Circular Futures was launched in March 2018 at the House of the European Union in Vienna. Representatives from the EU, Austria and other EU Member States (Netherlands, Finland, Scotland, Slovenia) discussed opportunities and challenges for the transition to a circular economy in Austria. The enormous interest in this event exceeded all expectations and underscored both the importance of the topic and the need for an institution that galvanizes interest and developments in Austria. Planned and calculated with 150 participants, the event was booked out within a few hours. In total 221 attendees from business, politics, administration, science and NGOs participated in the launch of Circular Futures.

Through the interaction and the ongoing exchange among the project partners (Umweltdachverband, European Environmental Bureau, RepaNet and VABÖ) and circular economy experts as well as additional desktop research on circular economy, Circular Futures has built important expertise and a valuable national and European network.

As a central networking and information platform, the Circular Futures online platform:

• increases visibility of diverse stakeholders’ work (case studies, best practice examples, publications);
• promotes networking activities, and informs about topical political initiatives and developments;
• lays down an important cornerstone providing the Austrian circular economy community with relevant informatio

The platform also provides fact sheets on subjects relevant to the circular economy (Nutrient Recovery and Reuse in Farming, Recycling Incineration and Landfill, Waste Prevention, Durability of Products, Economic Instruments for a Circular Economy, Product Design, Hazardous Substances, Measuring and Monitoring Resource Efficiency).

The established main thematic areas of Circular Futures for the period fall 2017 - spring 2019 are:

• Bio-economy
• Plastics, including a design thinking workshop held 03 October 2018
• Product Policy: Eco-innovation, Eco-design, Eco-labelling, Repair, Reuse, Recycling.