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Zero Waste Austria is an association that was created with the goal to bring together the community of Zero Waste Entrepreneurs. Its vision is a world without exploitation of our livelihoods.
Zero Waste Austria was founded in 2015.
Vienna, Austria
Description of the Green Initiative
Organizations, communities, companies, schools (teachers), individuals.
Zero Waste is about rethinking habits that have crept in over the last few decades, both in our private lives and in our businesses. Since the post-war period, we have evolved into a consumer and throwaway society. Our lifestyle and consumer behavior, as well as industry and business, demand more resources than our planet can provide. This puts a strain on the climate and the environment, and this is precisely where the Zero Waste movement comes in, looking for solutions and showing how resource-conserving behavior can be achieved.
The Zero Waste Austria team consists of experts who cover the different areas around sustainability, waste prevention, education and projects. This includes not only workshops and programs for companies, but also community work or school cooperation. Zero Waste Austria works to a large extent on a voluntary basis. The team is spread all over Austria in order to push the Zero Waste movement throughout the country.
Zero Waste Austria offers consultations for companies, communities, schools as well as workshops and a Zero Waste Blog, among others.
For the development from our current throwaway society to a circular society, it is important to start on many levels. Zero Waste Austria focuses on households and innovative start-ups and companies that have had enough of wasting our resources. At the same time, they work in projects to find solutions for industrial and economic sectors. They are also part of Zero Waste Europe and Break Free From Plastic to make an impact beyond Austria's borders
Through the Guidelines “Unverpacktes Wissen” (“Unpackaged knowledge”) they have compiled the missing, inaccessible knowledge about procurement, logistics, labeling, hygiene and sale of unpacked food and made it available to interested parties free of charge.
On an “unpackaged map” you can see at a glance where you can buy which products without packaging or in deposit containers.
Apply knowledge from workshops and courses in daily life.
Zero Waste Austria applies the 5R-Rule (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot).
People might experience some stumbling blocks in the beginning, but eventually it will become normal to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle (e.g. by starting to cancel straws, taking pictures of business cards instead of accepting them, keeping your closet to a minimum). Ideas are shared with like-minded people in region-specific Facebook groups, during sewing meetings or repair cafes. Zero Waste works differently in every place.
Definition of Zero Waste Europe:
“Zero Waste is a goal that is both pragmatic and visionary, to guide people to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are resources for others to use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water, or air that may be a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.”