How 30 actors, research and technology turn wood waste into climate-friendly value creation throughout Norway.
At a time when the climate crisis requires rapid and radical action, SirkTRE has established itself as a leading example of how research, innovation and industry can come together to create real change.
Knowledge-based green value creation
The project is Norway's largest Green Platform initiative to date, with a budget of NOK 181 million and more than 30 partners from the entire value chain for wood.
The goal of SirkTRE is not only to reduce emissions and waste, but to build new industrial capacity in Norway. By 2030, one million cubic metres of wood waste will be given a new life and contribute to a tenfold increase in value creation compared to incineration. This could reduce Norway's CO₂ emissions by as much as 8 percent.
SirkTRE shows how research can be put into practice and how public funding through the Research Council creates both innovation and societal impact. The project strengthens the Norwegian wood industry and construction industry, contributes to achieving the EU's environmental goals and builds on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 17.
"Burning usable wood is a waste of resources. Through SirkTRE, we create new jobs, new industry and real climate cuts, while at the same time showing that circularity and profitability can go hand in hand," says project manager Kristine Nore at Omtre AS.
SirkTRE is building a fully circular value chain for wood, where used wood – which is currently mainly burned – is instead brought back to the market as a raw material in new production. To achieve this, the researchers in the project bring together actors from the forest industry, the waste industry, the construction industry, research communities and technology companies. They work together to develop technology, build a market, establish standards and create new, concrete products and solutions, from finger-jointed construction timber to solid wall elements and reusable interior walls.
From theory to practice: concrete solutions in place
At sorting facilities under the auspices of Ragn-Sells, analyses show that over 50 per cent of the incoming recycled wood is of good enough quality for reuse. At the same time, testing is underway with finger jointing to make short-distance and used wood available as a construction material in construction projects. Norsk Massivtre has developed solid wall elements using recycled wood, and in Oslo, a national resource centre has been established – Ombygg – which serves as a physical warehouse and marketplace for used building materials.
The researchers in the project are also working digitally: In collaboration with NTNU and Omtre, they are developing digital twins of buildings that are to be demolished. This makes it possible to map which components and materials can be reused before disassembly. This is not just about technology, but about changing the mindset of the entire construction industry from "tear and throw away" to "dismantle and reuse".
The research lays the foundation: CircWOOD
In parallel with the industrial projects, the research project CircWOOD, led by NIBIO by Head of Research Lone Ross, is taking place. Here, the entire life cycle of wood is analysed, from the resource base in the forest to reuse and recycling in new production. The research provides insight into environmental effects, material flows, design for reuse and policy formulation. This provides a basis for decision-making for standardization, new business models and regulations that can make reuse as natural as recycling of bottles and cans is today.
"A very important part of CircWOOD is the education of four PhD candidates in different directions. We need to build expertise on the circular use of wood and educate tomorrow's researchers in order to contribute to a change in the use of resources in the construction industry," says Kristine Nore.
From idea to action: concrete solutions
A number of results have already been delivered:
- New technology for fingering short wooden blanks from return streams;
- Solid wood elements and wall systems in reusable wood, used in actual construction projects;
- Norway's largest warehouse for used building materials, established in Oslo;
- Pilot projects with dismantling and circular material flow instead of demolition and waste production, and;
- Three already launched standards and two in the pipeline on the evaluation of recycled wood for constructive use.
As part of the project, SirkTRE's building code has also been developed. These are circular principles for the construction industry of the future, with a focus on better awareness of the use of resources, that parts can be dismantled and reused before new production.
"I am experiencing great interest in the solutions we have started testing. That gives hope. And when we get research and industry to pull in the same direction, change actually happens," says Nore.
Results and ripple effects
The SirkTRE project is soon to be completed and the results so far are clear: Technology has been developed, standards are on the way and several companies have already created new products and services based on recycled wood.
A lot of wood waste has already been converted into new materials. By 2030, the ambition is one million cubic metres annually, which can result in up to 3 million tonnes of CO₂ reduction per year. At the same time, a new market for circular wood products is emerging, which can provide increased value creation in rural areas and strengthened competitiveness for Norwegian industry.
"In many ways, we want to create a 'deposit system' for wood," says Nore.
"When we manage to get both the value chain and the authorities on board, it will be easier, cheaper and more natural to choose second-hand rather than second-hand.
This is just the beginning. With SirkTRE, the foundation has been laid for a circular revolution in the Norwegian construction industry and for a completely new way of thinking about resources, value chains and sustainability.
The Green Platform is a collaboration between the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Siva funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.
Facts about SirkTRE
- Supported by: The Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and Siva
- Total budget: NOK 181 million, of which approximately NOK 100 million from the Research Council
- Participants: Around 30 partners, over 2500 employees represented
- Project period: SirkTRE 2021–2025, CircWOOD 2022–2026
- Ambition: Reuse 1 million m³ of wood waste annually by 2030
- Climate target: Annual reduction of 3 million tonnes of CO₂