“70 to 80 percent of the population are willing to buy products that had a previous owner – if they can be sure that the products have been professionally checked and they can enjoy the security of a 12-month guarantee,” says Windischhofer. In addition to the good feeling of buying sustainably, the price saving of up to 40 percent compared to new goods is decisive for the purchase. The long-term goal of the Austrian marketplace is to be able to offer its customers all products for the home that have been refurbished and come with a minimum 12-month guarantee and a 30-day right of return.
“The demand for household appliances makes us feel positive and the nicest side effect is that the more original manufacturers are committed to the refurbishment of their own products, the more attention will be paid to repairability during production in the future. Everyone benefits from this,” says Windischhofer about the positive momentum of the circular economy.
Join the Feronia Prize
The Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, together with Oberbank and the state of Upper Austria, are awarding a sustainability prize called Feronia. Until February 4th be able companies or cultural and other initiatives submit in four categories.
Those who have already applied include:
Kias recycling from Ohlsdorf in the category “sustainable through and through”. A rubber granulation and grinding plant was set up at the Ohlsdorf site, which disposes of around half of the used tires in Austria (30,000 tons) in an environmentally friendly manner and also reprocesses them in the interests of sustainable resource use. The resulting rubber powder and granules can be processed into new products. Used tires also serve as a substitute fuel and save primary fossil energy such as coal and gas. The wire in the tire is melted back into steel.
The small business Grünberger Vault GmbH from Grünbach an der Steyr lives the aspect of sustainability by preserving or renovating buildings as cultural heritage. BThe choice of building materials and the use of old handicraft techniques such as vault construction, plastering techniques or renovation techniques show the sustainable orientation of the company. The strategic goal of the company is to build buildings with a high value of craftsmanship quality paired with sustainable building materials in the future. These buildings should continue to be built in Austria and throughout Europe and cultural heritage in Central Europe should be preserved.
Examples of the craftsmanship are the parsonage design in Gallneukirchen (design of the outer facade), the reconstruction of the Yellow Stairs in the Imperial Residence in Munich, the renovation of churches in the Mühlviertel (e.g. new floors) and the reconstruction of the vaulted cellar in the former monastery in Windhaag near Perg (new construction of the formerly existing vaults that were bombed during World War II).
That Social enterprise Assista GmbH in Altenhof with around 500 employees applied for the Feronia Prize in the “Social – Responsibility for Generations” category because of its “exemplary use of natural resources and climate protection”. The company looks after people with physical and multiple disabilities. Many projects have already been implemented, the construction of our own PV system with around 480 kWh per year will start by March, the connection to the local wood chip system has already taken place, heat recovery in the laundry and the canteen kitchen supplies itself with fruit, vegetables, Milk and meat mainly from regional suppliers.
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Source: Nachrichten