Circular Business Models and Procurement (2021-2024)

The work package for Circular Business Models and Procurement aims to integrate circular thinking into the business models of the Nordic construction companies and their value chains. This will support the overall goal of minimising the environmental impact in the Nordic construction industry while still maintaining competitiveness.

Both circular business models and procurement are important drivers in the green transition. The former can be leveraged for competitive advantages, and the latter is key to enabling a new market for circular solutions and circular business models. This work package therefore focuses on how municipalities and cities can practically procure sustainable and circular buildings.

The work package is lead by Marthe Haugland and Rasmus Malmborg from Nordic Innovation.

THIS WORK PACKAGE WAS A PART OF THE FIRST PHASE OF THE NORDIC SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME FROM 2021-2024. THE WORK PACKAGE IS NO LONGER ACTIVE, BUT THE WORK AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCED CAN BE FOUND ON THIS PAGE.

Infographic on the organisation of work package 2

Smart City Network

This work package has engaged the Nordic Smart City Network, a collaborative project between Nordic municipalities and cities, as public developers play an important role in ensuring that public buildings become sustainable and circular.

The two Nordic Smart Cities, Tampere and Stavanger run pilot projects with the goal of including circular thinking and procurement in the planning process as well as in new tenders for buildings. For instance through reuse mapping of existing buildings.

The pilot projects include a nursing home and a kindergarten where the aim is to strive for the added benefit of a more holistic planning in every stages of a project – in the planning phase of a single new building, as well as on an urban development level.

A report from Work Package 2 provides an assessment of circular economy practices in the construction sector within the Nordic countries, focusing particularly on selected pilot projects in Tampere and Stavanger, as well as the general status in Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Find the report Circular Construction in Nordic Cities here

Nordic Blue Building Alliance

The work package has established the Nordic Blue Building Alliance. This project explores marine bio based building materials to lower carbon emissions in the construction sector. and aim to develop a Technical Playbook on Marine based Low Carbon Construction.

The Playbook will be developed to support Nordic stakeholders, researchers, policymakers and planners to overcome technical challenges, explore business models and grow the opportunity for cities to access and utilise marine bio-based building material.

Read the technical handbook: "Marine Biobased Building Materials" here

Read about Nordic Blue Building Alliance here

Workshops

This work package has organised workshops to help Nordic construction companies identify opportunities, digital capabilities and suitable business models as well as cooperation possibilities.

The aim was to increase knowledge encourage piloting, transform and scale new circular business models in the companies.

Nordic Tool Box

The workshops were based on the Nordic Circular Economy Playbook which contains examples and practical tools that companies can use in their transition to the circular economy.

Read Nordic Circular Economy Playbook here

To further aid companies towards circular business models, a second playbook, the Nordic Circular Economy Playbook 2.0 - Transform and scale was developed and published.

Read Nordic Circular Economy Playbook 2.0 – Transform and scale

Both playbooks are a part of the Nordic tool box for circular economy, which this work package has established.

See Nordic tool box here

A report on circular business models in the Nordic manufacturing industry was developed based on the work with the Nordic manufacturing industry.

Read report Circular business models in the Nordic manufacturing industry - current status and development here

Re-trade

This project aims to develop the Nordic re-trade market for circular critical construction materials in a way that can make the value chains in the construction industry sustainable and make the circular business models for material use and modular building practices profitable and scalable on a Nordic level.
The project will be managed by Nordic Circular Hotspot. Knowledge partners will be:

Natural State (NO)
PL Hringrasarsetur(IS)
R&D FundForward (SE)
Center for Circular Economy ( DK)
NEFCO (FI)

Place-Based Architecture

Place-based development and architecture is an approach to designing and constructing buildings, public spaces and infrastructure that takes the unique characteristics of the local context into account. This includes considerations of the availability of local resources, the cultural and social context of the community, the collective infrastructure, and the regulatory and legislative context.

Knowledge Centre

Dive into circular economy and how to make your business sustainable in our knowledge centre