Sustainability has found its way into a wide range of agendas and standards as an objective or requirement – CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), along with the EU Green Deal and its CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive) and EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) are probably the best-known buzzwords here. In such cases, sustainability is far more than just a regulatory framework – it is an essential principle for conducting future-proofed business.
Austrian companies have been showing – often, over many generations – how a successful balance can be struck between economic, ecological and social considerations, and how practising sustainability on such a basis can become a motor for innovation, competitiveness and social progress. In so doing, they are actively shaping an economy that is resource-friendly, resilient and ready for the future – so anyone looking for reliable partners to do responsible business and build long-term partnerships will find them in Austria.
Sustainable business is not just about protecting the environment and the climate, however; it informs how people are treated and is part of a firm’s long-term economic thinking. Only fair working conditions, opportunities for training and upskilling, family-friendly structures and regional creation of value can create a stable basis for economic and social progress, now and for generations to come.
Dealing sparingly with resources is a crucial factor for success here, and this is why the circular economy, the use of renewable energy sources and low-emission production processes are routinely employed in Austria. The vast majority of firms set great store by responsible resource management, energy-efficient technologies and sustainable innovation across the entire length of the value chain.
The advantages brought by sustainability are more than just ecological; joined-up thinking lends a commercial edge as well – such as through better preparation for new obligations, volatile markets and global challenges, thus boosting economic resilience.
Austria has thus opened up a market for international investors and cooperation partners that not only reacts to future developments but plays an active and positive role in shaping them.
Five firms from the green tech (#greentechaustria), smart factory, tourism, technology and creative sectors have been carefully selected to give an initial insight into the variety of ways sustainability is practised in Austria.
A World Expo is a unique showcase affording countries, regions and organisations an opportunity to come together and reflect on the pivotal global challenges of the future, make international connections and learn from one another.
With its motto “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, this year’s Expo in Osaka, Kansai, Japan is all about shaping the future responsibly.
Austria is responding with its central theme of “Composing the Future”, building a creative bridge between art, culture, innovation and commerce. Considerable space has been devoted to sustainable entrepreneurship in Austria’s pavilion, and here you will find visionary companies showing how entrepreneurial endeavour can actively help to shape the future in harmony with ecological and social responsibility – for everyone, and for all our lives.
