The 2025 exhibition
“More Than Recycling” at the Vienna Technical Museum explores the full potential of the circular economy, highlighting how rethinking design, production, and consumption can lead to more sustainable futures. Moving beyond
recycling, it showcases interactive installations, breakthrough research, and real-life innovations, from algae-based textiles to modular buildings, all designed with reuse in mind. The exhibition itself embraces circularity, using repurposed materials from past exhibits to walk the talk of sustainable transformation—an area of strong focus across the
seven pillars of
Sustainability Global.
More Than Recycling Exhibition: An Overview
The Vienna Technical Museum (Technisches Museum Wien) launched More Than Recycling, a transformative More Than Recycling exhibition in June 2025, running until December 30, 2026. This circular economy showcase moves beyond traditional recycling, demonstrating how reuse, repair, and innovative technologies can shift from a “throw-away” culture to a sustainable, resource-efficient model. Spanning over 22,000 m², it combines interactive displays, historical artifacts, and cutting-edge solutions to engage visitors in rethinking consumption across sectors like clothing, electronics, and food.
Key Features of the More Than Recycling Exhibition
Interactive Displays and Innovations:
The More Than Recycling exhibition features hands-on stations showcasing Austrian and global innovations. For instance, EnzATex uses enzymes to recycle mixed textiles, tackling fiber separation for sustainable fashion. Nanoweb, derived from tissue paper waste, removes organic pollutants at trace levels (e.g., 5 ppm), advancing water purification. Visitors discover innovations such as carbon electrodes made from wood rather than petroleum, recyclable mattresses by MATR that help reduce landfill waste, and Refurbed’s refurbished electronics, which cut e-waste by nearly 600,000 kilograms. An interactive gripper machine playfully demonstrates the challenges of plastic recycling, making the experience more engaging. Historical Context:
“A ‘wall of objects’ traces the transition from the fossil fuel era to modern circular practices, showcasing items like an old egg cooker. This thought-provoking display invites visitors to reflect on what defines ‘waste’ versus ‘cultural asset,’ linking past patterns of consumption to today’s sustainability efforts.
Future Simulator:
The immersive “Future Simulator” lets visitors make choices on consumption, production, and waste, projecting outcomes 30 years ahead. This interactive “Utopienpfad” highlights how decisions shape a sustainable future.
Sustainable Design:
The exhibition itself is a ‘recycling product,’ constructed using architectural elements from previous displays. This approach reduces the need for new materials and physically embodies the principles of circular design.
Why It Matters
Visitor Experience
This circular economy showcase at Austria’s largest science and technology museum offers guided tours, augmented reality (AR) experiences via the museum’s app (with a 10% admission discount), and puzzle hunts for all ages. Tickets cost €18 online, and exhibits on robotics, plastics, and mobility make sustainability engaging.
Vienna’s Role in Circular Innovation
Vienna has become a leading hub for circular economy innovation. This progress is driven by startups like MATR and Refurbed, along with pioneering research from institutions such as Montanuniversität Leoben. The More Than Recycling exhibition, supported by partners like Wiener Netze and Greiner AG, highlights these efforts, reinforced by events like ViennaUP 2025.
Plan Your Visit
Location: Vienna Technical Museum, Mariahilfer Straße 212, 1140 Vienna, Austria
Events: Includes an upcycling fashion show (June 17, 2025) and workshops with Business Upper Austria.
Tip: Use the AR app for discounts and enhanced experiences.
Why Visit More Than Recycling?
The More Than Recycling exhibition, a leading circular economy showcase, inspires sustainable action. From Nanoweb’s water purification to EnzATex’s textile recycling and MATR’s circular mattresses, it showcases practical solutions to global challenges. Visitors learn to reduce waste, support repair culture, and embrace eco-friendly practices, contributing to a circular economy that redefines resource use for a greener future.
