Press Release 20th May 2026

€468,000 raised through bottle deposit donations: BILLA customers are making a significant contribution to Blühendes Österreich’s biodiversity projects

To mark International Biodiversity Day on 22 May, BILLA is reporting positive results: through the “Your Deposit for the Countryside” fundraising campaign, the food retailer is working alongside its customers to support nature conservation in Austria. Since May 2025, BILLA customers have donated a total of €468,000 to Blühendes Österreich through deposit donations. The funds raised benefit biodiversity projects in Austria, thereby actively contributing to the protection and restoration of valuable native habitats.

A group of various birds, including storks and herons, gather around a shallow water body. Tall grasses are in the background, with a house visible at the horizon under a blue sky.

On the edge of the March-Thaya floodplains, with the support of Blühendes Österreich, the Hohenau cooling pond is being revitalised into a species-rich wetland, thereby providing a habitat for waterbirds, including rare waders and endangered species such as the common tern. / Copyright: © Robert Kreinz, Reproduction for PR purposes free of charge

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At a glance

Since May 2025, BILLA customers have been donating directly at the machines when returning empty single-use and reusable containers as part of the “Your Deposit for the Countryside” fundraising campaign, thereby supporting biodiversity projects run by Blühendes Österreich – BILLA Charitable Private Foundation.
Results after one year: Donations totalling 468,000 euros have benefited nature conservation grazing in the Weinviertel region and the re-grazing of the Hundsheimer Berg and Spitzerberg hills, as well as the species-rich wetland at Kühlteich near Hohenau in Lower Austria.
In 2026, further projects will follow from Vorarlberg to Burgenland, which BILLA customers can support together with Blühendes Österreich.

Robert Nagele, BILLA Executive Board member and Board member of Blühendes Österreich: “For over ten years, we at BILLA have been working with the charitable foundation ‘Blühendes Österreich’ to demonstrably advance nature conservation and species protection in Austria. We are delighted by the tremendous commitment shown by our customers. In addition to the projects in Lower Austria, new projects in other federal states are being added this year, which can now be supported through deposit donations – including, for example, the revitalisation of alpine pastures in the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Reserve and in Neukirchen am Großvenediger, as well as the restoration of lowland moorland areas in Schiefling am Wörthersee.”

Deposit donations support nature conservation and species protection projects in Lower Austria

The Leiser Berge Regional Development Association is implementing the “Wilde Weiden” project in the Weinviertel region – a rewilding initiative that is unique in Austria: across approximately 110 hectares – eventually expanding to up to 250 hectares – hardy grazing animals such as Konik horses, water buffalo and donkeys are helping to create species-rich dry, wet and steppe habitats. Through their deposit donations, BILLA customers are enabling the establishment of a new agricultural holding in the Weinviertel region, including grazing infrastructure and staff.

As part of a further project, Austria’s largest dry and semi-dry grassland conservation areas, Hundsheimer Berg and Spitzerberg in Lower Austria, are being revitalised through extensive grazing. In future, cattle and sheep will maintain more than 56 hectares of valuable nature conservation areas there. In addition to the grazing infrastructure (grazing fences, water supply, barn renovation), a concept involving signage, excursions and information services for visitors is also being implemented.

On the edge of the March-Thaya floodplains, the Hohenau cooling pond is being revitalised into a species-rich wetland, thereby providing a habitat for waterbirds, such as rare waders and endangered species like the common tern. The site was once an international resting place for up to 6,000 ducks and 10,000 geese. The project aims to restore this condition.

Blühendes Österreich – BILLA Charitable Private Foundation

BILLA AG and BirdLife Austria have launched a joint initiative for biodiversity, nature conservation and climate protection through ‘Blühendes Österreich – BILLA gemeinnützige Privatstiftung’. Since 2015, Blühendes Österreich has funded 300 partners and initiatives. This has made a measurable contribution to the improvement and restoration of over 1,600 hectares of biotopes of high conservation value. In 2022, the European Commission honoured Blühendes Österreich with the prestigious NATURA 2000 Award. Through the citizen science project “Butterflies of Austria – schmetterlingsapp.at”, Blühendes Österreich is funding one of the largest butterfly projects in Europe.