With the Agenda 2030, the 193 member states of the United Nations agreed on an ambitious action plan. The goal is to achieve 17 goals that combine social, ecological, and economic sustainability - the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Measures to achieve all of these goals are extremely important to shape a sustainable future together. At Wastics, we specifically promote five of the goals with our solution.
Decent work and economic growth: Through Wastics - thanks to ecological and sustainable management of potential secondary raw materials - recycling activities in Austria are increased. Employment and value creation are generated, as well as economic benefits (in terms of cost efficiency). Thus, resource efficiency in consumption and production is improved and a contribution is made to decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
We aim to make the European industrial community more sustainable by calculating and assessing the environmental impact of industrial processes and promoting ecological waste management solutions. Through digital innovations, we also want to enable developing countries to realize industrial processes more efficiently and sustainably.
Most of Earth's resources are limited, and economically usable deposits are increasingly scarce. A significant portion of consumed resources is attributed to the production of goods. To make production more sustainable, fewer primary resources need to be used. One lever to meet this challenge of resource conservation is the use of waste as secondary raw materials in production. When a company disposes of its waste through Wastics, all possible treatment methods for the waste stream are identified. If economically feasible, the treatment method that generates the greatest material or raw material benefit from the waste is chosen, allowing the waste to be reused as a resource.
In Europe, the waste management sector generates 115.5 million tons of CO₂-equivalent (CO2e) greenhouse gas emissions annually. The amount of emitted greenhouse gases in waste management depends on waste transports and the applied treatment or disposal methods. Through the development of our own method, the ecoScan, Wastics can compare different waste disposal routes and treatment methods based on their environmental impacts. Thanks to Wastics, companies can always access the waste disposal solution with the lowest climate-damaging effects. Resource conservation and climate protection go hand in hand. By increasing resource efficiency, global greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by up to 63%. To increase resource efficiency, Wastics identifies the recycling potential of waste and enables an increased use of secondary materials to substitute primary resources. The extraction and processing of primary raw materials account for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions. This share can be reduced through the use of secondary materials.
In the treatment of waste, especially hazardous waste, substances other than greenhouse gases can also be emitted, some of which have acute potential for harm to humans and nature. Soils, water bodies, and biodiversity can also be affected to varying degrees by certain procedures. Since Wastics ensures optimized treatment of (hazardous) waste by assessing the environmental impacts of emitted pollutants using the ecoScan and always considering waste disposal as a last option, harmful effects on living beings as well as hazards and risks for future generations are avoided or reduced. These are measures to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biological diversity, and protect species.
With its “Seedfinancing - Innovative Solutions“ (creative, social and sustainable businesses) program, AWS finances and supports projects from all sectors in the further development of innovative start-up ideas that generate positive social added value and high market opportunities within the framework of scalable business models.At the end of 2022, Wastics received the “Seedfinancing - Innovative Solutions” grant through AWS
The greenstart program, initiated and funded by Klima- und Energiefonds, supports the development of green business ideas in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energies, mobility, and agriculture. Each year, the ten most promising startups in these areas are selected by an expert jury and admitted to the greenstart accelerator program.In May 2022, Wastics was selected as one of the TOP 10 startups and admitted to the Greenstart program
Since its establishment in 2002, INiTS has become the high-tech business incubator of the city of Vienna and one of the best academic incubators worldwide. INiTS supports high-performance startups in research, technology, and innovation and has become a driving force in the Austrian startup ecosystem. Admission to one of INiTS' programs is an indicator of a startup's exceptional quality and significantly increases its chances of success.In March 2022, Wastics was admitted to the INiTS incubation program
Since 2016, the Startup Service of FH Campus Wien has been supporting students, alumni, and staff in developing ideas and promoting entrepreneurial spirit.The centerpiece of the Startup Service is the one-year pre-incubation program called “Startup Corner”, which offers extensive support from experts and mentors, as well as a broad network for startups.Wastics has been supported by FH Campus Wien since December 2021
Every year, the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) awards the BOKU Start-up Prize to startups with a BOKU connection for the best idea that led to a founding. The prize is awarded for outstanding and/or exemplary achievements in developing new business concepts, startups with a social impact, contributions to achieving the SDGs, or innovative ideas. Wastics impressed the jury with its business concept.In October 2022, Wastics received the BOKU Start-up Prize 2022