At the demo day of the innovation challenge jointly organised by the Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster Program and the KIRA Growth Programme, eight different circular economy services were showcased to promote the reuse of construction materials and components in construction projects.
The Circular Economy Solutions as a Service for Construction innovation challenge aimed to help construction companies move circular economy practices from plans to action and find services that make it easier to reuse construction products. In an open call, companies were invited to submit a solution related to the reuse of a specific construction product or a more comprehensive service concept based on the circular economy of construction products.
A total of 17 applications were submitted during the application period, of which the challenge partners, NCC, Skanska, SRV and YIT, selected the eight most interesting circular economy services. The chosen finalists refined their proposals with representatives from the partner companies and pitched their final service solutions at the innovation challenge demo day.
– Through the innovation challenge, we find not only providers of ready-made solutions but also companies that are still developing their services. The refining process provides companies with valuable insights into potential customers’ desires and needs, helping them improve their services accordingly. Major companies can also experiment with several new innovations in their projects, says Mira Jarkko, Project Manager of the Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster.
– The circular economy in construction creates opportunities for new business, including entirely new companies. The innovation challenge highlighted needs and solutions and demonstrated the importance of collaboration: it is still challenging for a single player to cover the entire need, at least for the time being, adds Mia Toivanen fromthe KIRA Growth Programme.
Diverse circular economy services complement each other
In evaluating the services pitched at the demo day, emphasis was placed on innovation, feasibility and clarity of the service description. The challenge partners were particularly interested in the readiness level of the service models and the ease of procurement.
The first place was shared by Sweco Finland with its Sweco Material Harvester service and Spolia Design with its turnkey reuse service. The third place was awarded to Lotus Demolition, in collaboration with Revisol, for their service concept for the reuse of demolition bricks.
The awarded solutions were considered well-developed and clear comprehensive service models that construction companies could already procure as they are.
The jury praised the diversity of all the services presented at the demo day throughout the construction value chain – different solutions were seen as complementing each other nicely. The companies are also already widely networked with industry players.
– The circular economy offers opportunities for more efficient use of resources and the creation of new business. In the innovation challenge, we gained insights into new service solutions, and it was also a unique opportunity to contribute to the refining of the companies’ solutions and see the final presentations on stage. Each finalist’s service solution would be viable for anyone’s project. It was an honour to be part of the jury. Thank you to my colleagues for excellent insights and congratulations once again to the winners!, sums up Development Director Benjamin Kalliola from YIT.
Making circular economy services known to a wider audience
The demo day also featured pitches from the following circular economy services:
- A-Insinöörit: Suitability, applicability and product card of reusable construction products
- A-Insinöörit: Utilisation of 3D imaging to promote the reuse of construction products
- Jakava: Circular economy solution for the reuse of surplus materials from construction sites and demolition projects
- Material Maintenance MaMa: Licensable lifecycle software for circular economy material management
- Saint-Gobain, Ecophon: Reuse of acoustic panels
These and other services offered to the innovation challenge will be showcased more broadly during the autumn at Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster events. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, 11 September, from 1 pm to 4 pm, when we will host a presentation event for service solutions on Kansakoulukatu.
Stay tuned for information on all upcoming events by subscribing to the newsletter of the Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster!
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Photos: Sakari Röyskö, Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster
