A Sound-Absorbing Wall Made from Wool Waste Wins the 2026 Sustainable Tulip Award as the European Circular Economy Hotspot Opens in Budapest
An acoustic wall panel made from recycled wool waste, Hungary’s first social farm and a patented plastics recycling process were among the initiatives recognised at the European Circular Economy Hotspot in Budapest, with awards going to a university, a civil society organisation and a business. The grand prize of this year’s Sustainable Tulip Award, established by the Embassy of the Netherlands, was also presented on the opening day of the three-day conference.
Willem van Ee, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Hungary, presented the awards. The jury noted that the grand prize-winning project demonstrates how waste can be transformed into a valuable resource. Soundwool panels are made entirely from regional wool waste, using a production process that saves energy and water. Their natural dyes are made from local invasive plants. The project’s creators received the award on 5 October, the opening day of the European Circular Economy Hotspot in Budapest.
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In addition to the grand prize, the jury presented two special awards. One went to Beyond Packaging, which aims to reduce plastic waste through a patented chemical process. The project is still at the pilot stage, but the jury believes it has significant potential impact and is an excellent example of collaboration between academia and industry. The consortium brings together Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Jász-Plasztik and IMSYS.
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The other special award went to a project by the Symbiosis Foundation in Miskolc, developed at Baráthegyi Majorság, Hungary’s first social farm. The project received the maximum score from every jury member in both the environmental and social impact category and the collaboration and ecosystem-building category. The jury also highlighted the Foundation’s strong social commitment and its exemplary integration of circularity and social inclusion.
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At the opening event, Márta Irén, Managing Director of the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Hungary (BCSDH), which organised the three-day European Circular Economy Hotspot Budapest, formally handed over the baton to Brno, Czechia, host city of the 2027 Hotspot. The organisers were represented by Tomas Sloboda.
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Alongside the award ceremony, the European host locations for the 2028 Hotspot were announced. In two years, part of the event will take place in Estonia and Lithuania, hosted by Baltic Circular Hotspot. Bucharest will be the other venue, with hosting rights awarded to the Circular Economy Coalition. Speaking on behalf of the event’s organiser, Holland Circular Hotspot, its director Freek van Eijk highlighted the need for more local initiatives to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, bringing more regions across Europe into focus.
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You can find more photos from the event in the gallery.
