Circular Futures Conference 2025

09:00 – 09.10 Official Opening

Welcoming Remarks by Ambassador Annika Ben David and Karin Huber-Heim (Circular Economy Forum Austria).

09:10-09:45 Shaping Circular Futures: Insight from the Nordics and Austria

High-ranking government representatives from each Nordic country and Austria will give us an overview of the unique circumstances that define their respective circular economy scenes.

With: Titta Maja-Luoto (Finnish Ambassador for the Circular Economy), Siri Hals Burtenschøn (Policy Director at Norwegian Ministry of Climate), Annika Ben David (Sweden’s Ambassador to Austria), Christian Grønbech-Jensen (Denmark’s Ambassador to Austria), Helga Hauksdóttir (Iceland’s Ambassador to Austria) and Christian Holzer (Austrian Director-General responsible for Circular Economy, BMLUK).

Moderator: Karin Huber-Heim (Circular Economy Forum Austria).

09:45-10:00 Sustainable, Smart & Circular Cities of the Future

Keynote by Anna Vera Deinhammer, Endowed Chair for Sustainable Real Estate Development Publications at the University of Applied Sciences for Management and Communication in Vienna.

10:00-10:50 Nordic and Austrian Perspectives on Urban Sustainability

What are the defining features when planning for more circularity in our cities – get insights from experts with different Nordic and Austrian backgrounds.

With: Josefina Sallén (RISE), Kari Herlevi (Sitra), Monica Maria Moeskær (Danish Design Center) and Liisa Circular Economy, City of Vienna). Moderator: Cathrine Barth (Nordic Circular Hotspot).

11:20-11:45 Funding Opportunities in Support of a Circular Transition

Learn more about various funding sources specifically catering to circular solutions.

With: Johannes Bockstefl (FFG), Håkan Lauvålien (Innovation Norway) and Jürgen Kurz (Greiner Innoventures).

11:45-12:15 Pitching Session: Circular solutions for urban areas

Hear from some Nordic companies with cutting-edge circular solutions, and what they are looking for in order to start or scale them up in Austria.

With: Krisztina Kovacs-Schreiner (Lixea), Pär Larshans (Easymining), Joona Kotilainen (Hiil) and Tanja Ilic (GreenIron).

12:15-13:30 Networking Lunch

13:30 – 14:20 Info Policy Deep-Dive: Impact of EU Regulations on Circular Economy

With European legislation being central to set the framework for circular business models, we’ll dive deeper into the different items on the EU legislative agenda.

With: Mattias Lindahl (Linköping University), Harri Auvinen (Savonia AMK), Camilla Raagaard Ernst (Gate21) and Siri Hals Burtenschøn (Norwegian Ministry of Climate). Moderator: Maximilian Mauthe (Federation of Austrian Industries).

14:20 – 15:20 Breakout Sessions with Sector-specific Deep Dives

Be part of the discussion in your area of expertise:

Smart Cities & Digitalization

With: Magdalena Vallaza (Kausal), Monica Maria Moeskær (Danish Design Center) and Josefina Sallén (RISE).
Hosted by: Gregor Gluttig (inloop)

Circular Construction & Architecture

With: Nicholas Duxbury Ransome (Lendager Architects), Tanja Ilic (GreenIron), Joona Kotilainen, Hiil (Finland) and Klaus Kodydek (City of Vienna). Hosted by: Richard Woschitz (Woschitz Group)

Energy & Waste Management

With: Nils Skoglund (Umeå University), Bernadette Triebl-Wurzeniger (Saubermacher) and Roman Postl (TOMRA). Hosted by: Christina Kropf (Saubermacher)

15:45-16:30 Closing Reflections: Nordic and Austrian Leadership & Next Steps for CollaborationWrap-up of the breakout sessions as well as the day – how do we continue to build on the Austrian-Nordic collaboration and our leadership in the circular transition?