Companies boosting circular economy in the Greater Zurich Area

May 31, 2023

Sustainability, Business environment
Blog

In May 2023, the Swiss National Council decided to strengthen the circular economy in Switzerland as part of the Environmental Protection Act.
The focus will be on the avoidance and recycling of waste, whilst also covering the liberalization of waste & material collection, and a reparation-index for products.

The first Circularity Gap Report Switzerland confirms the need for Circular Economy principles, with only 7% of the economy being circular and 9.1% of jobs contributing to a circular economy. Changes in the political framework and regulations are thus important enablers.

Already leading the way are multiple companies and initiatives in Switzerland, promoting and boosting a circular economy. Spotlight on circular economy in the Greater Zurich Area:

Packaging & logistics

Huhtamaki's innovative packaging solutions for food and beverages will be recyclable, reusable, or compostable as of 2030.

Ponera Group's unique logistics solution is based on an innovative and reuseable modular system of cost- and weight-saving bio-polymer-based pallets.

ReCircle is replacing single-use packaging with reusable, high-quality, and more eco-friendly alternatives, which can be purchased and returned by all partners.

Sustainable Packaging in Greater Zurich Area

Clothing & textiles

Muntagnard produces sustainable clothes for the circular economy, making clothes out of wood.

Freitag manufactures bags using old truck tarps , embracing a circular model and also developing its own, fully circular material using biodegradable textiles.

Worn Again Technologies uses polymer processing technologies for textile recycling, producing new fibres and textiles.

Sustainable textiles and clothing in Greater Zurich Area

FoodTech & farming

Elevate Farms grow crops with vertical farming. Their systems maximize space usage with circular resource management.

Swiss Blue Salmon's innovative land-based recirculating systems, 99% of the water is recycled, which reduces consumption to a minimum.

Sustainable farming in Greater Zurich Area

Construction & infrastructure

Swiss National Railway SBB renovates its coaches rather than replacing and builds wood-based and easy-to-deconstruct engineering buildings, aiding future reuse. SBB is creating a digital material registry, so that older structures can act as a ‘bank’, providing secondary materials for future use.

Holcim is advancing circular construction by producing the world’s first cement containing 20% recycled construction and demolition waste.

Sustainable construction and transportation in Greater Zurich Area

Reparable & circular user goods

Niuway is a tent rental service for festivals. The tents can be easily cleaned, repaired or completed with spare parts.

Swico Recycling offers a pick-up service for used IT & office equipment, communications, and medical technological devices. With qualified recycling companies they give these products a new life.

ABB runs a holistic circularity framework to assess the circular value of a product, covering the entire lifecycle until a responsible end-of-life management.

Sustainable user goods in Greater Zurich Area

Greater Zurich makes a positive impact to your sustainability initiative

ESG metrics are increasingly important performance indicators for most sustainable companies. Expanding or relocating a business can have a dramatic impact on these metrics, and Switzerland is the ideal location for meeting sustainability goals.

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