Circular economy is a green engine of change and a recognized and effective tool for achieving the goals of, among other things, the Paris Agreement and the UN's sustainability goals. The goal of circular economy is to utilize the resources from the earth in the best possible way. This means that we, among other things, keep raw materials and materials in the cycle through reuse and recycling.
The Kongsvinger region (Nord-Odal municipality as host municipality), has received discretionary funds from the County Governor of Innlandet for "Circular economy as a green engine of change". This is a further extension of the project "Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region" which was completed in 2020. "Circular economy as a green engine of change" consists of the establishment of three circular pilot projects in the public sector. Kongsirk is one of these pilot projects.
Kongsirk is an ambitious rebuilding project for the region's municipalities and intermunicipal companies. Through the project, an inter-municipal re-use market will be established to sell furniture and other equipment using the digital recycling platform Loopfront. Kongsirk will be Norway's first inter-municipal redevelopment project for the sale of furniture and fixtures!
The main goal of the project is;
"Achieving climate benefits as well as financial savings through better and longer utilization of furniture and other fixtures"
The project will ensure a conversion to reuse rather than throwing away furniture and fixtures, so that the amount of waste is reduced, furniture and fixtures have a longer lifespan, and demand is turned towards repairs rather than new purchases. In the long run, this will lead to many positive effects for the municipalities and the intermunicipal companies in the region, such as reductions in the municipalities' waste volumes, reduced emissions of CO2equivalents and financial savings.
The project is now in a start-up phase, and more information about the project will therefore come continuously.
The leader of the project is Hanne Lundberg Hogseth
The Kongsvinger region (Nord-Odal municipality as the host municipality) has received discretionary funds for innovation from the state administrator in the Inland region for "Circular economy as a green transformation engine". This is an extension of the "Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region" project that was completed in November 2020. The "Parallel circular procurement in the Kongsvinger region" project is one of three pilot projects under this umbrella.
The public procurement power is large. By emphasizing circular criteria in the tender process, the municipalities in the region can provoke increased demand for goods and services that meet circular economic principles.
The project originally had as its main goal;
«To develop a competitive basis / set of criteria for procurements based on circular principles»
After having two introductory meetings with the project group, it has been revealed that the biggest challenge today for one circular procurement is a lack of knowledge about what is actually circular and not, and how this can be measured and decided. Therefore, the project team has adjusted the goal formulation has become something:
It will therefore be the project's goal to develop a "toolbox" for circular purchasing.
This toolbox should / can contain;
General set of criteria for circular economy - how to determine whether a product / service is circular
Where to start with circular purchases
Marketing materials
What is circular economy
What does it mean for the municipalities to think circularly
Why carry out circular purchases
How does this fit in with other climate and environmental projects in the municipality / region
Norway's first Circle Scan has now been completed here in Kongsvinger region. In the last workshop, action plans were established for four circular pilot projects. These will contribute to less CO2 emissions, better resource utilization, new circular jobs and public savings.
Together with representatives from the public sector and business, the Kongsvinger region has carried out a Circle Scan (also called City Scan) for the construction industry.
- Circle Scan is a tool for solving future challenges and achieving the sustainability goals, says project owner Anne Huse from the regional council.
Inland county, they have a new, ambitious strategy with a focus on sustainability. The Regional Council believes that Circle Scan has helped to provide concrete content for parts of the strategy. Mayor of Sør-Odal, Knut Hvithammer, supports the message from Huse.
- The Kongsvinger region is Norway's green heart, and we have an ambitious regional business strategy with sustainability as an important focus area. Now we can take the lead in circular economy, says Hvithammer.
In circular economy, the goal is to reuse or reuse all raw materials so that no waste is produced. Hvithammer emphasizes that they have good raw materials in the timber in the region, and have a construction industry that is large and leading. The effect of becoming more circular in this sector is therefore high.
Hear how we work with circular economy. Regional council leader Knut Hvithammer (mayor Sør-Odal), Trond Sørensen (GIR), Anne Huse (regional council), Eva Snare (Nord-Odal municipality), Ole Gunnar Holen (Sør-Odal municipality), Jon Guttormsen (Topos architecture) and Sofie Pindsle (Circular Norway) talks about the method and an ongoing circular construction project.
Collaboration process with many stakeholders
The project has lasted a year and has involved politicians, public administration and actors from the construction industry in the six municipalities in the region.
- We are very pleased with the process in Circle Scan Kongsvinger. The collaboration has been completely unique, and we are impressed by the local commitment that has led to more pilots already being implemented, says Jordi Pascal, project manager Circle Economy.
The project has been led by the Dutch Circle Economy in collaboration with Circular Norway and has gone over four phases in which key actors from the local community have participated. In phase one, the region's socio-economic conditions are mapped. Then a material flow analysis is performed, then strategies for increased circularity are developed. Finally, action plans are made for circular pilots.
- Circle Economy has very good tools for engaging and involving people. It has also been very good to have Circular Norway as the Norwegian link for anchoring in the methodology, says Eva Snare, business manager in Nord-Odal municipality and local project manager.
Solid local efforts
Sofie Pindsle has been Circular Norway's project resource. She emphasizes that the circular pilots in phase four are important so that this does not just become a desk exercise.
- The action plans that have been developed show both socially beneficial effects, as well as the financial savings that come from reusing more materials, says Pindsle who is very satisfied with the local efforts in the Kongsvinger region.
The general manager of Glåmdal Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap, Trond Sørensen, confirms that the project has led to increased circular practice.
- In the project, we challenge the waste pyramid. The waste pyramid starts at the bottom by putting things in the landfill. And then there is energy recovery or incineration of garbage, then there is material recycling, and on top of that is not producing waste. That's where we want to be. It requires a change in consumers, and in manufacturers. In the future, we will not make waste, but things that can be used again.
- In addition to increasing circularity, Circle Scan also contributes to the Kongsvinger region delivering on six different sustainability goals. This is something the municipalities are also measured on, so Circle Scan is also relevant within the sustainability goals, says Pindsle.
Welcome to workshop 3 in Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region - a fully digital workshop
The goal of this collection is "business matchmaking" and strategy development. We hope to find partners, define frameworks and scope for 3-4 new circular pilot projects to support the development of O-House.
The O-House project is a result of the Circle Scan Kongsvinger region, the goal of the project is to build a prototype of a circular youth housing where the ambition is to recycle as much old building material as possible. This project has already received support from the county municipality, and from the prototype there is a desire to build 60 such homes in all 6 municipalities participating in the project. We therefore want to focus workshops around pilots to solve challenges in the O-House project. You can read more about the project here .
We want the day to be efficient and lead to new circular pilot projects to support the development of O-House. We will therefore focus on the strategy Increased use of secondary materials.
When:: June 18 Time: 09.30 – 12.00 Place: Link sent to registered registration: The event is over.
Agenda for the day:
09: 30-10: 30 - Part 1 Introduction
- Review of findings from phase 1 & 2
- Presentation of selected strategies
- O-house. A circular prototype - the starting point for new business ideas?
- O-house as a catalyst for circular economy. How do we get scaled / realized development of 60 such homes?
- Q&A
10: 50-12: 00 Part 2 - Strategies and pilot projects
- Presentation of discussion and development of strategies
- Determine the next step in developing strategies
The main focus of the workshop will be to work with and develop strategies for potential pilot projects, the selected strategies and potential directions are "Increased use of secondary materials". We hope you have the opportunity to participate, you can sign up for the event here . Then you can also choose whether you participate in Kongsvinger or via Teams. If you are not familiar with the project or want to learn more can read more at kongsvingerregionen.no.
Sincerely,
Sofie Pindsle, Circular Norway, +47 92 06 78 57
Jordi Pascual, Circle Economy,
Eva Snare, Business Manager Nord Odal Municipality
Circle Economy in collaboration with Circular Norway invites to a regional webinar on opportunities in circular economy on 5 May at 10.00-12.00 or 7 May at 14.00 -16.00.
As you may know, the Kongsvinger Region is currently conducting a study of the possibilities for circular economy ("Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region"). The aim of the study is to contribute to the development of a regional vision for the circular economy, preferably within the construction industry since this industry represents an important part of value creation in the region. However, a vision is not enough, the goal is also that several of the players in the industry want to be involved in exciting, circular pilot projects.
Right now (in phase 3 of the study) we are working specifically to transform circular strategies into specific pilot projects. In this connection, we want to involve more representatives of the players in the entire construction industry's value chain.
Do you think that this can be interesting for you and your company, you are welcome to participate in one webinar on the topic (this is due to the uncertainty surrounding the corona situation). Here, the Amsterdam-based Circle Economy will present the most important findings from phases 1 and 2 of the study. Then we take a closer look at different strategies: 1) Increased use of secondary materials, 2) Shortening the value chain and 3) Capacity building and training.
We need you as a contributor to:
Gain further knowledge about the industry.
Get help to concretize measures that have implementation potential (regional adaptation, feasibility, etc.)
Define what / who is needed to implement.
Involve you / your company as a possible player in future pilot projects.
We understand the demanding situation some companies are in during the day, and will therefore emphasize that participation does not involve any financial obligations. On the other hand, you get ideas for new circular business opportunities and sustainable competitive advantages, at the same time as we gain valuable industry insight!
We hope du has the opportunity to participate, either May 5 at. 10.00-12.00 or 7 May at 14.00 -16.00. Registration here.
On behalf of the project group,
Jordi Pascual, Circle Economy, Sofie Pindsle, Circular Norway, Eva Snare, Nord-Odal Municipality, Anne Huse, Regional Council of the Kongsvinger Region and Knut Hvithammer, Regional Council of the Kongsvinger Region
Read more about phases 1 and 2
Minutes from phase 1 (Mapping of the construction industry and knowledge of circular economy) are available here.
In phase 2, Circular Norway together with Circle Economy has spent a lot of time collecting data from Eurostat, Statistics Norway and industry organizations as a basis for a material flow analysis of the construction industry (based on 2018 figures). The material flow analysis is also a possibility mapping. Visually, the metabolism (consumption, processing and life cycle) is presented for resources divided into private homes, purpose-built buildings and infrastructure. In parallel, we have also collected data to get an overview of the building stock in the region. Based on these datasets, we have identified seven circular strategies. We have prioritized three of them. Within each strategy, there is potential for developing circular pilot projects. Read more about phase 2 here.
The project is financed with discretionary funds from the county governor of the Inland, and coincides with the Inland's investment in bioeconomy (including circular economy).
On Wednesday 4 March, we were finally to see the results of phase 2 of the Circle Scan project. Based on feedback along the way, the consultants have from Circle Economy spent a lot of time collecting data from, among others, Eurostat, Statistics Norway and its own databases. There were several of us who were excited to see the material flow analysis in the form of so-called. Sankey diagram.
A project with many stakeholders
The final commentator for the workshop was, as last, Jordi Pascual. He brought with him Noah Baars and Sofie Pindsle Circular Norway. It was otherwise especially nice to have the mayors Lise Selnes and Knut Hvithammer. Political commitment is very important in transforming the results of the analysis into political tools - simply making the circular economy an important green engine of transformation in our region.
We were also this time also lucky to have external guests; Kia Klavenes from Pure (which is now part of KPMG) and Marianne Haugland from KS Bedrift are important for inspiration and knowledge sharing, and can share experiences further in their own organizations and circles. Otherwise, we were gathered from the administration in six municipalities, GIR (renovation), Klosser Innovation and Høgskolen Innlandet, as well as Topos Arkitektur from the prototype project.
Mayor of Nord-Odal, Lise Selnes with assistant.
Marianne Haugland, KS Bedrift, Kia Klavenes, Pure, Alexander Christiansen, Circular Norway, Jon Guttormsen, Topos Architecture.
Lars Helge Aasvestad, Kongsvinger municipality, Lars Gillund Klosser Innovation, Steinar Grønnerud, Eidskog municipality.
Material flow analysis - private homes generate the most waste and emissions
A large part of the work since the previous workshop had been used to collect data and visualize material flow. The figures are based on basic data from regional companies, public literature and studies, national statistics (SSB) and EXIObase (Circle Economy's own database) and Eurostat registers classified by NACE sectors (industry).
The materials are divided into the following categories:
Biomass: Includes different types of wood used in the form of construction such as timber, lumber, etc.
Minerals and chemicals: Includes solid materials that are present in nature, such as clay, sand, stone, aggregate, limestone, granules etc. used for building construction.
Metal: Includes raw and processed metals and iron and steel products used in the construction of buildings in the region.
Water: Includes the amount consumed in a given year for the different construction phases (construction, use, demolition).
Energy: Includes energy in various forms, from fuel to heat energy and electricity. Emission flows include greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of which consist of CO2.
The material flows are again divided into private homes, purpose-built buildings and infrastructure. The figures are based on figures from 2018, which was a quiet year in the construction and construction industry in the region, with 128 buildings.
Private housing is mostly in the form of waste and emissions.
Figure 1, Material flow in different types of building segments.
Clear change in building stock in a 100-year perspective
Furthermore, an analysis was made of the distribution and concentration of different types of building mass according to the typology of our homes and purpose-built buildings. This was combined with population projections and the need for new housing in the coming years.
There are clearly both challenges and opportunities associated with the composition. Circle Economy pointed out, among other things, that minerals from the 50s onwards are difficult to reuse / recycle.
Figure 2, Typology in building mass by year.
To look at the picture of possibilities, we were presented with different projection scenarios and different demolition scenarios. Based on the building's typology, there will potentially be access to different types of released secondary material.
A challenge, but also an opportunity, is to match access to secondary raw materials with the need for materials for new buildings.
Figure 3, Released, secondary material in buildings from 1920-1960 based on needs in the period 2020 -2040
7 possible strategic directions identified
After lunch we continued working on strategic directions. Circle Economy had identified seven different strategic choices, which we were to prioritize down to three specific strategies. Although this was a difficult process, we believe we have concluded. Project returns with specific recommendations.
In phases 3 and 4, there is a close dialogue with the players in the construction industry in the region.
We will return in detail about how we think this will take place, and already on March 17 in the meeting of the Sustainability Network at Maarud, there will be an opportunity to hear a little more about how business actors can be involved in the project.
Circular housing prototype along the way
As some people know, the Regional Council in the Kongsvinger region is in the process of building one prototype of a circular dwelling, targeted youth.
The construction project is a collaboration with Skarnes Videregående, building and construction technology, Topos Arkitektur and GIR (our inter-municipal waste company). A prerequisite for the building is that at least 50% of all building materials are based on recycled or recycled materials.
Feel free to contact us if you want to contribute to realizing the prototype, or want to hear more about how the business community can connect to further work in Circle Scan - Kongsvinger Region.
The Regional Council's study trip to Denmark on 27 January provided inspiration for many new, sustainable solutions for the construction industry.
In connection with the project «Circular housing prototype - rent for ownership», the regional council invited to a study trip to Copenhagen. The project, in which all 6 municipalities in the region and Glåmdal Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap are partners, is part-financed by the county of Innlandet. The study trip is included in the project plan.
Also present were Knut Hvithammer (Mayor, Sør-Odal. Regional Council Leader), Ragnhild Haagenrud Moen (Deputy Mayor, Nord-Odal), Anne Huse (Administrative Leader, Regional Council in the Kongsvinger region), Trond Sørensen (General Manager, Glåmdal Intermunicipal Waste Management Company), Sofie Pindsle (Project Manager, Circular Norway), Jon Guttormsen (General Manager, Topos Architecture and Design) and Eva Snare (Business Manager, Nord-Odal Municipality).
An intensive program was planned with 3 different visits to the capital region.
GENTRÆ is a brand name for a circular and sustainable alternative to using new wood on the construction site. GENTRÆ can be ordered via an app, or at the local Stark dealer, side by side with virgin wood. Initially, the recycled tree is based on wood from construction scaffolding.
The project is a partnership between the construction department store Stark, the consulting company Golder and the waste company Bottom. Maria Ekblad from Golder could tell that one is about to stop using the term waste. Instead, they talk about resources, which is also reflected in Morten Strandlod's title at Solum; his title is Resource manager and not a leader in a waste company.
The product and service have been developed in close collaboration with the construction industry and it is the industry itself that has concluded that GENTRÆ is a concrete and simple way to recycle something that would otherwise go to incineration (downcycle), explained Louise Askær-Hune who is Sustainability manager at Stark Group.
Morten Strandlod from Solum talks about the process around GENTRÆ.
Circular economy as a tool for change
The trip continued to Hillerød (about 35 km outside the city center), and to the head office Capital Region. The Capital Region is one of 5 regions in Denmark (Replaces 15 counties after reform in 2007). Here I would like to learn more about how the public sector works with circular economy. Unlike in Norway, Denmark has one national strategy for circular economy which is a leader in how to work with green change and development also at the regional level.
Ditte Vesterager Christensen who works with regional development told about the project Partnership for Circular Municipalities where the role of the municipalities in the transition to a circular economy is tested through five pilot projects. Included in the project are two waste companies, 6 municipalities and a hospital.
Furthermore, Pernille Kern told Kernel about how Waste and Resources Across will help the players in the waste sector to work together to create a market for the reuse of raw materials.
The third project, Cityloops aims to develop and demonstrate tools, decision-making tools and processes that support the transition to a circular economy within organic waste, building materials and soil. Partners are Høje Tostrup, Roskilde, Sevilla, Porto, Bodø, Mikkeli and Apeldoorn.
Easy to be inspired by the Capital Region, it also applied to catering. From left: Ragnhild Haagenrud Moen, Trond Sørensen, Anne Huse, Sofie Pindsle, Knut Hvithammer and Pernille Kern Kernel.
Circle house demonstrator - 90% recyclable housing
From Hillerød the road went to Valby and Circle House Demonstrator. Alexander G. Kongshaug, architect at GXN Innovation, started the tour outside, where we saw examples of different types of clothing - from recycled shampoo packaging to rail-based ceramic tiles. The foundation itself in the 40 m2 large house is made of concrete elements, but these are of course demountable (wrench) and equipped with a separate material pass (RFID-Chip).
On display with Alexander Kongshaug from GXN Innovation.
Indoors, it was equipped with a number of exciting material choices, including many different creative examples of recycled insulation material.
Alexander could tell that it is planned to build 60 municipal homes according to this principle in a city in Aarhus.
Circular design as a principle
Afterwards we went to 3XNs (3 times Nilsen) architect's office or "drawing room" in Danish. Here we saw examples of buildings that are built with a circular design as a principle. We also learned about how GXN Innonvation, which is their R&D department, works to develop new building materials based on recycling.
Example "Circular, behavior and digital design". Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney. Illustration 3XN.
Although we in our region have just built a couple of beautiful solid wood schools, it was incredibly exciting to see how in Sydney they plan to use 2/3 of an old skyscraper (Golder uses the term donor building) to build a new high-rise building the new Quay Qarter Tower. Feel free to look at some of the 3XNs projects on the website.
Kasper Guldager Jensen, Aleksander Guldager Kongshaug, Oanh Nguyen Henriksen and Eva Snare.
3XN has also left its mark in Norway, they have, among other things, designed "Plassen" which is Molde's culture house and is behind the idea for Bergen Byarena (Nygårdstangen Utvikling).
We are now looking forward to getting started with our own prototype. Feel free to contact us if you have ideas or want to contribute. (Mail: eva.snare@nord-odal.kommune.no, tel. +47 90400643)
Our first workshop in the "Circle Scan Kongsvinger Region" started on 15 October. Facilitators were Circle Economy from the Netherlands together with Circular Norway.
Those who participated in the phase 1 workshop represented the municipalities (industry, technical managers and procurement, KS company), the county municipality / regional council, academia / knowledge industry (SINTEF, Statistics Norway, Høgskolen innlandet, Klosser Innovasjon) and local service providers and companies (GIR, 7Sterke ).
The workshop was started by Eva Snare, the initiator of this project. Eva is business manager in Nord-Odal municipality. It was after attending Circular Economy Hotspot Glasgow in November 2018 that she understood how much interest a region can have in carrying out a project according to the Circular Scan method.
Since then, the County Governor of Hedmark has supported the project with 1 million. Phase 1 started in full June 2019, and the entire project will last for approx. 12 months. The main focus is on the value chain for the construction industry.
From linear to circular
Ilektra Kouloumpi from Circle Economy started by explaining a bit about what circular economy is. It can easily be explained as a conversion engine for sustainable consumption and production. Today we live mostly in a linear world where goods become waste. In the circular economy, we want to extend the life of resources and preserve them in circulation for as long as possible. Recycling fails to contribute to this change alone.
The construction industry includes many sectors
In the Kongsvinger region, employment and value creation in the construction industry are of great importance, according to Jordi Pascual from Circle Economy. If you look at the entire value chain, it includes several sectors - forestry and mass extraction, processing and production, real estate investors, contractors, transport and logistics, energy, water and waste management.
In total we have found approx. 200 players with more than 3 employees in 16 relevant sectors / industries. The value chain has a great influence on the total use of resources in the region.
Accumulated employment, value creation and emissions in the sectors. Source: Eurostat, Statistics NorwayJordi Pascual from Circle Economy explains the graphs.
The goal for the first phase of the project has been to get an overview of actors, initiatives, challenges, political goals, strategies and guidelines in the value chain. We have sent out surveys and conducted in-depth interviews with the most important actors.
It turns out that most people know what circular economy is, but lack it in their strategy and business plan.
All parties of the value chain in the Kongsvinger region.
Initiative categorized according to 7 principles
Julia Koch, Circle Economy.
Circle Economy uses 7 key principles to explain circular economy, and based on this they have categorized the circular initiatives that are taking place in the region. Based on these principles, Julia Koch, Circle Economy, could conclude that the business community in the region uses many renewable resources, but that there is little focus on technology.
After discussions based on graphic illustrations of the value chain, partners and initiatives, several new circular potential initiatives emerged.
Examples are: creating networks for better collaboration, focus on municipal / regional / county municipal procurement, marketplace for circular materials / resources, including more circular economy in education and better pricing of recycled materials.
Several of these initiatives respond to the challenges highlighted by survey participants.
Group work: Jury Jarkov, RIIG, Sofie Pindsle, Cirular NOrway, Ronny Olsson, Klosser Innovation, Anne Huse, Regional Council in the Kongsvinger region, Steinar Grønnerud, Eidskog municipality.
The next phase of the project starts now
Going forward, the focus will be on analysis of material flows. We want to get an overview of the material flows (in and out) in the value chain, to be able to see what there is a lot of, and what has the potential to be used elsewhere in the value chain. If you want to contribute knowledge or data to this, we encourage you to contact one of us. We would also like tips on others who can contribute to the data base, e.g. industry associations, authorities and the research community. Workshop 2 will be in February 2020.
Sophie Pindsle
Project manager in Circular Norway,
Tel; 92067857
Email; sp@circularnorway.no
If all people on earth were to consume at the same level as people in Norway, we would need 3,6 planets Earth to keep up. The Kongsvinger region will now be the first region in the Nordic region to map resource consumption, waste and residual raw materials from business and the public sector.
- The goal is to find out how the region can consume less resources and at the same time utilize residual raw material for new products with high value, says Eva Snare who is business manager in Nord-Odal municipality.
The Storting has decided that Norway will be a pioneer in the field of circular economy. This means we all have to reuse things, rather than throwing them away. In addition, the goal is that waste can become new valuable products.
- The Kongsvinger region wants to take a position as the green heart of Norway. We have several companies that are good at sustainability and green natural resources. If we are to live up to the name the green heart of Norway, however, we must take further action, says the initiator of the survey, says Eva Snare. - The goal is that the survey, which is called a "Circle Scan", will give us insights that creates new opportunities for the region, she continues.
Business in the lead Several companies have low climate footprints and most want to be even better. Both ØM Fjeld, Maarud and Sparebanken Østlandet have now hired resource persons who, among other things, will work with sustainability.
- Sustainability or green economy is about reducing the negative impact on nature, while companies must have a focus on increased value creation. When we introduce the concept of circular economy, it becomes in many ways a methodology for achieving new gains through lower consumption and utilization of residual raw materials for new valuable products. The Kongsvinger region will take the lead in the circular economy, says Erik Platek, chairman of the board of 7sterke.
Many good examples
Several of the companies in the Kongsvinger region have already rolled up their sleeves and have circular economy as part of their business models. For example, Mapei is working on looking at new utilization opportunities and business concepts for depleted concrete. Solør bioenergy extracts heat from discarded impregnated wood. SCHÜTZ collects plastic and makes new products. Last year, the company made over 300 pallet parts from recycled plastic. Conmodo in Skarnes and Infocare in Kongsvinger are both Scandinavia's leading repair service providers.
Sustainability and circular economy put in place
- 7sterkes experience is that together we manage to take bigger lifts than when we work separately. Therefore, we have taken the initiative for a 4th network in 7sterke together with the municipalities and Klosser Innovation, says Platek.
The fourth network focuses on sustainability and circular economy and will contribute to competence sharing between the companies in the industrial cluster and between the business community and the municipalities. In addition, the ambition over time is to establish concrete R&D projects within sustainability.
- By involving the municipalities, Statistics Norway and the R&D actors in the region, we get a unique collaboration. The survey, which has now been initiated, is an example of the fruitful collaboration. The network will help us learn across industries, companies and across the public and private sectors, says Platek.
If we succeed together, we will both contribute to reducing our global climate footprint and at the same time we increase value creation in the industry in the region. This is sustainability in practice, concludes Erik Platek.
What is circular economy? Circular economy is about resources such as metals, biomass and minerals remaining in the cycle as long as possible. This can be achieved by optimizing raw material use, waste, emissions and energy consumption. In addition, circular economy is also about reusing products and materials, often outside their original purpose. Through circular economy, waste is seen as a resource and products are designed so that the materials can be more easily repaired or recycled.
What is sustainability?
Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the current generation without reducing the opportunities for future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable development must take care of three perspectives, namely the environment, the social and economic perspective. This means that a company cannot be sustainable without considering all three perspectives. Put another way; The business community must both make money and take care of social conditions and work to save the environment in order to be able to call itself sustainable.
What is Circle Scan?
Circle Scan is about analyzing what kind of resources and raw materials are consumed by business and the public sector and what residual raw materials and waste are left after consumption. The Kongsvinger region is now the country's first region to carry out a total survey of resource flows in business and the public sector. The initiative is a collaboration between the municipalities in the Kongsvinger region, 7sterke, Statistics Norway, Klosser Innovation, GIR, Kongsvinger University College Center and Circular Norway, funded by the County Governor of the Inland. [/ Vc_column_text] [/ vc_column] [/ vc_row]
