Save the Date: Circular Economy Expert Talks 2026

Rethinking Value: Standards for a circular resource economy

As part of the WE SHAPE THE FUTURE | Summit 2026 The Austrian Standards Institute demonstrates how standardisation contributes to addressing key issues for the future. The focus is on Europe’s competitiveness and strategic resilience, the development of artificial intelligence and digital innovations, new approaches to the circular economy, and the construction industry of the future.

In partnership with the ASI, the Circular Economy Forum Austria is once again curating the EXPERTS TALK ABOUT THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY .

„Rethinking Value: Standards for a Circular Resource Economy“ On 17 November 2026, from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm, the event will examine the role that standardisation plays in a resilient, resource-efficient and competitive circular economy, and how it can support the preservation of material value throughout the entire life cycle. The event therefore does not focus on recycling as an isolated solution, but rather considers the circular economy as a systemic transformation across the entire life cycle.

Among other things, the focus is on the expanded Producer responsibility (EPR), quality standards for recycled and secondary materials, classification and traceability of material flows – for example, through the Digital Product Passport – digital systems for tracking materials and resources, including interfaces with BIM, as well as urban mining as a strategic contribution to security of supply.

The key question for the many experts taking part is: How can standardisation help to turn today’s waste into a valuable resource for a circular economy – and what conditions are needed for a sustainable industrial system?

This raises the following questions for discussion:

• What role do data, transparency and traceability play in ensuring that product and material cycles function effectively?
• How can quality, trust and comparability be ensured in circular material flows?
• How can standardisation help to roll out circular business models and resource strategies across the industrial sector?

The aim of this year’s Experts Talks Circular Economy is to highlight the main barriers to a functioning circular economy, to identify standardisation needs and to demonstrate, how the circular economy can be implemented in practice as part of a resilient and competitive industrial strategy.