Various topics in the area of the circular economy were examined with a view to the Swiss economy and a possible contribution by METAS. With a focus on the recycling of materials and their reuse, the following topics were covered (in alphabetical order): Batteries, concrete, electronic waste / technology critical elements (TCE), gold, green waste and the like, food waste, phosphorus, plastic, textiles, peat, and water. The production of "green" energy sources (biodiesel, biogas, etc.) was deliberately omitted.
These topics were discussed in detail with the various stakeholders in industry and administration in order to obtain the most comprehensive picture possible of the needs and challenges in Switzerland. There are a wide variety of challenges relating to the different subject areas that could be addressed within METAS.
A targeted and direct entry into the circular economy is offered by the legally prescribed phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge or ash. As of 2026, the Swiss economy is expected to recover phosphorus from waste, thereby replacing phosphorus imports. With this recovery, it is important to perform quality control studies on the recovered phosphorus. The topic of optical analysis of a wide variety of materials and data evaluation of recycling processes with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) could also be considered. If there is sufficient demand in this area, various systems could be validated by METAS. However, this involves the validation of the application of AI, which is already being worked on in another project and will not be pursued further here.
The analyses to determine age or origin characteristics would not only be interesting in connection with gold and peat, but also for tantalum, and the foodstuffs coffee, cocoa, palm oil, and soy. When importing these raw materials, the question of origin always arises (in the case of tantalum, imports are not permitted from any country). In addition, in the case of palm oil, the question is whether or not it can be proven that it was obtained by slash-and-burn.
Also of interest would be the detection of prohibited pesticides in Switzerland. Additionally, hygiene sensors have become the subject of very intense research (use of treated gray / black water). Regular monitoring of these sensors by a neutral body (e.g., METAS) would be important when they are launched on the market.
