Eco-innovationinAustria

EIOCountryProfile

2014-2015

Eco-InnovationObservatory

TheEco-InnovationObservatoryfunctionsasaplatformforthestructuredcollectionandanalysis

ofanextensiverangeofeco-innovationinformation,gatheredfromacrosstheEuropeanUnionandkeyeconomic regionsaround theglobe,providingamuch-needed integrated informationsourceoneco-innovationforcompaniesandinnovationserviceproviders,aswellasprovidingasoliddecision-makingbasisforpolicydevelopment.

TheObservatoryapproacheseco-innovationasapersuasivephenomenonpresentinalleconomicsectorsandthereforerelevantforalltypesofinnovation,definingeco-innovationas:

“Eco-innovation isany innovationthatreducestheuseofnaturalresourcesanddecreasesthereleaseofharmfulsubstancesacrossthewholelife-cycle”.

Tofindoutmore,visitwww.eco-innovation.euandec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap

Any views or opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do notnecessarilyreflectthepositionoftheEuropeanCommission.

Eco-InnovationObservatoryCountryProfile2014-2015:Austria

Author:StefanGiljum

Coordinatoroftheworkpackage:TechnopolisGroupBelgium

Acknowledgments

Thedocumenthasbeenpreparedwiththekindsupportofthefollowingexperts:- Mrs.BirgitHorvath,FederalMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWater

Management- Mrs.CarolineVogl-Lang,FederalMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,Environmentand

WaterManagement- Mr.HaraldGrill,AustrianChamberofCommerce(WKÖ)

AnotetoReaders

Any views or opinions expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do notnecessarilyreflectthepositionoftheEuropeanUnion.Anumberofcompaniesarepresentedasillustrativeexamplesofeco-innovationinthisreport.TheEIOdoesnotendorsethesecompaniesandisnotanexhaustivesourceofinformationoninnovationatthecompanylevel.

This brief is available for downloaded fromhttps://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap/austria

Tableofcontents

Summary.......................................................................................................................1

Introduction...................................................................................................................2

1 |Eco-innovationperformance........................................................................3

2 |Selectedcirculareconomyandeco-innovationareasandnewtrends..........5

3 |Barriersanddriversforcirculareconomyandeco-innovationinAustria......7

4 |Policylandscape:towardscirculareconomyinAustria.................................9

ANNEX:Policymeasuresaddressingcirculareconomyandeco-innovationsinAustria..14

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Summary

Austriaisasmallandopeneconomywithastrongexportorientation.EnvironmentaltechnologysectorsareaparticularlydynamicpartoftheAustrianeconomyandoneofthedriversofexport-oriented growth, performing significantly stronger compared to the overall economy since thefinancialcrisisin2008.Austriahasahighenvironmentalperformanceinmanyareas,suchaswaterquality, waste management, organic farming and nature protection. At the same time it facesenvironmentalpolicychallenges,mostimportantly,regardingclimatepolicyandairpollution.

Austriancompanieshaveestablishedaninternationallyleadingpositioninseveralgreentechnologymarkets. Clean energy technologies, most importantly, heat generation through thermal solarsystemsandheatpumps,heatstoragesystemsandsmartelectricitygrids,butalsotechnologiesfortheenergeticuseofbiomassaredriversofeco-innovationinAustria.Austriaalsocontinuestobeina leading position inecological construction in general and in the technology of passive housebuildinginparticular.Smartandintermodal(electrical)mobilitymanagementisanotherupcomingeco-innovationarea.WithitslongtraditionandhighestrecyclingratesintheEU,AustrianrecyclingindustriesarewellpositionedtoplayakeyroleinthefuturetransformationofAustriatowardsacirculareconomy.

Apart fromthewell-established, fast-growingand innovativeenvironmental technologiessector,the main drivers of eco-innovation in Austria are the high environmental standards, well-functioning environmental protection laws and various environment-related financial incentivesofferedbythestate.Asthemainbarrierstoeco-innovationactivities,issuessuchasthesmall-scale,SME-dominatedsupplierstructureoftheenvironmentaltechnologiesindustrymustbeemphasised,whichstructurallylimitsthefinancialandhumanresourcesthatcanbeinvestedintoresearchanddevelopment (R&D)activities.Otherbarriersare the low interconnectednessofplayers, suchascompanies and regional clusters, as well as the weak domestic market for environmentaltechnologies.

Withatotalscoreof108intheoverallEco-InnovationScoreboard(Eco-IS)2015,Austriarankedeighth in the list of EU countries, locatedbetween France and Spain and slightly above the EUaverage.Intwoofthefivecomponents(eco-innovationinputsandresource-efficiencyoutcomes),Austria’sperformance isveryclose to theEuropeanaverageperformance,whileperformance isaboveEUaverage regardingeco-innovationactivitiesandoutputs,andbelowEUaverage in thecomponentofsocio-economicoutcomes.

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Introduction

Austria is a small andopeneconomywitha strongexportorientation. Exportsofproducts andservices contributed more than 53% of Austria’s GDP in 2014, up from 35% in 1995. Austria’seconomy is characterised by a large service sector – consisting mainly of trade and transportservices,healthcare,socialservicesandtourism–whichaccountedformorethan70%ofGDPin2014.Austriaalsohasasoundindustrialsector,withmachineryandvehicles,metals,chemicals,andwoodandpaperproductsasmainindustries,andasmall,buthighlydevelopedagriculturalsector.

Environmentalgoodsandservices,ofwhichenvironmentaltechnologiesformonecorepart,areaparticularlydynamicareaoftheAustrianeconomy.In2014,theenvironmentalsectorgenerated€35.4billion turnoverandemployed182,000people.Trends in theenvironmental sectorclearlypointupwardinrecentyears.While intheoverallAustrianeconomy,employmentgrewby1.9%between2008and2014,theincreasewas8.4%intheenvironmentalsector.Growthinturnover(14%)wasslightlyhigherthantheoverallgrowthofGDP(12.8%)(StatistikAustria,2016).Austrianenvironmental technology sectors are highly export-oriented, with an average export share ofaround 65%. The environmental technology sectors are also significantlymore knowledge- andinnovation-intensive compared to the average Austrianmanufacturing industries, making theseindustriesadriverofAustrianeconomicgrowth(WIFO,2013).

Austria has a high environmental performance in many areas, such as water quality, wastemanagement, organic farming and nature protection (OECD, 2013). In a recent “SustainabilityContest2015”ofEUcountries,performedbytheAustrianChamberofCommerce(WKÖ)inwhich58 environmental indicators – mainly from EUROSTAT – were considered, Austria ranked thirdamongallEUcountries,behindSwedenandDenmark(WKÖ,2015).ItisincreasinglyrecognisedthatbeingabletoprovideahealthyenvironmentisbecominganimportantfactorforforeigninvestorsinAustria.

Emissionsofgreenhousegaseshavebeenreducedsignificantlyinthepastfewyears,partlyduetofavourableweatherconditions,inparticularmildwinters.Emissionsin2014werebelow1990levels.However, in order to achieve the2020 targets, the implementationof further energy efficiencymeasuresandfurtherpromotionoftheuseofrenewableenergysourceswillbeakeyrequirement.Austriaalsofacesotherimportantenvironmentalpolicychallenges.Withregardtoairpollution,forexample,emissionsofparticulatematterandnitrogenoxides–particularlythroughtransport–areinmanyareasabovethelevelsallowedunderEuropeanUnionregulations.Inaddition,manyspecies and several habitats are in a precarious situation, as areas for human settlement andtransportareascontinuetoexpand(UBA,2013).

ThestructureoftheAustrianbusinesssectorcreatesparticularchallengesforhighengagementineco-innovation and circular economy activities: 99.7% of all Austrian companies are small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A lack of financial and personnel resources to invest in eco-innovation-related research and development (R&D) is generally regarded as the number onebarrier (see Section 3 below). Barriers to eco-innovation also exist through low integration ofvariousinitiativesandpolicymeasuresimplementedacrossanumberofgovernmentalinstitutionsinto a coordinated eco-innovation policy plan. So far, only a small number of policy activitiesexplicitlyaddresscirculareconomyissues.

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1 |Eco-innovationperformance

Theanalysis inthissection isbasedontheEU-28Eco-innovationscoreboard(Eco-IS) fortheyear2015. ViaitscompositeEco-innovationindex,producedbytheEco-InnovationObservatory(EIO),Eco-ISdemonstratestheeco-innovationperformanceofacountrycomparedwiththeEUaverageandwiththeEUtopperformers.Eco-ISisbasedon16indicators,aggregatedintofivecomponents:eco-innovationinputs,activitiesandoutputs,environmentalandsocio-economicoutcomes.

In the Eco-Innovation Scoreboard (Eco-IS) for the year 2015, produced by the Eco-InnovationObservatory(EIO),AustriarankedeighthamongallEU-28countries,withascoreof108,andwaslocatedbetweenFranceandSpain(seeFigure1).ComparedwiththeEco-ISusedinthelastcountryprofilefrom2013,Austriathusimproveditsrankingbyoneplace.

Figure1:EU-28Eco-InnovationScoreboard2015,compositeindex

Source:EIO,2016

Figure2belowzoomsintotheaggregatedscoreboardindexandillustratesAustria’sperformanceinthefivescoreboardcomponentscomparedtotheEUaverage.Asimilarperformancepatternasobservedinpreviousversionsofthescoreboardcanbeobserved.Intwoofthefivecomponents(eco-innovation inputsand resource-efficiencyoutcomes),Austria’sperformance isveryclose tothe European average performance, while performance is above EU average regarding eco-innovation activities and outputs, and below EU average in the component of socio-economicoutcomes.

Thecomponentofeco-innovation inputs(totalAustrianscoreof98)consistsofthree indicators.Despitetheimplementationofvariousresearchprogrammes(seeSection4below),with0.03%ofGDP,overallgovernmentR&DoutlaysintheareaofenvironmentandenergywasbelowtheEUaverage in Austria in 2014 and less than half compared to the leading countries Finland andGermany,with0.1and0.07%respectively.TotalR&DpersonnelandresearchersishigherthanEU

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average, comprising 1.63% of Austrian employees in 2014. Total value of green early-stageinvestmentswasaround€61percapitaintheperiodof2013-2015,resultinginascoreof74.

Withascoreof126,Austria’saggregatedperformanceinthecomponentofeco-innovationactivitieswasabovetheEUaverage.ThetwoindicatorsbasedonEurostat’sCommunityInnovationSurvey(CIS) questionnaire with regard to firms having implemented innovation activities aiming at areductionofmaterialandenergyinputperunitoutput,Austria’sperformancewasrelativelystrong(scores of 156 and 161 respectively). As in previous scoreboards, Austria’s performance wascomparatively low (score of 62) regarding ISO 14001 certifications, mainly because Austrianorganisationsmoreoften implementtheEUEco-ManagementandAuditScheme(EMAS)systemratherthanISO.

Figure2.2:Componentsoftheeco-innovationcompositeindexforAustria,2015

Source:EIO,2016

Thecomponentofeco-innovationoutputs is theoneyielding thehighestoverall score (136) forAustria.Thehighscoreisontheonehanddeterminedbyanoutstandingperformanceregardingthe eco-innovation-related patent indicator, where 251 eco-innovation-related patents wereregisteredin2012.Inaddition,with208publicationsin2014,theperformanceinpublicationsoneco-innovation issues is very high (score of 151). However, the indicator onmedia coverage isslightlybelowaverage(scoreof95).

With regard to the four resource efficiency indicators, Austria’s average performance is slightlyabove EU average (score of 107).Water productivity, energy productivity and greenhouse gas(GHG)emissionsintensityallhavescoresabovetheEUaverage,withscoresof120,106and122respectively.Ontheotherhand,with€1.54ofGDPgenerated foreachkilogrammeofDomesticMaterialConsumption(DMC),materialproductivityisratherlowcomparedtootherEUcountries,leadingtoascoreof80.Thislowperformanceisdue,inparticular,tothehighconsumptionoffossilfuelsandconstructionmineralsinAustria.

Withanaverage scoreof73, theAustrianperformance is comparatively lowwith regard to thecomponentofsocio-economicoutcomes.Austriascoreswellwithregardtotheindicatorexportsfromeco-innovationindustries(morethan€1billionofeco-industryexportsin2014).Thisresultsupportsthesuccessofthevariousexport-relatedinitiativesinenvironmentalareas(seeSection4

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below).However,scoresregardingtheindicatorsonemploymentandturnoverineco-industriesarelow(68and33respectively).Thus,comparedtotheoveralleconomicstructureoftheAustrianeconomy,eco-industriesstillplayarelativelyminorrole.

2 |Selectedcirculareconomyandeco-innovationareasandnewtrends

Asurveyamongmorethan100Austrianenterprisesactiveoneco-innovationactivities revealedthatmore than85%of recent eco-innovations inAustriawere realised in three thematic areas:energy(42%ofalleco-innovativeproducts),construction(27%)andmobility(17%)(IHS,2014).Inadditiontothesethreethematicareas,thewastemanagementandrecyclingsectortraditionallyisaveryimportantenvironmentalsectorintheAustrianeconomy.

Cleanenergytechnologiesaretheleadingeco-innovationfieldofAustriancompanies.Withashareof32.5%in2013,Austriahadaveryhighshareofrenewableenergyintotalenergyconsumptioncompared to other EU countries (BMWFW, 2015), and which should increase to 34% by 2020,following the EU Renewable Energy Directive. In the area of clean energy technologies, heatgeneration through thermal solar systems and heat pumps are the market-leading products,followedbyheatstoragesystemsandsmartelectricitygrids(IHS,2014).Austriancompanieshavesignificantlyprofitedfromrecentdevelopmentsoninternationalmarkets,inparticularinGermany,where Austrian industries serve as important suppliers for the rapidly expanding Germanphotovoltaicandwindpowersectors.Anotherenergy-relatedarea,whereAustriancompanieshavebuilt-upleadinginternationalrecognitionistheuseofbiomassforheatandelectricitygeneration.This market segment is also heavily oriented towards exports: for example, two-thirds of allbiomass-basedcombustionplantsinstalledinGermanyareofAustrianorigin(ABA,2015).

Austriacontinuestobeinaleadingworldwidepositioninecologicalconstructioningeneralandinthetechnologyofpassivehousebuildinginparticular.Thepassivehouseconceptisnotrestrictedtonewbuildingsbutcanalsobeappliedtorefurbishments.Sincethemid-1990s,passivehousesandbuildingshaveattaineda25%marketshareintheconstructionofnewbuildingsinAustria(IGPassivhaus,2011).Severalresearchanddevelopmentprogrammes,suchas“climateactive”bytheMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWaterManagement(BMLFUW)and“Houseofthefuture”bytheMinistryofTransport,InnovationandTechnology(BMVIT)concentrateonissuesrelatedtoconstructionandhousing(seeSection4below).Thelargestfuturemarketpotentialforeco-innovationsinthissectorcanbeexpectedintheareasofbuilding-relatedcontroltechniques(forexample,airventilationsystems),heatingsystems(forexample,woodpelletsheatingsystems)andbearingstructures(forexample,fromrecycledmaterialsorwood)(IHS,2014).

Mobilityisanupcomingareaforeco-innovationinAustria,inparticularinareasrelatedtoelectricalengine and driving technologies as well as regarding new mobility management concepts andmobilityinfrastructure.Expertsassumethataparticularlyfast-growingareawillbeintelligent,inter-modal mobility concepts, driven and coordinated by new information and communicationtechnologies(ICTs)(IHS,2014).

Waste management and recycling is another eco-innovation-related area, in which Austriancompanies havemore than 30 years of experience and technological know-how. Based on thehighestrecyclingratesthroughoutEurope,recyclinginnovationsfromAustriaareverypopularand

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often holistic systems solutions, for instance, systems developed for treating, collecting andrecycling waste, high-level logistics, or the development of regional waste management plans.AustrianrecyclingindustriesarethereforewellpositionedtoplayakeyroleinthetransformationofAustriatowardsacirculareconomy.

Holismarket

Holisisderivedfrom“holistic”andisaninnovativeconceptforanewgenerationoffoodretailmarkets,combiningaradicalzero-waste foodpackagingphilosophywith initiatives to raisepublicawareness and information with regard to diet change. Allproducts in the Holis market are sold without packaging, i.e.costumersbringtheirownbinsorbuyfoodinreturnablebowls.Holisprovidesready-madefoodpackagesforvegetarianorveganrecipeswithorganicingredientsfromregionalsourcestoprepareathome,oralternativelyofferssnacksdirectlyinthemarket.Intheevenings,cookingcoursescanbebookedatHolis.

Holismarket received the2015AustrianNationalCleanTechnologyAward in the categoryofstart-ups focusingon resourceefficiency.So far,Holishasonlyonebranch in thecityof Linz.However,themarkethasreceivedwidemediaattentionacrossAustriaandanotherzerowastemarkethasopenedinVienna.

Keywords:zero-wastefoodretailer;organicandregionalfood;zeropackaging

Internetlink:http://holis-market.at/

Hydroconnect

The double hydropower screw developed byHydroconnect allows the combination of small-scalehydropowergenerationwithinjury-freefishmigration,aswellas themovementofmicroorganismsandsedimentpast transversestructures.The innovative technology ischaracterised by a high energy efficiency (up to 70%electrical efficiency) even at low water levels. The thin hydropower screw requires only aminimumamountofconstructionworktobeinstalled,protectsriverbedsandcanbeintegratedinconspicuouslyintolandscapes.Asakeyfeature,Hydroconnect’sspeciallyshapeddoublescrewallows the passage of all common fish species, with 100% freedom from injury. This makesHydroconnect a fish-friendly and energy-efficient solution for complying with the EU WaterFrameworkDirective(WFD).

Hydroconnectreceivedthe2015AustrianNationalCleanTechnologyAwardinthecategoryofenvironment and climate. So far, two Hydroconnect projects are ongoing in two Austrianprovinces,butthetechnologycanbeappliedpotentiallyacrossEurope.

Keywords:hydro-powergeneration;fishmovements;WaterFrameworkDirective

Internetlink:www.hydroconnect.at

©holis-market.at

©hydroconnect.at

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Qando

Qando is a free app for mobile devices providing real-timeinformation on the schedules and routes of the Viennatransport authority (Wiener Linien) along with informationaboutVienna’smobilityinfrastructureandtouristattractions.The app contains schedule information for each publictransportrouteinthecity,andreal-timedeparturetimesforall tram and bus lines, as well as allowing the purchase ofpublic transport tickets via mobile phones. App users candeterminetheirpositionviatheglobalpositionsystem(GPS)forsatellite-basednavigationandletQandocalculatethefastestroutetoapre-defineddestination.

TheQuandoplatform isconstantlybeingupdatedand improved.Forexample,multi-modalitybetween different forms of transport is supported by integrating interactive maps, wherelocationsofcarsharingoptions(suchasZipCarorCar2Go)areshared,aswellasalinktothecity-bikesystem.

QandoisalsoavailableintheAustriancitiesofLinz,Graz,Salzburg,KlagenfurtandSt.Pölten.

Keywords:publictransport,real-timeinformation,inter-modaltransport

Internetlink:www.qando.at

3 |Barriersanddriversforcirculareconomyandeco-innovationinAustria

Anumberofspecificdriversof,andbarriersto,achievingacircularandeco-innovativeeconomycanbeobservedforthecaseofAustria.

Regarding drivers of eco-innovation activities, a survey conducted among 200 Austrian eco-innovativeentrepreneursrevealedthemostimportantdrivingforcesandframeworkconditionsforbusiness actors (Eurobarometer, 2011). According to this survey, the key drivers for high eco-innovationactivityinAustriaaretheavailabilityofsuitablebusinesspartners,potentialhighenergyprices in the future, expected limitations regarding access to raw materials, technological andmanagementskillsavailablewithinthecompanies,andaccesstorelevantknowledge(seealsoIHS,2014).

Regardinggeneraldrivingforcesinsupportofeco-innovationinAustria,severalissueshavealreadybeenhighlightedinpreviousEIOcountryreports,whichcontinuetohavehighrelevance:

• Well-established,fast-growingandinnovativeenvironmentaltechnologiessector.Asstatedintheintroductionchapterabove,Austriahasastrongenvironmentaltechnologiessectorthatischaracterisedbyhigherinnovationactivitiescomparedtomostothersectors.Mainreasonsarethatthissectorisverydynamicintermsoftechnologydevelopmentsandthatcompanies

©wienerlinien.at

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activeintheenvironmentalsectorgenerallyregardcontinuedhighlevelsofinnovationasakeyfactorformarketsuccess(WIFO,2013).AsAustriahasahighendowmentwithsomerenewableresources,suchastimber,specificleadershiproleshavebeendevelopedwithregardtocertaintechnologies,suchasbiomassconverters(seeSection2above).

• Highenvironmental standards. Fordecades,Austriahashadenvironmentalprotection lawsandfinancialincentivesofferedbythestateforthedevelopmentandapplicationofinnovativeenvironmentaltechnology,notleastduetothehighenvironmentalawarenessoftheAustrianpopulation. Besides national legislation, European climate, energy and other environmentaltargets to be implemented by allMember States are additional promoting factors for eco-innovationactivitiesinAustria.

• Significant increase in funding in the area of company-related research and technologydevelopment.Inrecentyears,traditionaltoolsandsubsidychannelshavebeensupplementedbycentresofcompetenceorexcellence,aswellasthematicprogrammesintheenvironmentaltechnologysector.Moreover,AustriancompaniesandresearchinstitutionsarewellintegratedintheEuropeanresearchandtechnologyprogrammes.Additionallytopublicfunding,whichhasseveralprogrammesfocussedoneco-innovationandresourceefficiencyissues(seeSection4below), in-houseR&Dand corporatemanagement (e.g. company-internal R&Defforts/plansand engaged leadership activities) are an important driver for innovation in Austria (OECD,2013).

However,actorsinAustriaalsofaceanumberof importantbarriers,severalofwhicharecloselyconnectedtothestructureoftheAustrianeconomyandbusinesssectors,suchasthefollowing:

• SME-type structureof the industry. The small-scale supplier structureof theenvironmentaltechnologiesindustryinAustriaisgenerallyregardedasakeybarrier,whichoftenpreventsastrategic handling of the market. Financial and human resources are limited in SMEs, thusstructurally restraining the efforts that can be invested into research and developmentactivities.Difficulttrade-offsareoftenbeingfacedregardingthespendingofscarceresourceseitherinR&Dorinproductionandplanning(IHS,2014).Thisdeficitinfinancialcapacitiesalsoimpedes intensive internationalnetworkingor active involvement in joint tenders and risky,large-scale projects. The SME structure leads to a weak presence of Austrian companies ineconomicallyvibrantregionssuchastheBRICscountries(WIFO,2013),althoughtargetedpolicyactivitiesarebeingexecuted,inordertoincreaseAustria’spresenceinkeyemergingmarkets,suchasChina(seeSection4below).

• Lackinginterconnectednessofplayers.Anotheraspectrelatedtothesmall-scalestructureoftheAustrianeco-innovationsectoristhefactthattheinstitutionsandinstrumentsneededtocreatesynergiesbetweenenterprises,regionsandclustersareoftenmissing.Thereareseveralclusterswithparticulareco-innovationpotential inAustria, i.e.thecluster‘EcoWorldStyria’,the ‘ecoplus’ cluster of the Business Agency of Lower Austria or the ‘EnvironmentalTechnologies Cluster Upper Austria’. However, there is limited communication among theexistingnetworksandclusters,whichalsohindersthecreationofsharedR&Dinfrastructures.

• Weakdomesticeco-industrymarket.Withaveryhighexportorientationintheenvironmentaltechnologies sector (WIFO, 2013), Austria has developed a solid position on internationalmarkets,whichitaimstofurtherstrengthenwithvariousexport-orientedinitiatives(seeSection4below).However,thedomesticmarkethasdevelopedrelativelyslowlyinthepast10-15years,whichlimitsthepotentialgrowthofthissector.

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• Lackof a common circular economy initiative. In addition to the spread responsibilitywithregardtoeco-innovationinitiativesandpolicies,Austriahassofarnotdevelopedacoordinatedplan to tackle challenges related to a circular economy transition. The recently developedRESET2020initiative(seeSection4below)isoneofthefirstinitiativesthatexplicitlyputscirculareconomyprinciplesinthecentre.

AmongAustrianbusinessrepresentatives,mainbarriersemphasisedareadisproportionateriskforinvestmentsintonew,eco-innovativetechnologies,inadequateaccesstogovernmentaidandtaxincentives,missingfinancialcapacitiesandqualifiedpersonnel,andlimitedincentivesprovidedbycurrentregulatoryframeworks(IHS,2014).

4 |Policylandscape:towardscirculareconomyinAustria

InAustria,todate,nooverarchingeco-innovationorcirculareconomypolicyprogrammeexists.Still, a number ofmeasures and initiatives have been set up by different government bodies inrecentyearsrelatingtoeco-innovationand–toalimitedextent–tocirculareconomy.Themaininstitutions involved include the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and WaterManagement(BMLFUW),theMinistryofTransport,InnovationandTechnology(BMVIT),andtheMinistryofScience,ResearchandEconomy(BMWFW).Inaddition,otherorganisations,suchastheAustrianChamberof Commerce, play an important role in (co-)financing eco-innovation-relatedinitiatives.

While BMWFW is mainly responsible for basic research, BMVIT focuses on supporting appliedresearchandrunsanumberofdedicatedprogrammesrelatedtoeco-innovationinsupportofthesustainability-oriented transformation of the Austrian economy. BMVIT and BMWFW work onresearchandinnovationintheenterprisesectorandsupportinginstitutions,andBMLFUWhosts,amongothers,theAustrianclimateandenergyfund.Whileacknowledgingrecentefforts,theOECDhasnotedinitsenvironmentalreviewforAustria(OECD,2013)thatthisinstitutionalset-uprunstheriskofproducingsituationsinwhichministriestendto‘compete’fordominanceinspecificpolicyareas,thushinderingcoordinatedactionacrossallinvolvedplayers.

Overall,Austria’seco-innovationpoliciesarerepresentedbyamixoffirst-andsecond-generationpolicies, i.e. policieswitha strong focuson traditional, end-of-pipeenvironmental technologies,such as pollution management, as well as on energy and resource efficiency. Third generationpoliciesthatexplicitlysupportsystemicorradicaleco-innovationsarestilllargelyabsent.Annex1providesanoverviewoftheAustrianeco-innovationandcirculareconomy-relatedpolicylandscape.There are a range of supply and demand-side policy measures, but a supply-side policy focusprevails,especiallyintheareasofsupportforR&Dinpublicsectorandindustry,andnetworksandpartnerships.Todate,onlyaverysmallnumberofinitiativesandinstrumentsspecificallyaddressissuesrelatedtothetransitiontoacirculareconomy.

Policyprogrammesand initiativesdescribed indetail inpreviousEIOcountryprofiles forAustriawerestill inplacein2014and2015.Theseinitiatives includetheResourceEfficiencyActionPlan(REAP)coordinatedbytheBMLFUW,projectsfinancedbytheClimateandEnergyFund(KLIEN),andthe implementation of Master Plan Environmental Technologies (MUT). In addition, export-

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initiatives that foster the export of environmental technologies, such as the BMWFW’s exportinitiative “Go International” (www.go-international.at)working in cooperationwith theAustrianChamberofCommerce(WKÖ),continuetoplayanimportantrole.

Particularlyfortheyears2014and2015,thefollowinginitiativesandactivitiescanbehighlighted:

• Focus country “China” in the Austrian Export Initiative on Environmental Technologies(www.exportinitiative.at).Thisinitiativefortheenvironmentaltechnologysectors,foundedin2005 by the BMLFUW in cooperation with theWKÖ, supports Austrian companies in theirinternationalengagements.Themaintargetcountryintheyear2015–asinseveralpreviousyears – was China, with its rapidly growing demand for environmental technologies. ThreeregionalworkshopsinChinawereorganisedin2015(inHangzhou,ShanghaiandChengdu),inorder tosupportnationalandcompany-levelcooperation in theareasofenvironmentalandclimateprotection.

• ImplementationoftheMasterPlanonGreenJobs.Thismasterplan,launchedin2010bytheMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, aims to generate200,000greenjobsuntiltheyear2018.Intermediateachievementsoftheimplementationofthemasterplanwereevaluated in2014and2015.Theevaluationrevealedthatacontinuedpositivetrendcouldbeobservedinthepastfewyears.Sincetheeconomiccrisisin2008,bothturnoverandemploymentintheenvironmentalsectorshowedarounddoublethegrowthratesoftheAustrianeconomyonaverage.

• DevelopmentoftheinitiativeRESET2020–Resources.Efficiency.Technologies.TheMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWaterManagementdevelopedtheRESET2020initiativein2015,aimingat integratingresourceefficiency intheareasofenvironmental technologiesandsustainableproductionandconsumption.Theinitiative’sobjectiveistotriggercooperationandknowledgeexchangebetweenstakeholdersfrombusiness,publicadministration,academiaand civil society, and to provide knowledge on key areas of action to improve resourceefficiency. Optimising the non-energy use of natural resources in the context of a circulareconomy,andpromoting‘cascadicuse’,formsthethematiccentreofthis initiative.RegionalcirculareconomyinitiativesareonefocalareaoftheimplementationofRESET(seeBoxbelow).

• ResearchanddevelopmentprogrammeCityoftheFuture.Thisspecificprogramme,financedby the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology in the context of its broader‘ProgrammeonTechnologiesforSustainableDevelopment’,launcheditsfirstannualcallattheendof 2013,with two follow-up calls in 2014 and2015. TheCity of the Futureprogramme(https://www.ffg.at/stadt-der-zukunft-das-programm) aims at developing new technologies,new technological systemsandurban services in the fieldsofenergy-oriented cityplanning,modernisationandoptimisationofbuildings.Italsosupportsdemonstrationprojectsfornewurban settlement projects. Thereby, the programme aims to contribute to the urbanmodernisationofAustriancities,integratinghighresourceefficiencywithhighqualityoflifefortheresidents.

• “ClimateActive(klimaaktiv)”programme.Alsorelatedtothisthematicareaisthefocalarea“eco-efficientconstructionandhousing” in theClimateActiveprogrammeof theMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWaterManagement,aimingatmaximisingenergyandresource efficiency in the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existingstructures.A largenumberofneworupdatedcriteria catalogues fordifferent typesofnewbuildingswerepresented in2014andareavailableonline (http://www.klimaaktiv.at/bauen-sanieren/gebaeudedeklaration/kriterienkatalog.html).

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BestpracticesinAustrianregionalcirculareconomyinitiatives

In2015,theMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWaterManagement(BMLFUW)commissioned a study to the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) to compileexistingknowledgeonbest-practiceexamplesonregionalcirculareconomyinitiativesinAustria.Thestudywillbepublishedinsummer2016andaddressesquestionssuchas:Whichdriversandbarriersexisttoimplementregionalcirculareconomyinitiatives?Whichbest-practiceexamplesonthelocalandregionallevelcanbeidentifiedinAustria?Andwhichpolicyinstrumentssupporttheimplementationofregionalcirculareconomyinitiatives?

InAustria,severalregionaldevelopmentinitiativesarefoundedaroundtheprinciplesofacirculareconomy and energy autonomy. These include, among others, the Styrian Volcano Land(www.vulkanland.at),theEuropeanCentreforRenewableEnergyinGüssing(http://www.eee-info.net/cms),theBioRegionMühlviertel(www.bioregion-muehlviertel.at)ortheEnergyVisionMurau(www.energievision.at).

Interviews with the coordinators of the various regional initiatives revealed that several keyfactorsdetermineasuccessfulimplementation.AtthenationalandEuropeanlevel,theseincludesecuringcontinuousfinancialsupportvianationalprogrammes(suchasviatheAustrianEnergyFund)orEUregionaldevelopmentfunds(suchasLeader),aswellasstrategicsupportforlocalactors regarding compliance with technical or legal aspects. At the regional level, expertsemphasisedtheimportanceofinitiatingsuchaprocesswithascreeningonthespecificregionalpotential,e.g.regardingspecificrawmaterialsavailableineachregion.Inordertosecurehighacceptance,trustandparticipationintheregion,it isessentialtoinvolveallrelevantactorsasearlyaspossibleintheprocess.Optionsforfinancialsupportneedtobeinvestigated,inordertodecideontheinstitutionalstructureoftheinitiative,e.g.viaassociations,non-profit-companiesorrawmaterialorenergyassociations.Intensivenetworkingwiththehigherpolicylevels,suchasthemanagementofthe“Leader”regions,aswellasconnectionstotheprovinceandnationallevels, are deemed essential for a successful implementation of a regional circular economystrategy.

Researchanddevelopmenttaxcredit

TheAustriangovernmentprovidesfinancialsupportforresearchanddevelopmentactivitiesincompanies. Based on the Austrian income tax law, companies can claim the Research andDevelopment Tax Credit from the tax office for already completed research activities andexperimentaldevelopmentwork.AccordingtoStatisticsAustria,theschemeaccountedforsome€500millionworthoffundingpaidtocompaniesin2013.

In 2015, the Austrian government decided to raise the tax credit from 10% to 12%,which isexpected to have positive effects in 2016. With this measure, Austria wants to increase itsinternationalprofileasalucrativelocationforinnovativebusinesses.AccordingtotheAustrianBusiness Agency, this measure should serve as an innovation boost for companies in theenvironmentaltechnologysectors(ABA,2015).

Keywords:researchanddevelopment,taxcredits

Internetlink:http://www.its-foerderberatung.at/en/rdtaxcredit/

12

Sustainabilityagendaforbeveragepackaging

Alreadymore than1,000Austrian companies are involved inthe initiative “Sustainability agenda for beveragepackaging”,which was initiated by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.With thisvoluntaryagreementbetweenbeverageproducers,allmajorfoodandbeverageretailersandrecyclingcompaniesin Austria, the targetwas defined to reduce greenhouse gasemissionsbyatleast10%inabsolutetermsbetween2008and2017.Thestrategiestoachievethisoverarchingtargetareontheonehandorientedtowardsstabilisingtheshareofreusablepackagingthroughinvestigatingin technical improvementsandraiseawareness.Ontheotherhand, thematerialefficiencyofdisposable packaging, particularly plastics and metal packaging, is being increased throughfurther raising recycling ratios and investing in recycling technologies, such as PET-to-PETrecycling.

Keywords:sustainableconsumption,productlabelling,sustainableproducts

Internetlink:www.nachhaltigkeitsagenda.at

Initiative“Bewusstkaufen”(“BuyAware”)

The initiative “Buy Aware”, initiated by theAustrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry,Environment andWaterManagement is thefirstwebportal for sustainable consumptionin Austria. It aims to increase consumers’awarenessofsustainableproductsandprovidesextensiveinformationonoptionsforconscious,sustainableconsumption.

The website www.bewusstkaufen.at presents information about current sustainability topics,projectsandinnovations,andofferscomprehensiveinformationtosupportconsumersinmakingsustainabledecisionswhenshopping.Theonlinedatabasefeaturesmorethan2,000sustainableproductsaswellas shoppingguides formore than60productareas. Italsocontainsdetaileddescriptionsofover250labelscurrentlyinusehelpsidentifyingsustainableproductsthatcanbeboughtinAustria.Inaddition,ablogprovidesexpertswithaplatformtoexpresstheiropiniononarangeofdifferentsustainabilitytopics.

Keywords:sustainableconsumption,productlabelling,sustainableproducts

Internetlink:www.bewusstkaufen.at

©www.bewusstkaufen.at

©www.nachhaltigkeitsagenda.at

13

ReferencesABA, 2015. Österreich - Starker Standort für Umwelttechnologien und erneuerbare Energien.AustrianBusinessAgency,Wien.

BMWFW,2015.EnergiestatusÖsterreich2015:Entwicklungbis2013.MinisteriumfürWissenschaft,ForschungundWirtschaft,Wien.

Eurobarometer, 2011. Attitudes of European entrepreneurs towards eco-innovation. FlashEurobarometer315.GallupOrganization,Brussels.

IG Passivhaus, 2011. Das Passivhaus - das Haus der Zukunft. Accessed 10.11.2011, fromwww.igpassivhaus.at.

IHS, 2014. Das Potenzial vonÖko-Innovationen für den StandortÖsterreich. Institut für HöhereStudien(IHS),Wien.

OECD, 2013. OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Austria. Organisation for EconomicCooperationandDevelopment,Paris.

StatistikAustria,2016.ÜberblickUmweltumsatzundUmweltbeschäftigte2008bis2014.StatistikAustria,Wien.

UBA,2013.EnvironmentalSituationinAustria–10thStateoftheEnvironmentReport.EnvironmentAgencyAustria,Vienna.

WIFO,2013.ÖsterreichischeUmwelttechnikindustrie.ExportundWettbewerbsfähigkeit[Austrianenvironmental technology industries. Export and competetiveness]. Austrian Institute forEconomicsResearch,Vienna.

WKÖ, 2015. Nachhaltigkeitskontest 2015 [Sustainability contest 2015]. Austrian Chamber ofCommerce,Vienna.

14

ANNEX:Policymeasuresaddressingcirculareconomyandeco-innovationsinAustria

Groupofpolicymeasures Typeofpolicymeasure

Specificmeasure

Pleaseprovidereferencetoorbriefsummaryofspecificmeasures(national,regional)

Focusofpolicymeasure(tickifrelevant)

Circular

economy

Generic

focuson

eco-

innovation

Resource

efficiency

improveme

nt

Energy

efficiency

improve

ment

Reduction

of

emissions

incl.CO2

Other

relevant

areas(e.g.

renewable

energy,etc)

SUPP

LYSIDEFO

CUS Equity/business

support

Publiclyco-fundedventure

capitalfunds

- The Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) puts impetuses for

innovationsinthenationalindustry.TheCleantechinitiativeallocatesrisk

capitalforenterprisesintheareaofenergytechnologiesandenvironmental

technologies. A total budget of €100million is envisaged for supporting

start-upcompanies.

http://awsg.at/Content.Node/en/index.en.php

x

- Enhancement of “Mountain Cleantech Fund II”: aiming at volumes of

€100 million. Mainly invested in future Austrian Cleantech-growth

enterpriseswithturnoversof€3-50million.

http://mountain.partners/en/global-presence/mountain-cleantech-fund-

ii/

x

Publicguaranteefunds

SupportforR&Dinpublicsectorandindustry

R&Dfunding

- TheProgramme on Technologies for Sustainable Development by theMinistryofTransport, InnovationandTechnologyisthebiggestandmost

important programme promoting eco-innovation in Austria. It aims at

supporting the economy with future-oriented innovations, initiates and

supports trendsetting research and development projects and the

x x x x x x

15

implementation of exemplary pilot projects. It consists of the four sub-

programmes “Building of Tomorrow”, “City of the Future”, “Factory ofTomorrow”,“EnergysystemsofTomorrow”.AsignificantshareofAustria’spassive house and ecological construction knowledge stems from this

programme.

http://www.nachhaltigwirtschaften.at/

TheClimateandEnergyFund(KLIEN)oftheFederalGovernmentaimsto

ensure a sustainable energy supply, a reduction of greenhouse gas

emissionsandanincreaseinR&Dactivitiesintheclimateandenergyareas.

In2016,KLIENaimsatspendingmorethan€100milllion in researchand

otherfundingprogrammes(suchasclima:aktiv).

https://www.klimafonds.gv.at/home-en-US/

x x x x

Collaborativegrants

TherearedifferentcollaborativegrantprogrammesinAustria:

-FondszurFörderungderwissenschaftlichenForschung(AustrianScience

Fund-FWF).FWFspentaround€200milliononmorethan650projectsin

2015.

http://www.fwf.ac.at/en/

x

- Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (Austrian Research

Promotion Agency – FFG). FFG manages a large number of R&D

programmes.

https://www.ffg.at/en

x

R&Dinfrastructure

In 2016, FFG has launched a new specific programme to support the

building-upandexpansionofhigh-qualityR&Dinfrastructure.

x

https://www.ffg.at/FuE-Infrastrukturfoerderung.at

Fiscalmeasures

TaxincentivesforR&Dand

start-ups

Thestrengtheningof theoperational researchanddevelopment (R&D) is

one key factor for the improvement of the competitiveness of Austrian

companies.

x

ThebasisfortheR&Dtaxallowanceisexpenditureonthedevelopmentor

improvement of economically valuable inventions. In 2015, the Austrian

16

government decided to raise the tax credit from 10% to 12%, which is

expectedtohavepositiveeffectsin2016.

TaxincentivesforR&D

personnel

Seeabove.

Education,trainingandmobility

Tailoredtrainingcoursesfor

companies,entrepreneurs

TheWirtschaftsförderungsinstitut (WIFI) is an example for occupational

educationinAustria.WIFIservesasaplatformandknowledgemediatorin

differentfieldsofinnovation.WIFIactsasapartnerforSMEswithregardto

managementandinnovationquestions.WIFIalsoworksasaninternational

gateway for knowledge transfer, international programmes and new

educationdraughts.

http://wifi.at/start

x

ACT –Austrian Clean Technology is theAustrian competence centre for

environmentaltechnologyandenergytechnologyaswellasenvironmental

services. The major tasks of ACT are to co-ordinate and encourage the

establishedmeasuresofthemasterplanforenvironmentaltechnology.ACT

alsosupportstheobjectivesofthemasterplanwithregardtogreenjobs.

ACTperceivesitselfasacharitableandall-partyinstitution.

www.act-center.at

x

Advice/consultingforstart-

ups,companies,

entrepreneurs

Thefounder'sserviceoftheChamberofCommerce(WKÖ)offerscompany

founders and franchisees professional support in starting their

entrepreneurshipactivities.

www.gründerservice.at

x

Therearealsosomefounder’sservicesfrombanksinAustrialiketheGO!

GründerOffensivefromErsteBank,andsavingsbankswithawebportaland

personalcontactpointsforeachfederalstate.

x

INiTS(InnovationintoBusiness)hasbeenprovidingadviceandsupportforentrepreneurswithinnovativeideassince2002.Theservicesareaimedat

graduates, employees and students at universities and universities of

appliedsciences(Fachhochschulen)inViennawhoaimtoputtheirbusiness

ideas intopracticebystartingupacompany.Since2002, INiTShasspent

more than€200millionofprivate capital andmore than€100millionof

publicsupportmoneyintoalmost200start-upcompanies,creatingalmost

2,000jobs.

x

17

http://www.inits.at/en/

Placementschemesfor

students

In Austria there are severalweb portals and networks for students andother employees. In particular, for the sector of innovations and “green

jobs”therearemultipleopportunities.

Forexample:www.green-jobs.at

x

GoEcoSocial–PortalforMasterTheses,asapartoftheeco-socialstudent’s

forum(ÖSSFO):Thechallengeliesontheonehandinthesensitisationof

thestudentsbyeventsandactionsandontheotherhandinthespreading

andscientificdeepeningoftheeco-socialmarketeconomy.

http://www.go-ecosocial.at/

x

SupportforR&Dworkers

recruitments

FFG support for human resources. According to FFG, attracting highlyqualifiedresearcherstotakeuppositionsinR&D,retainingsuchemployees

through appropriate structural and personnel measures andmaking the

most of existing staff potential through the provision of relevant

employmentconditionsarecurrentlysomeofthemajorchallengesfacedby

R&Dorganisations.FFGthushasarangeofprogrammessupportingyoung

talentsaswellasexperiencedresearchers.

https://www.ffg.at/en/content/ffg-support-human-resources

x

Networksandpartnerships

Competencecentres,

clusters,science-technology

parks

TheGreenTechValley is located inAustria,hostinganumberofglobally

leadingGreenTechCompanieswithinasmallregioninStyria.Today,200

companies and research centres are working on Green and Cleantech

solutionsfortomorrowintheClusterECOWorldStyria.ECOWorldStyria

supportscompanieswithbasicservicesandprojects,withstrategiclevers

forgrowthdriverssuchasinnovation,know-how,andnewmarkets.

http://eco.at/cms/223//English/

x x x x x

AsthebusinessagencyofLowerAustria,ecoplusistheinterfacebetweenbusinessandpolitics,companiesandauthorities,investorsandinitiatorsof

regional projects – on both a national and international scale. The

organisation works within its established network of partners from the

Austrianprovincesandmunicipalities,aswellaswithEUinstitutions.The

main focus lies on the continued development of Lower Austria as a

businesslocationandthesupportofcompaniesinLowerAustria.

x

18

http://www.ecoplus.at/en/ecoplus/about-us

TheClusterPlatformAustriawasestablishedin2008asaninitiativeoftheFederal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth for information and

cooperation purposes for the Austrian cluster players at national and

regional level. The National Cluster Platform initiates the discussion of

topicsofcommonconcernwithinworkinggroups.Itactivelycontributesto

furtherdevelopmentsof theAustrian research,development, technology

andinnovation(RDTI)policyandthelink-uptoclusteractivitiesatEuropean

level,andfacilitatesaconsiderableriseintheimplementationofinnovative

measuresinAustria.

http://www.clusterplattform.at/index.php?id=1&L=1

x x x x

EnvironmentalTechnologyCluster(UpperAustria).Currently,160partnercompaniescooperateintheenvironmentaltechnologycluster,whichwas

founded in January 2006. The cluster represents a hub for technology

providersandusers,andisaknow-howprovideraswellasaplatformfor

know-who transfer in the areas of water, waste, soil, air and noise.

Furthermore, it supports environmental technology companies in all

measuresforthedevelopmentofproductandprocessinnovations,initiates

nationaland internationalcooperativeprojects,andprovides information

aboutcurrentfundingopportunities.

http://www.umwelttechnik-cluster.at/

x x x x x

Technologyplatformsand

innovationnetworks

COMET–CompetenceCentresforExcellentTechnologies,hostedbyFFG.

Thecompetencecentreprogrammesinitiatedin1998(Kplus,K_ind,K_net)

belongtothemostsuccessful innovationsoftechnologypolicyinAustria.

Theprogrammepromotestheconstructionofcompetencecentreswhose

coreisacooperativelydefinedresearchprogrambyeconomyandscience

atahighlevel.

https://www.ffg.at/comet

x

Foresightandcommon

visionbuilding

In years to come, future growth in environmental engineering will be

characterised by companies from outside the industry, and “career

changers”.TheECOFutureRadaristhecentraltooltobedevelopedfurtherandupdatedbyEcoWorldStyria.

http://www.eco.at/cms/802/FutureRadar

x x x x x

19

Marketintelligenceand

otherformsofinformation

sharing

Withtheslogan"WorldwidebusinessSupport"andwiththehelpofawide

range of services in the areas of Information, Coaching and Events, the

AWO-Programmeby theWKÖsees it as itsduty tobring still undecided

enterprises into the export business, leading dynamic ones into new

marketsandsupportingthealreadyefficienttogrowsuccessfully.

x

https://www.wko.at/Content.Node/service/aussenwirtschaft/Aussenwirts

chaft---Channelstartseite.html

DEMAN

DSIDE

FOCU

S

Regulationsandstandards

Regulations,targets,cap&

tradeschemes

The Austrian Climate Protection Law from 2011 determined maximum

emission levels for six economic sectors, i.e.wastemanagement, energy

and industry not covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS),

fluoridegases,buildings,agricultureandtransport.Incooperationbetween

the federal and regional governments, an implementationplanhasbeen

elaboratedforallsixsectors.

x x x

ACM(AustrianCarbonManagement)istheonlyAustrianinterdisciplinaryservice platform for climate change services. ACM consists of three

companiesandabigAustrianbank,RZB.WithinACM,companyDENKSTATT

is conducting climate strategies and consulting for corporates, iC

ConsulentenandTPAareperforming Joint Implementation (JI)andClean

DevelopmentMechanism(CDM)projectsandareworkingstronglyforthe

Public Sector. The bank RZB provides subsidies and support for climate

policyprojects.

http://www.centric.at/partners/acm-austrian-carbon-management

x x x

Performancestandards,

labelling,certification

Classificationofdifferentenvironmental labels isaccordingtoType I (ISO

14024),TypeII(ISO14021)andTypeIII(ISO/TR14025).Themostimportant

Austrian example for Type I is the “Austrian Environment Label” (“DasÖsterreichischeUmweltzeichen”).Thislabelwasintroducedin1990andis

being provided for products, companies in the tourism industry, and

institutionsofeducation,suchasschools.

http://www.umweltzeichen.at/cms/en/austrian-

ecolabel/vision/content.html

x x x x

The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) leads to enhancedperformance, credibility and transparency of registered organisations.

While ISO 14001 is predominant in other EU member states, Austrian

organisationsmoreoftenimplementtheEMASsystem.Onereasonforthe

high number of EMAS registrations (currently around 290) inAustria are

x x x x

20

specificfinancialandtechnicalsupportactivitiesthattheAustrianMinistry

ofAgriculture,Forestry,EnvironmentandWaterManagement,theAustrian

provinces and the chamber of commerce have offered since EMAS was

introducedin1993.

Publicprocurement

“Green“publicprocurement

ofgoodsandservices

TheNationalActionPlanonsustainablepublicprocurement(NaBe)wasadoptedbytheCouncilofMinistersinJuly2010.Theactionplanconsistsof

two parts. Part I contains the policy background, the definition of

sustainableprocurement,targetsandinitiatives,aswellasimplementation.

Part II defines key environmental criteria for 16 product groups of key

interestforpublicprocurers,includingbuildings,vehicles,chemicalsandIT

products.In2016,afocalareaisbeingseton“circularprocurement”,i.e.

purchaseofproductswithahighdegreeofcircularityoftheinvolvedraw

materials.

http://www.nachhaltigebeschaffung.at

x x x x x

R&Dprocurement

Pre-commercial

procurement

TechnologyTransfer

Advisorysupportfor

technologyadopters

TherearedifferentsupportstrategiesforAustriantechnologyadoptersby

AWS(AustriaWirtschaftsservice),seeabove,includingadvisoryandfiscalaidprogrammes,ERP-Fonds,andAWSfundsforSMEs.

http://awsg.at/Content.Node/en/index.en.php

x

Financialorfiscalsupportfor

technologyadopters

(e.g.grantsforpurchasing

newtechnology)

SeeAWSabove. x

21

Supportofprivatedemand

Taxincentivesforconsumers

(e.g.forpurchasing

environmentallyefficient

products)

Taxreductionsforproducts

andservices(e.g.VAT

reductions)

Taxreductionsarebeinggrantedforsomeenvironmentalfriendlyproducts.

For example, the car purchase tax (NOVA) is not charged for electric

vehicles,resultinginanaround16%reductionoftheoverallprice.

x x x

Demandsubsidies(e.g.eco-

vouchers,consumer

subsidies)

Incentives for feed-in tariffs regarding private eco-electricity production,

suchasfromsolarpanelsexistinseveralAustrianprovinces.

x x x

Thegovernmentalsosupportsthethermalinsulationofprivatehomes.For

acomplete insulation following the“clima.aktiv” standards,up to€5,000

canbereceivedin2016.

x x x

Awarenessraisingand

informationprovision

Therearemanydifferentactivitiesthataimtoraiseawarenessprovidedby

localcommunitygovernments,environmentalagencies,etc.

For example, the AustrianMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment

andWaterManagement(BMLFUW)hostsanumberofinitiativesinthearea

ofsustainableconsumption,includinganinfo-portal,“Buyaware”.

http://www.bewusstkaufen.at

x x x x x x

AbouttheEco-InnovationObservatory(EIO)

TheEco-InnovationObservatory(EIO)istheinitiativefinancedbytheEuropeanCommission’sDirectorate-GeneralfortheEnvironment.TheObservatoryisdevelopinganintegratedinformationsourceandaseriesofanalysesoneco-innovationtrendsandmarkets,targetingbusiness,innovationserviceproviders,policymakersaswellasresearchersandanalysts.

VisitEIOandDGENVEco-innovationActionPlan(EcoAP)websiteandregistertogetaccesstomoreinformationandtoaccessallEIOreports,briefsanddatabases.

www.eco-innovation.euec.europa.eu/environment/ecoap