Targeted increase of recycling content in production

In Austria, circular thinking is long since no longer just an ideal, but a tangible operational issue:
How does production remain stable when raw material prices fluctuate, supply chains come under pressure and requirements for proof, quality and
climate balance grow? Many companies realize: Those who keep materials in circulation longer gain room to maneuver.
A higher recycling rate is not a “nice-to-have,” but a lever for costs, supply security, and predictability.

Recycling rates in production mean more than just “disposing of waste.” It means using recyclates in a targeted manner, avoiding losses
and designing material flows so that material can become material again – with clear standards and reliable partners.

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What “recycling rate in production” specifically means

The recycling rate in production is often mixed up with the recycling quota in waste management. In practice, the distinction is important:
Recycling quota describes how much waste is recovered. Recycling rate in production, on the other hand, means
how much of the material used comes from secondary sources or how much production material flows back into one's own process.

Anyone wanting to increase the rate typically works in three areas simultaneously:

• Input: Purchase more recyclates or reused components.
• Process: Reduce losses, rejects, and mixed fractions.
• Output: Separate, process, and document material so that it becomes usable again.

The decisive point: Recycling works best where materials do not disappear “somewhere,” but are treated as a valuable raw material.

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The most important levers in Austrian companies

Austria has a strong infrastructure in waste management and recovery. Nevertheless, potential remains untapped in many companies – not for lack of will, but because processes have grown historically: a container here, a collection point there, a “that's how we always do it.” The path to a higher recycling rate is often less a question of major investment
than of a clear sequence.

These levers are particularly reliable in practice:

• Increase material purity (less mixing, fewer rejects).
• Design decisions (material selection, connection technology, coating) geared toward recyclability.
• Plan for traceability: What comes back, how is it checked, how is it reused?
• Define quality criteria for recyclates (instead of “it'll probably be fine”).
• Utilize partnerships in the regional environment – short distances, clear agreements.

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Step 1: Make material flows visible

Without an overview, recycling becomes a gut feeling. Therefore, almost every successful program begins with a
material flow analysis: Which material types come in? Where do losses occur? Which fractions are
valuable – and which are “expensive” because they are mixed or contaminated?

A pragmatic approach for Austrian production sites:

• Create a Top 10 material list (quantity, costs, origin, area of application).
• Reject cards per line/station: Why does it occur, when, how much?
• Check separation points: Where is it mixed, where could it be separated earlier?
• Question container logic: Is the collection point located where the material is generated – or where there is space?

Often, it becomes clear after just a few days: The biggest lever is not “sorting more,” but mixing less.

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Step 2: Systematically increase the use of recyclates

Many companies want to use more recyclates – and then get stuck in discussions about: “quality,” “availability,”
“risk of complaints.” This is understandable. At the same time, the topic can be defused if it is treated as a
process and not as an article of faith.

Start recyclates where they carry the most weight

The easiest way to start is with applications that are less sensitive: packaging, transport aids,
secondary parts, non-visible components. From there, you can increase step by step.

Material and specification work instead of "trial & error"

Recyclates work best with defined requirements. These include:

• minimum technical values (e.g., strength, moisture, grain size, contaminant limit)
• test methods (how is it measured, how often, who documents it?)
• approval processes (what counts as a deviation, what is acceptable?)

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Step 3: Establish internal cycles

Internal cycles are often the fastest way to increase recycling content – because you can control the material quality
better. In many industries, these are classic examples:

• Residues and offcuts are collected separately and returned as a defined fraction.
• Waste is not "disposed of," but evaluated as raw material, tested, and reused.
• Reusable transport aids replace single-use solutions.

Organization is crucial: internal cycles rarely fail due to technology – more often due to
responsibilities. Who decides on the return? Who bears the risk? Who documents?
A clear process (with a responsible "owner") prevents good ideas from fizzling out in everyday life.

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Practical field: Wood & Logistics: Repair, reuse, recycling

Particularly in logistics, the circular economy is very concrete: A transport aid is either a consumable item –
or a circular product. For many companies, pallet repair is an underestimated lever:
Repaired pallets extend the service life and reduce the need for new goods. This relieves material usage
and makes procurement more predictable.

The second lever is orderly return: When pallets, wooden frames, or load carriers return,
sorting determines the value. Clean separation into "repairable," "reusable," and "to be recycled"
prevents good material from ending up in the wrong stream.

And finally, where reuse is no longer possible, there is the orderly path to wood recycling:
Wood residues become defined fractions that can be reused – instead of ending up as mixed material.
This seems unspectacular, but is often the difference between a cost center and a recyclable material.

For companies that work with wood or use wood logistics, a structured strategy of
reuse, repair, and recycling can bring particularly fast measurable effects.

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