Susanne Kurz, Vice Chairperson of Federal Council of Austria, delivers a speech at the forum on world internet & modern logistics of the 3rd World Emerging Industries Summit (WEIS 2015)

Susanne Kurz

Former President of the Federal Council

AUSTRIA

I am pleased to address

THE 3RD WORLD EMERGING INDUSTRIES SUMMIT

Thank you very much for the invitation and for the possibility to share not only the WEIS aims but also have the possibility to give an input of the Austrian way.

All across the world the expansion of environmental technologies such as emission controls, energy saving technology or the waste management industry is becoming increasingly important for sustainable development. Environmental technology and renewable energy are set to become exceptionally fast-growing industries

Austria’s innovations, skills and commitment give the country a special position in the world across many sustainable industry sectors, ranging from agriculture to food & drink, environmental technologies, energy supply and wood and paper production.

Austria is at the forefront of a wide range of technologies that are addressing the need to protect the environment and help us all be sustainable.

Success in "green technologies" has helped Austrian companies to develop an excellent worldwide reputation.

The demand for energy continues to grow.

Given Austria’s track record of inventing and delivering innovative technologies, our companies continue to create world class sustainable solutions - from hydroelectric to solar power, wind and biomass, conventional geothermic and a special kind of geothermic in the next future.

As the head of a Chinese delegation in Austria once answered to my question, why they had chosen to come to Austria:” Look, everywhere they are talking about green technologies and an intact nature – but here I can see it with my own eyes!”

Environmental Technology Expertise

Austria plays a leading role in environmental technology in comparison to the rest of Europe. Many companies have recognized the market and export opportunities in this field. Technologies leading to cost-effective and climate-friendly energy production are highly significant to the Austrian economy.

Energy funds for a bright future

The Austrian Energy Fund is an important milestone is energy policy. 500 billion Euros go to support renewable energy, energy-efficient technologies and climate-friendly travel. Hydropower, solar power and innovative biomass technologies serve to protect the environment and ensure a stable power supply.

Economic power of environmental technology

Austria is in second place in the EU as regards the share of the eco-industry as a percentage of GDP. The Austrian environmental technology industry is showing particularly rapid growth and at the forefront of this trend is the solar power industry. The export of solar panels has grown by an average of 37% annually since 2002. Environmental technology in Austria generates a total of about 6 billion Euros a year.

Innovative Technologies for Resource Efficiency

The share of renewable energy sources in Austria is higher than average. Austrian companies are rightly proud of their resource efficiency with regard to water, energy and waste recycling. Key technologies such as the use of biomass, water treatment or innovative sewage technologies are not only used in Austria. There is world-wide demand on the international markets for products and expertise to secure sustainable exploitation of resources.

Sun, Water, Air

Austria has one of the largest natural water supplies in Europe and a central concern is to protect the water resources to ensure their benefits for generations to come. Austrian companies working in the field of industrial water treatment therefore offer a wide variety of services, also for export, such as

 Filtration of particles from waste water

 Ultra-pure deionized water for the electronics, food, drinks and pharmaceutical industries

pH adjustment of acidity or alkalinity in waste water

 Extraction of heavy metals

According to statistics from the Austrian Federal Environmental Agency, sulphur dioxide emissions in Austria have fallen by over 50% in the last ten years. This is just one of the positive effects of the measures to improve air quality, which are part of the commitment to an active climate policy and which give the Austrian environmental technology industry an important basis for innovation.

Biogas Potential

Austria enjoys wide expertise in the field of generating biogas and has about 300 biogas power plants, which are recognized as eco-power plants. The last years have marked huge progress in the treatment of biogas to achieve natural gas quality. The significance of biogas as a fuel is rising sharply and there is an action program to develop the necessary network of biogas fuelling stations in Austria.

Economic factor – waste

Within the European Union, the objectives and principles of waste management reflect the following hierarchy:

1. Waste avoidance

2. Processing of waste for recycling

3. Recycling

4. Other forms of waste utilisation, e.g. for power generation

5. Waste disposal via landfilling

The Federal Waste Management Act provides the legal framework for waste management in Austria. It regulates all matters pertaining to hazardous waste as well as all issues requiring uniform federal provisions. The Waste Management Act is complemented and fleshed out by ordinances and decrees.

As a consequence of the division of competencies between the Federal Republic and the nine federal provinces, the latter formulated their own waste management laws dealing with non-hazardous waste management at the provincial level.

Around 800 operations are involved in waste collection and treatment in Austria. The industry plays a leading role on the world stage and offers all related services, such as

 Collection

 Treatment

 Transport

 Sorting

 Disposal

 Thermal recycling

Practical waste treatment business

The conversion of waste to energy is a future oriented issue. Companies from Austria provide the necessary know-how that is in high demand on the international market.

Environmental Technology Machinery and Production Units

Companies from the Austrian machinery industry are successful exporters world-wide. The high technical standards and the knowhow of the innovative machinery sector is highly prized and respected on the European and international markets. It is a small but flexible and very technology oriented industry. Austrian providers do not only produce the machinery, but also deliver modules, tools and automation - guaranteeing customers the highest quality and productivity. Key success factors include a well-trained workforce, high quality standards and an established network with manufacturers in other countries. 

Water Technologies and Services in Austria

The importance of water management in Austria results in a wide range of domestic water technologies and services.

This includes the cross-thematic areas of

• research and innovation;

• consulting (project management, funding) as well as the technology fields of

• construction, operation and maintenance of water and wastewater infrastructure (treatment and distribution of drinking water; collection, drainage and treatment of wastewater);

• process water (cooling systems, boiler water supply, purification and treatment);

• hydropower;

• analysis, measurement and monitoring of water and soil;

• desalination of seawater;

• rainwater collection and utilisation;

• agricultural irrigation.

“Austrian water technologies and services are in demand worldwide.“

Worldwide demand for Austrian water technologies and services and high export ratios are clear signs of the know-how of the Austrian industry and of the high, internationally appreciated Austrian quality standard.

Water supply, wastewater disposal and wastewater treatment

Austria’s well-developed infrastructure of water supply and wastewater disposal as well as the treatment of the entire wastewater involve a steady development of expertise of local businesses and the public sector (water works operators of municipal wastewater treatment plants). Thanks to their economically and energetically efficient, biologically fully compatible and innovative products, offered in combination with scientific analyses and consulting activities, Austrian technologies and services are being used worldwide. Local companies conduct projects all over the world, for example in China, Germany, Russia, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Algeria.

To come to an end I would just like to mention two more important approaches:

Life Cycle Thinking and Eco Design

Life Cycle Thinking is an approach which involves all the stages and stakeholders in the life cycle of products or services. It follows a “cradle to grave” approach that considers all potential environmental impacts of the product or service, from raw material extraction to manufacturing, distribution, reuse, recycling, energy recovery and disposal. This approach goes beyond the traditional focus on the manufacturing plant or product characteristics, avoiding the transfer of problems from one life cycle stage or environmental medium to another. The use of a holistic perspective, rather than a narrow point of view, helps companies and policy makers identify possible improvements, in terms of lower environmental impacts and reduced use of resources, across all of the product’s life cycle stages.

Life Cycle Thinking prevents the implementation of solutions that appeared to be good for the environment but when considering the bigger picture (in terms of product life and environmental issues) are found not to be beneficial for the environment. For example, exchanging an insulation material for one with a lower environmental impact during the manufacturing process, but which also has lower insulation properties for a construction application, may prove to be counterproductive in terms of overall environmental improvement.

Eco-design is not just about the environment. Environmentally improved products need to make good business sense if they are to succeed. One has to make sure that you have a good understanding of the business case for environmentally improving products, before the start.

To get a better knowledge of the connection between these – and many other requirements it is essential that young people get the best education in these fields.

In Austria we have many possibilities, eg

Apprenticeship Training in Austria – The Dual System

In Austria apprenticeship training takes places at two different sites: company-based training of apprentices is complemented by compulsory attendance of a part-time vocational school for apprentices. Thus, apprenticeship training is also referred to as "dual vocational training system" or as "dual system".

The Apprenticeship Leave Certificate provides the apprentice with access to two different vocational careers. On the one hand it is a prerequisite for the admission to the Master Craftsman Exam and for qualification tests, and on the other hand it gives access to higher education via the TVE-Exam or the Higher Education Entrance Exam which are prerequisites for taking up studies at colleges, universities, "Fachhochschulen", post-secondary courses and post-secondary colleges.

Federal Higher Technical Institutes are technology and crafts orientated higher colleges in Austria. These institutions are an important part of Austrian vocational education and unique within Europe. HTLs specialise in engineering disciplines such as civil engineering, electronics, electrical engineering, information technology, informatics, Industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, chemistry and many others – and of course life cycle thinking is always part of the education.

Thank you for your attentions