Targeted use of innovative strength

The transition from a linear to a climate-neutral circular economy is a core goal of the Europe-an Green Deal. For Austria, the transition offers both opportunities and challenges, as a large part of emissions come from raw material processing, especially in energy- and process-intensive industries such as steel and cement production. Circular processes reduce energy demand and emissions and facilitate decarbonization with electrification. The Integrate project, funded by the Climate and Energy Fund, examines the effects of increased use of secondary raw materials in key industries and shows ecological and economic advantages, provided that suita-ble political framework conditions are created. The aim is a transformative innovation policy that promotes economic, institutional and societal changes in addition to technology in order to achieve a climate-neutral circular economy by 2050.