Supporting over 50 companies on the path to a circular economy

The "Applied Circular Sustainability" program was funded by the Swiss funding agency Innosuisse. The aim of the program was to bring together companies, private individuals and society to initiate innovative, circular projects and work on previously unsolved problems. Among other things, this resulted in two concepts for façade greening in the town of Dietikon, which will be presented at the 2026 Phenomena be exhibited. A project involving Planzer and AMAG dealt with sustainable, automated freight transport in cities. The Swiss mountain sports specialist Mammut, which has set itself the goal of making climbing ropes one hundred percent recyclable, received suggestions for the recycling process. Sportswear manufacturer Odlo and ski manufacturer Stöckli also addressed issues relating to closing the material cycles of their products.

Key hurdles in the circular economy

The program supported 48 teams over four years. "A key component was to bring people together who want to change something together, because the circular economy needs to be solved in an interdisciplinary way," explains Adrian Burri, Head of the ZHAW Institute of Product Development and Production Technologies, who led the Innovation Booster. The lessons learned from the work in the projects have appeared in a publication that contains recommendations for action for companies, politicians and society. It describes various hurdles on the path to a circular economy. "One important hurdle is transformative planning, in which stakeholder involvement plays an important role. You have to take a holistic approach to the circular economy beyond the existing business model and get everyone on board to implement this vision together," says Adrian Burri. For a start-up that is passionate about advancing an idea, this is a matter of course, whereas an established company will have more difficulties. "Creating a circular business model doesn't happen overnight. It may take a pilot project to show exactly what this means and what the changes are," Burri continues. 

Still plenty of room for improvement in Switzerland

The topic of the circular economy is no longer a niche in Switzerland, as Adrian Burri points out. There are now many events, networking platforms and funding for start-ups. Only 6.9 percent of materials in Switzerland are recycled. "There is still room for improvement," says Burri. Regulatory pressure is also less intense in Switzerland than in the EU, for example. The EU Green Deal is forcing companies to think more carefully about which new products to introduce. Adrian Burri comments: "In Switzerland, this pressure or the clear commitment of the federal government and authorities is lacking. But the circular economy is not a hype that will pass. It is here to stay. There is no other way for a sustainable future."

Source and further information: www.zhaw.ch