Revolutionary exhibition in Vienna: More than Recycling” illuminates the future!

Revolutionary exhibition in Vienna: More than Recycling” illuminates the future!

On June 18, 2025, the special exhibition “More than Recycling” opened its doors in the Vienna Technical Museum. This exhibition aims to raise awareness of the topic of circular economy and its importance for our daily lives. The implementation takes place through interactive media stations and creative spatial productions that bring visitors closer to solutions to current environmental and social problems.

A central aim of the exhibition is to address the use of resources. The question that plays a role is how we can treat areas of life such as nutrition, living, clothing and electronics more respectfully in our everyday lives. In the spirit of the circular economy, which is becoming increasingly important in countries like Austria and beyond, the aim is to show how important it is to avoid mountains of waste and to use resources cleverly. Research projects and exhibits from the museum collection combine here to create an impressive experience that illuminates the topic on several levels.

Interactive experiences and innovative approaches

Particular attention is paid to innovative solutions such as wooden Velcro fasteners or rental brick walls, which are presented in the exhibition. Those interested can engage interactively with an automatic gripper on recycling problems or develop their own visions of the future through the “Utopia Path”. Such elements are intended to show that each individual can contribute to improving our environment.

“More than Recycling” will be on view until December 30, 2026. To mark the opening, an upcycling fashion show by students from KunstModeDesign Herbststraße took place on June 17, 2025. This creative touch not only combines fashion with sustainability, but also encourages discussion about one's own consumer behavior.

The need for a circular economy

The circular economy is an important concept that aims to decouple economic growth from the consumption of natural resources. In today's way of life, which consumes a lot of raw materials and generates waste in industrialized countries, this requirement is becoming more and more pressing. The need for resources is also growing in developing and emerging countries, which further exacerbates the global problem. An increase in resource efficiency is therefore essential.

As highlighted in the BMBF, the areas of raw materials, land and water are crucial for the realization of a circular economy. Innovative product solutions such as circularly designed smartphones and modules for electric vehicles show that there are solutions through which products can be used for longer and valuable resources can be conserved.

Acute challenges caused by waste production

According to Eurostat, raw material extraction and processing have significant environmental impacts, particularly in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and water stress. The waste we produce is increasingly one of the biggest challenges. Wasted food, for example, not only has a negative impact on the climate, but also on the economy.

Monitoring material consumption and waste generation are key indicators for measuring progress towards a circular economy. The aim is to reduce material consumption and thus minimize waste generation in a circular economy.

The “More than Recycling” exhibition therefore offers an important platform for education and discussion about these pressing issues and encourages visitors to become an active part of a more sustainable future.