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On November 21, 2024, the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, will host a fireside chat about the circular economy and its potential to transform industries in a technology-driven, resource-constrained world. This event is part of ongoing research projects such as FOODIS Interreg Italia – Austria 2021-2027, CEFoodCycle Interreg Alpine Space, and TEX-DAN, all of which are pushing the boundaries of food and textile sustainability.

Speakers:
Diana Reuter, MBA, founder of rundumblick e.U. and Head of Sustainability & Innovation at Gebrüder WOERLE Ges.m.b.H.
Nadine Schratzberger, MA, founder of the sustainable fashion label MONTREET.

📍 Location: FH Salzburg, Campus Urstein, Puch/Salzburg
📅 Date & Time: November 21, 2024, at 5:00 PM

Here is the link to the event poster. And here is the link to the  registration.

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Image credit: AI-generated

This study examines the path towards climate-neutral energy supply and the associated challenges and potentials in the context of neighborhoods in peripheral settlement areas.

It highlights the paradigm shift from centralized to decentralized energy supply, focusing on aspects such as the development of energy infrastructure, the pursuit of energy self-sufficiency, the improvement of energy efficiency, and the implementation of energy storage systems. Societal challenges in the implementation of decentralized renewable energy systems are discussed, including the harmonization of different interests and the potentials of energy communities as alternative social forms.

Using the example of peripheral settlement areas in Salzburg, the contribution of neighborhoods to achieving climate goals is examined, presenting both methodological approaches and empirical results from a technical simulation and a survey. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations for the further development and implementation of decentralized renewable energy supply systems are derived.

You can find the full report here.

More than one billion tons of food are wasted worldwide each year, according to a United Nations study. This amounts to almost one-fifth of global production. The EU project  Interreg Alpine Space CEFoodCycle, led by FH Salzburg, addresses this issue, with the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (Department of Business Administration / Marketing) also participating for the Salzburg region. The international research project advocates for measures against food waste. As part of the project, the CEFoodCycle Award was presented to companies pursuing new ideas in the food circular economy.

“The international and interdisciplinary project CEFoodCycle aims to connect stakeholders in the food sector and support them on the path towards a circular economy. For this reason, we established the CEFoodCycle Award to showcase flagship projects in the Alpine region to a broad audience,” explains Eva Lienbacher, who leads the entire project from FH Salzburg, Department Business & Tourism. Companies, start-ups, and initiatives planning or already implementing a project in the food sector to reduce food waste could participate in the award. A total of 35 projects from the five participating partner countries (Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and France) were submitted. A winner was selected from each country, and the award ceremony took place on May 22, 2024, at the Hofburg in Brixen, South Tyrol.

Christine Vallaster from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg explains: “Together with our partners, we are establishing so-called ‘Circular Food Hubs’ in the Salzburg-Bavaria area. At CEFoodCycle, efforts towards a circular economy in the food sector are consolidated. Potentials are identified to find the best approaches to reduction and promote sustainable practices in the food sector. For our Marketing unit, the circular economy is one of our core topics, with questions about how marketing changes in its understanding in the context of ecological transformation. Therefore, CEFoodCycle is an extremely important project for us.”

The winners of the CEFoodCycle Award are:
– Austria and Germany, Circular Food Hub Salzburg-Bavaria: The winner is the company Stiegl, which, in collaboration with easyVEGAN, produces meat substitutes from natural spent grain.
– Italy, Circular Food Hub Alto Adige: Garum Project. The start-up produces a sustainable, healthy seasoning ingredient for gastronomy and industry through the fermentation of by-products.
– Italy, Circular Food Hub Piemonte: The Horizon 2020 project FUSILLI aims to transform the urban food system through the implementation of Innovative Living Labs.
– Slovenia, Circular Food Hub Gorenjska: The winner is Souvenir L.t.d. House Linhart, which ensures that all ingredients are used and composted in the tourism sector.
– France, Circular Food Hub Alpes-Maritimes: The winner is the startup Tripluch, a digital platform promoting the reuse of organic waste.

Matthias Glaser of University of Salzburg and his co-authors Hans Baumgartner of Penn State University and Yung Kyun Choi of Dongguk University investigated the underlying psychological processes.

Narrative ads tell stories to communicate with consumers; the persuasive power of narrative ads depends on whether they succeed in transporting viewers into their story world. Previous research has shown that subjective comprehension promotes transportation, which in turn improves brand attitudes, and that a strong link between the product and the story enhances subjective comprehension. We test this extended transportation-imagery model in two studies conducted in a Western European and an East Asian country and provide evidence for its (cross-cultural) generalizability. We also propose that individual differences in need for closure (people’s tolerance for ambiguity and desire for definitive answers) moderate the relationship between subjective comprehension and transportation and, as a result, influence the extent to which a strong product-story link increases product attitudes via subjective comprehension and transportation. Support for the predicted moderator effect is obtained primarily in the Western European country.

Click the link below to view a video summary of this research. 
In English:  https://youtu.be/mYiHkidYPxA
In German:  https://youtu.be/C5c-cG1kjF4
In French:  https://youtu.be/qkHA7sZuGBs

Link to article:  https:/ /www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf /10.1086/727833

(Image credit: AI generated image using Midjourney by Matthias Glaser)

On March 14, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Bibliotheksaula, the inaugural lecture by Univ.-Prof. Christine Vallaster titled ‘Companies and Consumers in the Focus of Circular Economy: It Takes ‘Two to Tango’’ took place. A video of the inaugural lecture was created by Mag. Karl Rothauer for UniTV, Salzburg University Television, and is available under  UniTV_Inaugural_Lecture_Vallaster.

On February 29, 2024, Cornelia Huis, a doctoral student of Professor Vallaster, delivered a lecture at the administrative office of the Biosphere Region BGL. In front of approximately 15 employees, she addressed the question of whether the circular economy leads us to a greener world and explored how it might do so.

The focus of the lecture was on the importance of sustainable consumption and the efficient use of resources. Through specific examples from companies that embrace circular economy principles, the opportunities and challenges of this sustainable approach were conveyed.

The event provided a platform for stimulating discussions, where participants exchanged experiences, thoughts, and ideas about the possibilities offered by a circular economy. Particularly intense discussions revolved around practical implementation and the potential benefits of this approach.

For more details about the lecture, you can find information here!

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Image credit: Pixabay_anncapictures