Reuse, Product

ESC 2026: Reusable Cups Made from 100% Recycled Material Show Austrian Circular Economy in Action

04/29/2026 | 3 min read

Circular economy on stage:

At the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, reusable cups made from 100% recycled material will be used for the first time. The limited edition has been realized through a fully Austrian closed loop - from collection in the Yellow Bag to the finished cup.
As producer of the reusable cups, Greiner Packaging is part of this forward‑looking joint project together with Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA), the official event supplier of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and its partners OMV and Borouge International.

^©ORF/Roman Zach-Kiesling

From left to right: Shanila Baseley (Vice President Sales Borealis, part of Borouge International), Michael Krön (Executive Producer Eurovision Song Contest 2026), Harald Hauke (Spokesperson of the ARA Management Board), Beatrix Praeceptor (CEO Greiner Packaging).

From Yellow Bag to Reusable Cups – 100% Made in Austria

A total of 100,000 reusable cups will be used at the 70th anniversary of the world’s largest music competition. The material used comes entirely from the Yellow Bag and Yellow Bin collection system in Austria. Through several innovative processing steps, a high‑quality, food‑contact‑approved plastic material is created:

The material is sorted at the TriPlast high‑tech facility in Upper Austria and then processed into flakes using UPCYCLE, the patented technology developed by ARA. These flakes are converted into synthetic crude oil at the OMV ReOil^® plant, which Borouge International then transforms into sustainable plastic granulate meeting food‑grade quality standards.
Finally, Greiner Packaging manufactures durable, fully recyclable reusable cups. All production steps take place in Austria, creating a true Austrian Closed Loop.

A Sustainable Packaging Solution for an International Event

With the ESC reusable cups, we show how circular economy works in practice. The exclusive limited edition combines a striking exterior design with an inside print illustrating the Austrian closed‑loop process, from the Yellow Bag to the finished cup. In this way, we are setting a clear example for waste prevention and responsible events at an international mega event.

Beatrix Praeceptor, CEO Greiner Packaging

The limited edition combines eye‑catching Eurovision Songcontest branding with clear sustainability communication. An integrated QR code links to DigiDot, the digital recycling guide available in 25 languages, helping visitors separate waste correctly during the event.

The reusable cup solution for large-scale events

From music festivals to sports events and foodservice: our reusable drinking cups combine strong functionality with recyclability and support sustainable event concepts.

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Reuse as a Key Lever for Waste Prevention

The reusable cups will be used at the Eurovision Songcontest and the official side events, making an important contribution to waste prevention. By using recycled material, around five tonnes of virgin raw materials are saved. After the event, the cups follow two paths: they are either recycled and returned to the material cycle or donated to social organizations.

With projects like this, Greiner Packaging demonstrates how sustainable packaging solutions can be successfully implemented even for complex requirements and large‑scale events – scalable, food‑grade and fully circular.