Circular Economy

Companies in construction, join us in developing the circular economy in Helsinki! Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster Program promotes circular economy in construction by launching pilots, developing tools and providing trainings.

Helsinki to pioneer in the circular economy

The circular economy is the best way to reduce emissions during construction and to curb the over-consumption of natural resources. Helsinki’s Circular Economy Cluster Program promotes circular economy innovations and business by bringing together operators in the construction sector.

Different sized companies, research institutes, universities and other organisations interested in promoting circular construction with concrete actions are welcome to join the cluster.

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Since the City of Helsinki has a strong role as a client, a real estate developer and a constructor, the Circular Economy Cluster Program focuses especially on promoting circularity in the construction sector. A large proportion of construction companies also operate in the Helsinki metropolitan area where material flows are vast and transportation costs remain reasonable – here, the reuse, recycling and processing of different construction products have the potential to develop into a profitable business.

Helsinki Circular Economy Cluster Program is involved in all stages of the circular economy in construction

Achieving a circular economy requires the whole sector to contribute, but there is still a shortage of know-how. That is why we need experimentation with new things, research-based information and the sharing of lessons learned. The Circular Economy Cluster Program supports practical experiments and cooperation between operators, and helps find new business opportunities.

Activities involve, e.g. designing for the circular economy, extending the life cycle, dismantling intact and reusing materials and building components.

See some project examples:

News

City of Helsinki invites architecture and civil engineering students of Aalto University to design new storages from dismantled building parts

The Closing Loops student competition, launched in October, is seeking a concept for a storage building for outdoor exercise venues that will be built from construction materials and parts recovered from the City of Helsinki’s demolition projects. The objective is to develop the City’s carbon-neutral construction in accordance with the principles of circular economy. The competition will be open until the end of February.

Digital leap in circular construction – shared data supports ambitious goals

To utilise materials from demolished buildings efficiently, it is required that information about the materials’ quality and quantity is available well in advance. In Vattuniemi, Lauttasaari, a shared digital platform makes operations much easier as it brings the data on the material flows into one place.

Circular economy extends to residents’ everyday life on new Jätkäsaari block

An entire city block is planned and designed on the terms of circular economy in Helsinki. The plan is to also have circular economy as part of the everyday life of the future residents of the communal block of Jätkäsaari. The block is being developed by two members of Helsinki’s cluster programme for circular economy, Spolia Design and the Yrjö and Hanna Foundation.

Circular economy cluster program invites concrete companies to an innovation challenge to test the utilisation of demolition wool in concrete production

There are still few possibilities for reusing buildings’ insulation mineral wool, and in Finland alone, up to 20,000 tonnes of mineral wool ends up in landfills a year. The City of Helsinki's circular economy cluster program is organising an innovation challenge for concrete companies, where companies can test the utilisation of wool powder made from demolition wool in the manufacture of concrete.

Construction boosts circular economy – demolition in Vattuniemi shows the way

The Ministry of the Environment estimates that approximately 1.6 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste is generated every year in Finland. According to the EU’s directive on waste, 70% of this should be reused, but Motiva estimates that the figure stands at only about 50%. This serves as a good reason to promote circular economy in construction, in addition to conserving natural resources and slowing down climate change and loss of biodiversity. The circular economy cluster programme, launched by the City of Helsinki, is also aiming to achieve circular economy in construction.

Challenge competition: how the demolition survey data could be utilized more widely?

Circular Design Network has launched a challenge competition to find new ideas and concepts for utilizing data in circular economy. The challenge by City of Helsinki's Circular Economy Cluster Program and Motiva Services is one out of the six.

Want to hear more?

  • Mira Jarkko

  • Chief Advisor, Team Leader
    Green Transition and New Technologies
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services

  • Eeva Jalovaara

  • Senior Advisor, architect
    Circular Economy Cluster Program
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services

  • Ronny Rantamäki

  • Senior Advisor
    Circular Buildings
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services

  • Mette Hiltunen

  • Project Manager
    Arabia Circular Hub Helsinki
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services

  • Noora Haavisto

  • Senior Advisor
    Circular Economy Cluster Program
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services