Period: 1.1.2018 - 30.6.2022

Content: Circular economy (CE) is an industrial system that replaces the traditional
linear business model with a circular one. For companies this means introducing
new business models based on repair, reuse, refurbishing, remanufacturing and
recycling. For customers this means replacement of worn products with more
sustainable products or services. For the European economy, the net benefit of
the circular economy has been estimated up to 1 800 billion euros by 2030. In
addition, the circular economy offers significant environmental and social
benefits and an opportunity to increase employment.

Over the next 10 years, the demand for global construction is expected to
increase by 70 %. This is a challenge in a world where more and more resources
are becoming scarce. In addition to constructing new, there is also an urgent
need to upgrade the existing building stock. Thus, the construction industry is
in need for new business models and practices in order to prepare the trade for
the future. The supply chain serving the built environment is diverse and
includes contractors, consultants, property management specialists, architects
and SMEs. Increasing wood in construction would benefit Mid-Nordic regions with
their forest-based economies. Cross-border Finnish-Swedish collaboration would
provide sufficient critical mass for SMEs to innovate successful CE practices
and business models, as well as to create joint networks and supply chains for
global marketing.

The overall goal for the project “Circular Economy – A Game Changer for the
Wood Building Industry” is to boost regional companies competitiveness on the
international market by initiating new networks and business ecosystems and
introducing circular economy solutions based on previous recognized success
factors. The project contributes to the Botnia-Atlantica business priority and
offers an increased capacity for cross-border business cooperation for
companies within the wood building ecosystem. The main goal for this project is
to support SMEs within the wood building ecosystem in overcoming common
barriers for adopting a circular economy business. At the end of the project,
the participating companies in both Finland and Sweden will have increased
their knowledge on new business models (WP2), raised employee know-how on new
technical solutions (WP3), better understanding of customers need for product
and service development (WP4) and created new networks and business ecosystems
(WP5).

The project offers a platform for networking and expert assistance to foster
the game change to circular economy. It also gives the SMEs in wood building
industry opportunities to find synergies and complementary skills within a
larger region, thereby making the transition to a circular economy easier. The
work done in the project will strengthen the cooperation between universities
and companies and contribute to increased innovation and transfer of new
technologies to regional SMEs.

Focus area: Hållbar energiteknik

Campus: Vasa Wolffskavägen 33

Rahoittajat: Interreg - Botnia Atlantica, Österbottens förbund

Project owner: Novia University of Applied Sciences

Project manager: Niklas Frände

Yhteystyökummpanit: Tampere University of Technology, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Umeå University/Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University/Umeå School of Business and Economics

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