Toward a Sustainable Economy in the Bavarian-Austrian Border Region

The Circular Economy (CE) offers approaches to solving the three most pressing problems facing the European Economic Area and many regions in Europe:

1. Greater sustainability through the circular economy: Circular practices reduce material consumption, which not only lowers greenhouse gas emissions (environmental sustainability) but also reduces material costs and business risks (economic sustainability).
2. Diversification of raw material sources by tapping into the material stock as an additional source of raw materials using R-strategies (Reuse, Refurbishment, etc.).
3. Greater resilience in the supply of raw materials through increased availability of secondary raw materials or reduced demand due to more durable products.

The Circular Foresight Initiative (CFI) brings together seven pioneering circular economy organizations and CE networks from Bavaria and Austria to promote innovative, circular value creation processes in highly material-intensive industries.

Project Objectives:

• Increase resilience through more secondary raw materials and longer-lasting products
• Develop practical future pathways for SMEs based on real needs
• Harness pioneering knowledge to support material-intensive industries in their transformation
• Test and further develop the Circular Foresight methodology
• Develop SME-oriented offerings for newcomers
• Establish a cross-border innovation network for long-term collaboration

The CFI pursues a cross-border approach that draws on the experience, expertise, and contacts of all partners. The CFI promotes circular transformation in the Bavarian-Austrian border region using an open-ended, bottom-up approach. In contrast to top-down approaches that develop off-the-shelf solutions such as digital tools, the CFI focuses on the unmet needs of companies as they implement measures to strengthen the circular economy. In doing so, it draws on the expertise and practical knowledge of circular pioneers from material-intensive industries.

In workshops, the experiences of these pioneers are analyzed; existing and past challenges, as well as applied and successful strategies for overcoming these challenges, are identified; and, based on this, practical and action-oriented circular pathways for the future are developed for companies. New findings are validated with the participating companies to ensure coherence and precision.

The basis for this analysis and synthesis is a newly developed Circular Foresight Methodology (CFM)—a combination of scenario analysis and corporate foresight with a focus on the circular economy. The CFM is being developed at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences and applied in workshops conducted specifically for this purpose. A prototype of the methodology already exists; it was developed explicitly as a blueprint for this project within the part-time CE master’s program.

The target audience consists primarily of SMEs with experience, expertise, practical knowledge, and a track record in implementing circular economy measures. Based on the understanding gained, company- and value chain-specific future pathways for the circular economy will be developed for these organizations. These insights will be used to support initiatives for companies new to the circular economy and to develop concrete offerings for them.

To better reach the core target group, the CFM workshops will be integrated into existing event formats such as trade shows or industry gatherings. The CFI supports companies in successfully shaping the green transformation. The key outcome is a deep understanding of companies’ needs and challenges, as well as the identification of the most important factors for a successful circular transformation.

The core of the project lies in establishing a structured, cross-border innovation network that leverages the knowledge of circular economy pioneers to develop circular strategies for the future in collaboration with research institutions and cluster organizations—strategies that can be implemented by SMEs in the region.

Project partners:

• Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Burghausen mbH (LP), DE
• TH Rosenheim, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Economics (Burghausen Campus), DE
• Ressourcen Forum Austria, AT
• Business Upper Austria - OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH
• Trägerverein Umwelttechnologie-Cluster Bayern e.V.
• Standortagentur Tirol GmbH
• Innovation Salzburg GmbH

Project duration: January 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028

Total budget: 854,392.10 euros

The project receives co-financing in the amount of 640,794.07 euros from the European Union under the Interreg Bavaria-Austria Program.

www.circularforesight.com