More precise, faster, cheaper: researchers all over the world have been working for years on producing electrical circuits using additive processes such as robotic 3-printing ("robocasting") - with great success, although this is now becoming a problem. The metal particles that make such "inks" electrically conductive are exacerbating the problem of electronic waste. Especially as the mass is likely to increase in future in view of new types of "disposable sensors", some of which are only in use for a few days.

Unnecessary waste, thinks Gustav Nyström, head of Empa's Cellulose & Wood Materials department: "There is an urgent need for materials that strike a balance between electronic performance, cost and sustainability." To develop an environmentally friendly ink, Nyström's team therefore set ambitious goals: metal-free, non-toxic, biodegradable. And with an eye on practical applications: easily malleable and stable to moisture and moderate heat.

With carbon and shellac

Tests with real applications

To meet the requirements, the researchers tinkered intensively with the recipe for their ink. They tested two sizes of graphite platelets: with 40 micrometers and with 7 to 10 micrometers in length. Many variations were also needed in the mixing ratio of graphite and carbon black, because too much carbon black makes the material brittle - with the risk of cracks when the ink dries. By optimizing the formulation and the relative composition of the components, the team was able to develop several variants of the ink that can be used in different 2D and 3D printing processes.

"The biggest challenge was to achieve high electrical conductivity," says the researcher involved, Xavier Aeby, "while at the same time forming a gel-like network of carbon, graphite and shellac." The team investigated how this material behaves in practice in several steps. For example, with a tiny test cuboid: 15 superimposed grids from the 3D printer - made of fine strands just 0.4 millimeters in diameter. This showed that the ink also satisfies demanding processes such as robocasting.

In order to prove its suitability for real components, the researchers constructed, among other things, a sensor for deformations: a thin PET strip with an ink structure printed on it, whose electrical resistance changed precisely with varying degrees of bending. In addition, tests for tensile strength, stability under water and other properties showed promising results - and so the research team is confident that the new material, which has already been patented, could prove itself in practice. "We hope that this ink system can be used for applications in sustainable printed electronics," says Gustav Nyström, "for example, for conductive tracks and sensor elements in smart packaging and biomedical devices or in the field of food and environmental sensing."

In addition, the risk of attack remains: Hackers can still be on the network or gain access again by installing a backdoor. In some cases, ransomware serves cybercriminals as a mere diversionary tactic, for example, to infiltrate spyware into the corporate network. Thus, even if the data is restored with almost no downtime, the damage of a ransomware attack can remain considerable or even existential.

The question is therefore not just what malware the attackers place in a company, but how they have infiltrated the company. Because if ransomware was able to penetrate the network, there are obviously gaps in the defenses. And these need to be closed in the long term.

Comprehensive strategy against cyber attacks

Companies that want to prevent infiltration by attackers need the right products, processes and security experts. Ali Carl Gülerman, CEO and General Manager at Radar Cyber Security, begins by explaining basic best practices for taking precautions:

1. identify the most important company data and assets: Whether intellectual property, trade secrets, login information or customer data: This is what attackers are after. Companies must therefore identify their most sensitive data and know exactly where it is. Once the data has been classified, it should be tagged and access restrictions placed on it. If those responsible know exactly which of their data is particularly valuable, they can protect it specifically against attacks.

2. train employees against social engineering: Educating and sensitizing employees is one of the most important measures for corporate security. Email phishing is still the most common method of spreading ransomware. Therefore, it is important that employees know how to recognize phishing attempts. Companies need to define simple processes that allow employees to report them to the company's security officers.

3. security technologies: Email security filters, antivirus software, and firewalls help block known, common strains of malware. Organizations should also deploy Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) solutions to optimize ransomware detection and blocking.

4. keep operating systems and applications up to date: Unpatched operating systems and applications are easy prey for attackers and a bridgehead for further attacks. Therefore, companies must ensure that their operating systems and software are always patched with the latest updates.

5. disable macros: A number of ransomware strains are sent as Microsoft Office attachments. When a user opens the attachment, they are prompted to enable macros to view the contents of the document. Once the user enables macros, the actual ransomware payload is downloaded and executed. Therefore, macros must be disabled by default, and employees must be informed that a request to enable macros is a warning signal.

6. manage access rights: Users should only have as many access rights as they need to perform their tasks. Administrative rights should be restricted as much as possible. In addition, it should be ensured that administrative users must confirm all actions that require elevated rights.

7. segment networks: Network segmentation provides damage limitation in the event of a ransomware infection. This prevents the malware from spreading throughout the entire corporate network.

8. penetration testing: Penetration testing gives companies the opportunity to find vulnerabilities in the system and fix them before they can be exploited by attackers. Penetration tests should be performed at least once a year. A penetration test can also be useful when a major change is made to the company network, such as changing the operating system or adding a new server.

9. backup as a last safety net: Backups that are regularly performed and tested for functionality are a necessary part of the security architecture. They also help to keep business processes available. The well-known 3-2-1 strategy is recommended for backups: This recommends three copies of the data to be protected on two different types of storage media. One of the copies is located offsite or offline. However, backups are only ever the last safety net when everything else has already gone wrong and are by no means a satisfactory security strategy on their own.

10. practice the emergency: Organizations should conduct a simulated ransomware incident and practice the recovery processes. One of the key things here is to determine how much time it will take for the organization to become fully operational again. These exercises show managers what they need to focus on to improve their recovery processes. Often forgotten: Emergency preparedness also requires the development of an internal and external communications strategy. Those who communicate clearly in an emergency are perceived as reliable partners and suppliers.

24/7 security guards strengthen cyber resilience

When it comes to protecting against cyberattacks, most organizations lack personnel and expertise. For comprehensive prevention against such attacks, including ransomware, and rapid response, organizations should consider a dedicated Cyber Defense Center or CDC as a Service, as it can greatly strengthen their cyber resilience. Thousands of cyber threats are created every minute. Technology can filter out many of the known threats. But only a Cyber Defense Center with 24/7 service can help organizations analyze the vast number of alerts, new threats, and anomalies that technical security infrastructure identifies.

A Cyber Defense Center - also known as a Security Operations Center (SOC) - combines IT security experts, processes and technologies. At the CDC, trained experts continuously examine Internet traffic, networks, desktops, servers, endpoints, databases, applications and other IT systems for signs of a security incident. As a company's security command center, the CDC is thus responsible for continuously monitoring, analyzing and optimizing the security situation in order to quickly detect attacks and initiate appropriate countermeasures in the event of a security breach.

Ransomware will remain one of the biggest security risks for companies. One measure alone is not enough to protect against it. But with a layered approach of ongoing employee training, robust processes to ensure business continuity, modern technologies and professional help from security experts, the risks and potential consequences of extortionist attacks can be significantly mitigated.

For more info: Radar Cyber Security

Other topics:

Cyber risks: New recommendations of the federal government

Cyber insurance for emergencies

Under current law, originals of public deeds must be produced as paper documents. The Federal Council is now proposing that in future the original of a public document may also be produced in electronic form. Based on the results of the consultation process, the Federal Council has dispensed with the obligation to produce originals in electronic form that was still envisaged in the preliminary draft. The draft law only regulates the principles for the creation of electronic public documents. The detailed implementing provisions are to be regulated at ordinance level, as the Federal Council recently announced.

Store e-originals in central register of documents

If the federal government has its way, the electronic originals of public documents should in future be stored in a central register of documents. The stored documents would be kept securely there. In addition, they would remain legible in the long term and any forgeries would be easy to prove. The central register of documents is to be operated by the Confederation. The cost of setting up and developing the system is estimated at CHF 10 million. Operation will cost around CHF 3 million per year and, after a start-up phase, will be financed through fees, according to the statement. 

At its meeting on 17 December 2021, the Federal Council took note of the results of the consultation on the bill on digital authentication and adopted the dispatch on the new Federal Act on Digitisation in the Notarial Profession (DNG) adopted for the attention of Parliament.

Source: Confederation

• Consultation results 
• Message 
• Draft 

With a little ironic digression into biblical Genesis, Swiss Cyber Security Days (SCSD) 2022 focuses on the crossroads between utopia and dystopia: In the beginning was nothingness, then came man. They created the machine, separated space from cyberspace and saw that it was good. The fifth dimension awoke, and then the machine saw that it was good! As the so-called metaverse expands into all areas of society, expanding the fifth dimension, the aspect of security becomes more important. For example, the Covid 19 pandemic is not only the biggest digitalization accelerator, but also a catalyst for crime. The number of known serious security breaches in Switzerland has more than doubled since the outbreak of the pandemic, from over 42,000 in 2019 to just under 114,000 currently. 

In addition to an adapted concept with a combination of exhibition space and conference rooms on one level, visitor guidance for SCSD 2022 will also be optimised with an online platform and knowledge transfer better integrated. In the primary conference part, in addition to ongoing news, the focus will be on this fifth dimension and its currently primarily profit-oriented influence on society, health, politics, the economy and the individual.

Cybersecurity for SMEs

Planned for April 6, 2022, under the heading "National Security" is a report on the state of the nation and areas such as military, police and international relations. In the afternoon, the focus will be on global industrial policy and a contribution on the US. On April 7, organizers will focus on cybersecurity in the Swiss economy, particularly among SMEs, prevention and the insurance industry, and the potential of domestic innovation in cyber. High-profile keynotes from national and international opinion leaders are planned for the afternoon of 7 April. As usual, vertical elements such as finance, healthcare, mobility and industrial production will also be incorporated into the topics.

For more info on the event: www.swisscybersecuritydays.ch

After around five successful years as managing director of digitalswitzerland Nicolas Bürer will be taking a new professional direction, according to the organisation. Bürer will leave the location initiative in January 2022. Since 2016, he has served as managing director of the organization, which has expanded nationwide under his leadership and now counts 240 organizations as partners. Last year, Bürer was also responsible for the operational merger with the umbrella organisation of the Swiss ICT industry "ICTswitzerland", digitalswitzerland also writes.

By its own admission, the organisation's goal is to position Switzerland as a global leader in digital innovation. "I would like to sincerely thank Nicolas for his commitment to digitalswitzerland," says President Sascha Zahnd. "He has successfully developed the initiative and transformed what was once a regional vision for Zurich into a nationwide and now even global movement - putting us in a solid position for the future. For his next professional chapter, I already wish Nicolas only the best and I am pleased that he will continue to support digitalswitzerland in an advisory capacity."

Digital expert Stefan Metzger

The management of digitalswitzerland will be taken over by digital expert Stefan Metzger. Most recently, Metzger was Country Managing Director of the Swiss business of the global IT consulting firm Cognizant, which serves major clients in banking and finance, insurance, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, as well as retail and consumer goods. According to information, Metzger has been involved with digitalswitzerland for a year and was a member of the Executive Committee. "A country's digital competence and innovative strength are becoming central to every country," says digitalswitzerland founder and Ringier CEO Marc Walder. "With Stefan Metzger, we are gaining a proven expert in the field of digital transformation, especially one with global experience. digitalswitzerland has grown to become Switzerland's most relevant location initiative over the past six years. Metzger will continue to drive this development."

Deputy becomes Diana Engetschwiler

Diana Engetschwiler, head of the Swiss Digitaltag, which was launched five years ago, will become deputy managing director of digitalswitzerland at the beginning of 2022. She succeeds Sébastien Kulling, who is moving to the digitalswitzerland Foundation as Managing Director. Over the past four years, Kulling has played a key role in the expansion of digitalswitzerland in French-speaking Switzerland. 

Our current electronic infrastructure is based primarily on semiconductors. This class of materials emerged around the middle of the 20th century and has been improved ever since. Among the most important challenges currently facing semiconductor electronics are further improvements that would increase the bandwidth of data transmission, energy efficiency and information security. Incorporating quantum effects is likely to bring about a breakthrough in this regard.

Quantum effects, which can occur in superconducting materials, are particularly conceivable here. Superconductors are materials in which the electrical resistance disappears as soon as they are cooled to a certain temperature. The fact that quantum effects can also be exploited in superconductors has already been demonstrated in the first quantum computers.

In order to find possible successors for today's semiconductor electronics, some researchers - including a group at Cornell University - are investigating so-called heterostructures, i.e. structures made of two different types of materials. More specifically, they are interested in layered systems of superconducting and semiconducting materials. "It has been known for a long time that you have to choose materials with very similar crystal structures so that there is no tension in the crystal lattice at the contact surface," explains John Wright, who produced the heterostructures for the new study at Cornell University.

Two suitable materials in this respect are the superconductor niobium nitride (NbN) and the semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN). The latter already plays an important role in semiconductor electronics and is therefore already well researched. Until now, however, it was unclear how exactly the electrons behave at the contact surface of these two materials - and whether it is possible that the electrons from the semiconductor interfere with the superconductivity and thus cancel out the quantum effects.

"When I came across the research of the group at Cornell, I knew: Here at PSI we can find the answer to this fundamental question with our spectroscopic methods at the ADRESS beamline," explains Vladimir Strocov, a researcher at the Swiss Synchrotron Light Source SLS at PSI.

This is how the two groups came to work together. In their experiments, they finally found that the electrons in both materials keep to themselves. No unwanted interactions take place that could hinder the quantum effects.

Synchrotron light reveals the electronic structures

The PSI researchers used a method established at the ADRESS beamline of the SLS: Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy using soft X-rays - abbreviated SX-ARPES in English. "This method allows us to visualize the collective motion of electrons in the material," explains Tianlun Yu, a postdoctoral researcher on Vladimir Strocov's team who performed the measurements on the NbN/GaN heterostructure. Together with Wright, Yu is first author of the new publication.

The SX-ARPES method provides a kind of map whose spatial coordinates show the energy of the electrons in one direction and something like their velocity in the other; more precisely, their momentum. "In this representation, the electronic states show up as bright bands in the map," Yu explains. The crucial research result: at the material boundary between the niobium nitride NbN and the gallium nitride GaN, the respective "bands" are clearly separated from each other. From this, the researchers were able to read: The electrons remain in their original material and do not interact with the electrons in the neighbouring material.

"The most important conclusion for us is that superconductivity in niobium nitride remains undisturbed even when this is suitably deposited atom by atom on a layer of gallium nitride," says Vladimir Strocov. "This allowed us to provide another piece of the puzzle that confirms: This layer system could indeed give rise to a new form of semiconductor electronics that embeds and exploits the quantum effects in superconductors."

Original publication: Momentum-resolved electronic structure and band offsets in an epitaxial NbN/GaN superconductor/semiconductor heterojunction; T. Yu, J. Wright, G. Khalsa, B. Pamuk, C. S. Chang, Y. Matveyev, X. Wang, T. Schmitt, D. Feng, D. A. Muller, H. G. Xing, D. Jena, V. N. Strocov; Science Advances, 22 December 2021 (online) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi5833

Maria and Daniel have signed up for the online delivery service of a supermarket chain and in return have agreed to the company's data usage conditions - a long document that is difficult to understand. From now on, to their annoyance, the family receives almost daily advertisements, not only from the supermarket chain, but also from its subsidiary company. "Are they allowed to do that?" ask Maria and Daniel.

Maria, Daniel and their newsletter are of course fictitious. But presumably everyone knows such examples from everyday life. "Consumers often don't know what companies are allowed to do with their data and how they can defend themselves against unwanted use of this data," says lawyer Michiel Van Roey, co-founder of Profila, an international platform specialising in data privacy, customer loyalty and marketing.

The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Profila are working on a joint project to change this: The researchers want to provide Maria and Daniel with a kind of "AI lawyer" who supports them with expert advice. The lawyer will take the form of a chatbot app for smartphones, comparable to digital assistants such as Siri or Alexa. 

The chatbot will provide users with information on how companies use their data in the form of questions and answers that are easy to understand. It can also help them manage their data: "It should be easier for consumers to decide for themselves who has access to their personal data and what it is used for," says Michel Van Roey (e-mail michiel@profila.com) - in the case of Maria and Daniel, whether a subsidiary of the supermarket chain is allowed to send them advertising.

"Legal answers must be precise"

Behind the AI lawyer is an intelligent database being developed at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The research team led by Alexander Denzler from the Department of Computer Science is "feeding" the database's algorithm with a total of almost one million documents, ranging from legal cases and court rulings to data usage guidelines from authorities and associations to companies' general terms and conditions. The more data the system has at its disposal, the better it learns to respond to specific cases, as Denzler explains. 

For computer science researchers, speech recognition poses a particular challenge. This is because most users do not know the legal terminology. "Our artificial intelligence still has to be able to understand what legal issues are behind a question," says Denzler. "When it comes to legal questions, the answers have to be precise."

In case of doubt, the human being takes over

To ensure that the AI lawyer functions properly and does not turn out to be a digital shyster, Profila's lawyers will put the database through its paces by means of test questions. A first version that can reliably understand and answer questions should be ready in the summer of 2022. The more the program is used, the more new cases and thus new data it will be able to access. 

Alexander Denzler emphasises that there will always be situations where the AI lawyer will not be able to provide a satisfactory answer because the questions are too specific or have never been asked before. Thus, the AI simply lacks reference data. 

In such cases, the chatbot will present users with a short list of female lawyers in the appropriate field who can provide timely information for a fee that is expected to be around CHF 10 per question. The expertise of these professionals will be determined by their CVs as well as their previous activities on the app.

Project funding by the federal government

Once the smart database is ready, the research team will start to build a network of lawyers who will participate in the Profila app. The goal is to complete the project by 2023. The first version of the app will only understand German questions. If it proves successful, Alexander Denzler and Michiel Van Roey hope to develop a version for other national markets in a second step. 

The federal innovation agency Innosuisse is funding the two-year project with CHF 550,000. The total project volume is 950,000 Swiss francs.

Press release Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Computer Science

On 7 March 2021, the Swiss people rejected the Federal Act on Electronic Identification Services. As a result, an informal public consultation was held from 2 September to 14 October 2021. According to the information provided, around 60 comments were received.

Focus on data protection and data sovereignty

Based on the results of the consultation, the Federal Council has defined principles for the design of a future state E-ID: Users of the e-ID should have the greatest possible control over their data (self-sovereign identity). Data protection should be ensured, among other things, by the system itself (privacy by design), but also by minimising the necessary data flows (principle of data economy) and decentralised data storage. 

The e-ID is to be based on a state-operated infrastructure, according to the report. It could be available to public and private bodies for issuing various digital credentials. The expansion could take place gradually. Examples of applications include extracts from criminal records, driving licences, university diplomas or medical prescriptions. Pilot projects are being discussed for individual possible applications: For example, the Federal Roads Office and the Association of Road Traffic Offices would like to launch an electronic driver's licence. The Federal Chancellery, in turn, is examining the feasibility of a new electronic ID card for federal employees (proof of concept ePerso) in collaboration with the Federal Personnel Office.

Draft legislation by mid-2022

With this decision, the Federal Council is also taking into account the demands of various parliamentary initiatives. As part of the preparation of the consultation draft, various points such as the issuing process and the scope of the operation of the e-ID infrastructure by the state would be examined in detail. In addition, the various aspects of data protection and data security would be worked out with experts from the scientific community. Technological developments will be taken into account by formulating the law in a technology-neutral manner. The consultation on the new law is expected to be opened in mid-2022.

Source: Confederation

Modern forms of organisation, digital technologies such as virtual reality or artificial intelligence, and the networking of processes and data can turn the hospital into an intelligent system and increase quality and efficiency. For three and a half years, a consortium led by the ZHAW is researching how this transformation to the hospital of the future can be implemented - together with four other research partners, around 20 hospitals and 24 industry partners. According to the ZHAW, the research project "Smart Hospital - Integrated Framework, Tools & Solutions" (SHIFT) will run until June 2025. It has a total budget of 5.7 million Swiss francs and is supported as a flagship project by Innosuisse, the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion. 

Guide to digitization 

Hospitals are the central and largest players in the healthcare system in terms of costs. "Accordingly, we have a particularly effective lever here to better tap the potential of digitalisation. Within the framework of SHIFT, we can, in a sense, develop a blueprint for the digital transformation of the entire healthcare system," explains ZHAW health economist Alfred Angerer, one of the two co-leaders of the research programme. 

Digital technologies would help hospitals to better cope with challenges such as cost pressure, demographic change or higher quality demands. One example is data-based forecasting models for predicting, planning and optimizing staff scheduling. In addition, sensors and apps can, for example, help to promote the physical activity of patients after an operation and provide the relevant data for monitoring treatment goals, according to the report. 

Strengthening prevention and early detection

"The 'Smart Hospital' is thus characterised, among other things, by more proactive patient care and by the fact that people are even more at the centre of the processes," says Sven Hirsch, co-director of SHIFT and head of the ZHAW Digital Health Lab. Digitalisation would generally increase the possibilities of detecting illnesses earlier or even preventing them. "With its help, we can also adapt treatment to patients even better. For example, we can discharge some of them from the hospital to their familiar environment at home earlier and still continue to treat them," adds Jens Eckstein, internist at the University Hospital Basel and medical director of SHIFT.

The research programme comprises three areas: In the first, research is being conducted into how inpatient treatment in hospital and outpatient follow-up care for patients at home can be seamlessly linked with the help of digital technologies. The second involves the development of solutions to further strengthen the ability of staff and patients to act in everyday hospital life. The third area concerns the development of effective and efficient hospital management processes.  

Broad research network

The Innosuisse flagship project SHIFT is led by the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics of the ZHAW School of Management and Law, together with an interdisciplinary ZHAW team from informatics, health, data analysis as well as process design. In addition to the University Hospital Basel, the Universities of Basel and Zurich, the FHNW and the participating hospitals, 24 industrial partners are contributing to the integration of the project into practice. With the flagship initiative, Innosuisse promotes innovations in areas that are relevant to a large part of the economy and society, writes the ZHAW in its media release. SHIFT is one of the 15 research projects approved as part of the 2021 Flagship call for proposals.

For more SHIFT information

"It becomes dangerous when people wear inadequate FFP2 respirators and think they are in a false sense of security," emphasises André Meier, Head of the Lucerne Occupational Safety and Health Department at Suva. For this reason, Suva initiated sales bans and recalls in 2021 for 13 products that showed insufficient protective efficacy in laboratory testing*. These defective masks were removed from the market.

The responsibility lies with the distributor

According to Suva, the distributors (manufacturers, importers, suppliers) are obliged to implement the sales bans and recalls. "When I sell a respirator, I am responsible for its quality," explains Meier. Thus, the responsibility for the quality of the respirators lies with the distributor.

Significant increase in quality

The quality of FFP2 respirators currently available on the market has risen significantly compared with the situation in July 2020, according to the accident insurer. According to the data, of the 59 products checked, 13 had an insufficient protective effect (22%). The chance of acquiring a defective FFP2 respirator on the market was therefore almost three times smaller than one and a half years ago.

According to Suva, in addition to quality, the availability of respirators on the Swiss market has also increased in recent months. While there were still supply bottlenecks in the summer of 2020, products of all FFP mask types are now available from stock.

Insufficient mask quality at the start of the pandemic

With the onset of the Corona pandemic, the market for respirators was literally flooded with new products. Unfortunately, defective ones were also offered. In laboratory tests carried out in July 2020, Suva found that 60 per cent of the FFP2 respirators tested provided inadequate protection (Media release from 17 July 2020  ). Already at that time, the accident insurance initiated sales bans and recalls and intensified the spot checks of FFP2 respirators in the following months.

*For data protection reasons, Suva is not allowed to publish the results of the laboratory tests..

When does the FFP2 mask protect me?

 FFP2 respiratory protection masks generally offer better protection than hygiene masks. It is important that it is worn correctly. The following points must be observed:

• When selecting respirators, make sure they are compliant.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the correct use of the FFP2 respirator.
• In particular, the mask must fit closely to the face (stubble already impairs the protective effect) and the nose clip must be adapted to the shape of the face.
• The inside of the mask must be clean. Change the mask if it becomes dirty. 

Further information:

Factsheet "How to recognize good quality respirators".  

Factsheet "Selection and use of respirators and breathing apparatus".  

Due to the current Covid 19 situation, the conditions for official authorisation to hold Swissbau in January 2022 are not met, writes MCH Swiss Exhibition (Basel) Ltd. It has therefore decided to postpone Switzerland's biggest platform for the construction and real estate industry: The event will now be held in Basel from Tuesday, 3 May to Friday, 6 May 2022. 

The exhibitors are behind the decision: in initial discussions with leading exhibitors from all sectors, despite the great disappointment, there was also clear support for a postponement to next spring, as the organisers emphasise.

Security Congress: new data

The Safety Congress, organised by Save AG, should have been held in parallel with Swissbau. It will also be postponed and will now take place on the Swissbau dates in May 2022. Due to the postponement, there may be slight changes to the programme, according to Save AG.

For more info on the show: www.swissbau.ch

For more info about the security congress: www.save.ch

Today, only ten percent of Swiss companies implement substantial activities in the area of the circular economy and thus generate a significant share of their turnover. Many companies have not implemented any activities in the area of the circular economy in the last three years, or have only undertaken activities to increase efficiency. This is the result of a study just published by the Swiss Institute for Business Cycle Research (KOF) at ETH Zurich and the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH, Department of Economics). The status report on the Swiss circular economy, based on this data, was prepared with the support of Circular Economy Switzerland and the Federal Office for the Environment ( cf. Status_report_of_the_Swiss_circular_economy )

What is to be done?

Efficiency-enhancing measures are the first important steps. However, more is needed for a functioning circular economy. Activities to close the loop (e.g. renting instead of buying, reprocessing products) and to extend the life of products (e.g. reparability, product upgrades) are needed. As the published study shows, such activities are currently hardly implemented, the media release states.

The study also describes the companies that are active in the circular economy and the hurdles that currently prevent companies from implementing these activities. Based on this, conclusions are drawn about how the transformation to a circular economy could be stimulated. Circular Economy Switzerland emphasises that the circular economy is an innovation challenge. However, there is currently a lack of opportunities and knowledge to adapt existing products and services to a circular economy. Often, small companies in particular can hardly overcome these hurdles on their own. This is why attractive economic policy framework conditions are needed, especially because companies are integrated into networks of suppliers and customers. This is why cross-company initiatives are needed to make progress in the transformation process.

However, the conditions for accelerating the transformation to a circular economy in Switzerland in the future are good. As one of the most innovative countries in the world, Switzerland has comparative advantages in generating sustainable competitive advantages in the transformation. In addition, there are already lighthouse projects in many sectors that show that a successful transformation is entirely possible.

Circular economy to combat climate change

At COP 26 in Glasgow, the circular economy was discussed as an important part of the solution to combat climate change and achieve the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. In addition, the circular economy offers opportunities for new, innovative business models, conserves resources and strengthens regional value creation, according to the study. For Switzerland in particular, with its limited resources, the circular economy therefore promises great potential. The parliamentary initiative "Strengthening the Swiss Circular Economy" should now create new framework conditions for a modern, environmentally friendly circular economy in Switzerland. It has been adopted by the Commission for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy and is in the consultation phase until 16 February 2022.

Source: BFH, KOF, Circular Economy Switzerland

Methodology of the study

Based on a specifically developed concept for mapping the circular economy at company level, the approximately 8,000 companies in the KOF company panel representative of Switzerland were surveyed in writing in 2020. In the process, the extent to which the companies have achieved measurable changes in the period from 2017 to 2019 was surveyed for 27 specific activities in the field of the circular economy. The data collected allows a comparison between industries, regions and companies of different sizes and thus for the first time shows a representative and differentiated picture of the spread of circular activities in companies for Switzerland.

Background information on the topic of circular economy:

circular-economy-switzerland.ch/knowledge/

Other topics:

Starting signal for "Circular Globe" label

How the CH economy can better implement the circular economy