COMBIA CIRCULAR receives Innovation Prize

What does the traffic light of the future look like? Sometimes, surprisingly similar to the one we already know. The real innovation lies beneath the surface. With COMBIA CIRCULAR, SWARCO FUTURIT has rethought one of the most familiar elements of our road infrastructure according to the principles of the circular economy – an approach that has now been recognized with the Innovationspreis Burgenland in the Sustainability category.

Around 30 projects were submitted for this year’s award across the categories Sustainability and Digitalization. With approximately half of the entries competing in each category, COMBIA CIRCULAR was among the innovations honored in the Sustainability category.

The recognition is particularly meaningful for SWARCO FUTURIT: the traffic light was developed and is manufactured at the company’s site in Neutal, keeping both development and production value creation in Burgenland

For the jury, it wasn’t simply the use of recycled material that made the difference. It was the holistic approach behind the product.

The development of COMBIA CIRCULAR was conceived holistically from the very beginning – from the origin of the raw materials to the end of the product’s life, including its disassembly and repairability.

And that is precisely where COMBIA CIRCULAR differs from a conventional approach to recycled products. Its housing is manufactured from processed secondary polycarbonate, with a post-consumer recycled (PCR) content of more than 90%. Despite the high proportion of recycled material, the traffic signal meets the demanding quality requirements of a product designed to withstand wind, weather and continuous outdoor use for many years. 

The result is measurable: compared with the conventional product, the signal head achieves a CO₂ reduction of more than 40% in a cradle-to-gate product carbon footprint assessment. Looking at the housing alone, the reduction reaches approximately 65%.

But circularity does not end with the choice of raw material. A seemingly small change to the product design was particularly important to the jury.

Conventional traffic signal housings commonly use a foamed seal that adheres to the plastic components. COMBIA CIRCULAR instead uses a laid-in, removable seal. At the end of the signal’s service life, it can be easily separated from the housing, enabling clean separation of materials and creating the basis for the polycarbonate to be recycled once again. 

Repairability and longevity are equally important. The established COMBIA mechanical design remains unchanged, while components such as existing LED inserts and fastenings can be reused. Circularity therefore does not replace the qualities customers expect from the product – it builds on them.

The product entered the market in September 2025, and the first signals are already finding their way onto European roads. And cities show early signs that they are willing to invest in more circular traffic infrastructure. 

The Innovationspreis Burgenland is therefore recognition not only of a new product, but of a different way of thinking about product development. Instead of focusing solely on what a traffic signal does during its years on the road, COMBIA CIRCULAR considers what happens before, during and after its service life.

For SWARCO, the award marks another important step on the way towards Mission “Zero Waste” – and shows that circular economy principles can become a tangible part of the infrastructure surrounding us every day.