A market survey was carried out in 2014 resulting in a comprehensive analysis of modal shift potentials in the entire Danube corridor. After consultation with the inland waterway transport industry, viadonau started an initiative focusing on recycling products such as scrap metal, waste glass, waste plastic and pulp-based recycling products which were identified as promising cargo group to be transported on inland waterways.
Due to an increasing global lack of resources and demand for secondary raw materials, the recycling sector is becoming increasingly important in economic terms. The high cost sensitivity of recycling products has led to an increase in pressure for the more cost-efficient planning and implementation of transportation. Inland navigation, with its bulk transport capacity and consequently low costs, represents a suitable transport solution for the recycling sector. This fact, combined with the rising volume of secondary raw materials in the Danube riparian states, represents an important argument for transportation on inland waterway.
Analyses have shown that, for example, scrap metal plays a significant role, not only in Austria but also in other countries along the Danube. In 2012 a total of approximately 15 million tons of scrap metal was exported from the 10 Danube countries, while imports amounted to around 7 million tons. It is worth mentioning that Turkey is the world leader in terms of scrap imports. In 2014, Turkey imported 19.7 million tons of metal scrap, 3.4 million tons of which came from the Danube countries. Germany, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine are all major exporters with direct access to the Danube waterway.
The topic "Recycling Products on Inland Waterways" is the subject matter of workshops conducted with selected experts from the sector. At these meetings cargo owners, freight forwarders, ports and shipping companies all have the opportunity to discuss new transport solutions via inland waterways. The theme "Recycling Products on Inland Waterways" is also centre stage at international events and fairs.
