The award for young scientists was presented for the 17th time. The main prize went to Caroline Roithner/TU Vienna. With the evaluation methodology she developed for the recyclability of products, she creates the conditions for more sustainable product design. In addition to the TU Vienna, BOKU Vienna, Montanuniversität Leoben and the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences also took part this year for the first time. Yesterday evening the award winners were honored at a ceremony in the Landhausschiff in St. Pölten. How recyclable is a product? To date, the recycling rate has been used as the only comparable benchmark for successful recycling. Although this value provides quantification, it says nothing about the quality of the recycled material created during the recycling process. In her dissertation, environmental award winner Caroline Roithner found a solution using statistical entropy to additionally qualitatively evaluate the recycling performance based on the material composition. The new indicator enables meaningful comparisons between different recycling processes and is therefore an important addition to the traditional recycling rate. The innovative method can already be used in product design and shows how well a product can be recycled at the end of its life cycle. This creates the best conditions for more sustainable product development. The findings of this and the other winning papers support the EU circular economy goals of improving overall recycling performance and protecting the climate.

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