.
Our activities
- Tailor-made facilities: Networking spaces (incubators) and technology-transfer centres are supported to foster the entrepreneurial development (spin-offs) of research institutions and start-ups.
- Testing and piloting: The City works with actors from universities and companies on the systematic use of application cases as living labs, regulatory sandboxes and real-world laboratories for pilot applications of the circular economy (for example RENOWAVE and “Digital findet Stadt”; see also Chapter 5).
- Knowledge transfer: The City of Vienna supports the transfer of circular-economy research needs and research results between researchers, students, the City administration and companies.
- System- and location-relevant sectors and technologies: Market analyses and assessments of potential to strengthen resilience to global developments – such as the availability of rare earths and other critical raw materials, food supply, and electric-vehicle batteries – are supported.
- Investors: The attention of potential funding bodies and investors is directed towards circular-economy innovations, with their efforts bundled and channelled.
Awareness and skills for the circular economy
Creative approaches to information, communication and outreach can convey the significance and appeal of the circular economy to broad segments of society as well as to specific target groups. Circular action requires a comprehensive further development of our learning and training programmes. A wide range of offerings addresses broad sections of the population as well as specialist training priorities and professional groups along the entire value chain.
BEST PRACTICE
Urban Living Lab – Circular Construction Vienna
The Urban Living Lab – Circular Construction Vienna is a real-world laboratory initiated within the framework of the DoTank Circular City Wien 2020–2030 programme by the Executive Office for Construction and Technology and supported by the City of Vienna’s innovation management, Municipal Department 23 – Economic Affairs, Labour and Statistics. Its goal is to develop concrete approaches for circular planning and construction in Vienna through close cooperation between academia, business and public administration.
In 2024 and 2025, practical questions of circular construction were jointly explored in dialogue- and experiment-based formats, theory and practice were linked, and needs for adjustments to circular framework conditions were identified.
Re:Form
Re:Form is a joint project by OekoBusiness Vienna and VIENNA DESIGN WEEK that showcases new pathways for sustainable business practices. In interdisciplinary teams, companies, designers and consultants work together on innovative solutions – ranging from resource-saving products to new approaches in communication and organisational culture.
Lever 7: Information and communication for saving resources and for the circular economy
Acceptance, awareness-raising and information are essential democratic foundations for all measures of the circular economy. All actors involved - from experts in public administration, business, academia and politics through to the general population - need to develop a shared understanding of the goals and challenges. Projects designed for circularity must demonstrate the appeal of their processes and results across media. Advertising for resource-intensive consumption likewise needs to be questioned and curtailed.
This requires tailored communication and facilitation services that address the breadth of topics relevant to circular Vienna. Clear messages support understanding and identification with the subject and convey a basic grasp of complex interrelationships and practical solutions.
Our activities
- Multimodal, target-group-specific communication channels and public outreach: Accessible, multimedia communication on the circular economy for diverse target groups - for example on websites, social media, in newsletters and print media, and through telephone advisory services, interactive formats (such as the participation platform “Wien mitgestalten”) and events organised by the City of Vienna - is being expanded (https://www.mitgestalten.wien.gv.at/de-DE/, accessed on 21 July 2025).
- Broad partnerships and innovative formats: The City of Vienna works with academia, education and facilitation organisations, civil-society actors, the creative industries in Vienna and waff on the development, planning and implementation of awareness-raising, participation and communication measures for saving resources (for example Urban Living Lab – Zirkuläres Bauen Wien; Wiener Forschungsfest, the Vienna Research Festival).
- Online information: Existing information and formats are being further developed and expanded to communicate the key steps in the transition to a circular economy (for example VIE.CYCLE for circular construction or Wien isst G.U.T., the City’s food initiative) (https://www.viecycle.wien.gv.at, accessed on 21 July 2025).
- Attractive competence development: Education and outreach programmes are being further developed so that the principles of the circular economy become an integral component - in close cooperation with partners such as the Education Directorate Vienna (Bildungsdirektion für Wien), Klima-Campus Wien, the Education Lab and SchoolFood4Change.
- Awareness-raising for City staff: As part of internal communication and networking (Wiener Klimanetzwerk) and the PUMA programme, activities to raise awareness among City administration employees concerning waste prevention and saving resources are being continued.
Lever 8: Skills and competences for saving resources and the circular economy
There is already a general need for qualified professionals, as well as for the organisational conditions needed to establish the circular economy. In a circular economy that is strongly oriented towards the service sector, fair working conditions and qualified specialists are needed, including in crafts, digitalisation and assessment sectors. Some repair sectors are currently experiencing a shortage of young skilled workers. Moreover, a circularly oriented economy can also serve as an impetus for upskilling.
Our activities
- City-level qualification measures: The provision of content and the development of competences in the fields of saving resources and of the circular economy are integrated into the City administration on a needs-based basis. This includes, for example, the application of the 10-R principles in funding and advisory bodies, integrating the topic into staff development in departments, and embedding it in the training and continuing-education programmes of the Wien-Akademie as well as in apprenticeship training.
- Cooperation with socio-economic enterprises: Existing socio-economic initiatives (for example Re-Use Austria) that support initial and advanced training in the crafts and repair sectors for labour-market disadvantaged groups are supported.
- Vienna as a city of crafts and repair: The knowledge base on labour-market potential and qualification gaps is being improved, including through periodic surveys, market analyses and potential studies. Particular emphasis is placed on expanding circular-economy competences at low, medium and high qualification levels; existing qualification levels are being expanded (for example waste officers).
- Quality and marketing initiative for new partial trades: New partial trades relevant to the circular economy (for example repair) - as well as the reduction of entry barriers and the shortening of training periods through partial-qualification options provided by the federal government and the business community - are supported through joint marketing.
Lever 9: Vienna’s creative industries in the context of the circular economy
Vienna’s creative industries play an important role in shaping positive visions of the future at three levels: in the fundamental translation and communication of circular-economy themes into practice, in the development and design of products, and within their own autonomous working contexts (“circular creation”). The thematic range is broad: in the fields of design and fashion, digitalisation and multimedia, film, music and art, knowledge and cultural communication through to interior design, social design, architecture and media, a wide range of committed individuals, companies and organisations are engaged.
Activities should build on existing formats and networks already in place. Together with Vienna Tourism, work can be undertaken to develop new narratives that build on thematically relevant communication priorities, such as “Vienna as a City of Innovation” or “Vienna as a Circular Culture Hub”.
Our activities
- Excellent cultural-communication formats: Climate and the circular economy are being strengthened as internationally recognisable Vienna priorities in cultural communication (for example Klima Biennale Wien).
- Planning reliability: The relevant specialist departments of the City of Vienna are examining how to align long-term priority programmes - for example in design, fashion, furniture, architecture and product development - with saving resources and with the circular economy.
- Communication through art and culture: Existing potential in multimedia, digitalisation and media is being activated and used to develop attractive communication formats.
- Cultural funding: Cooperation with cultural institutions is being further developed by incorporating circular-economy themes into funding guidelines and quality standards.
“The Vienna Culture Strategy 2030 makes clear: ecological and social sustainability have long been integral components of Vienna’s cultural policy. Whether through the support of targeted artistic initiatives, reuse concepts for existing infrastructure or sustainable renovation and revitalisation projects - art and culture create spaces for coming together and inspire new ecological ways of thinking and acting. The City of Vienna’s cultural-policy measures actively contribute to making environmentally sustainable action a lived practice.”
Mag.a Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Executive City Councillor for Culture and Science (Copyright: Katarina Šoškić)