Press release September 3rd, 2025
21 actors trial circular solutions in building projects across 7 Nordic cities
This fall, 21 Nordic building sector actors are coming together to pilot circular economy solutions for technical building equipment. The pilots will take place in real building projects across 7 Nordic cities and include product categories like HVAC systems, electric and sanitary equipment, elevators, and access systems.
The Nordic Circularity Piloting Program has brought together over 130 companies from the building value chain, representing e.g. technical equipment manufacturers, property owners, architects, contractors, distributors, and dismantlers. The Program accelerates the creation of circular business solutions for technical building equipment by creating an arena and actively matching and sparring companies towards value chain wide collaboration - an elemental piece of circular business development.
This fall the program kicks off eight practical pilot projects in which 2-5 companies come together to trial circular solutions in different building projects. The piloting companies include industry frontrunners like Vasakronan, KONE, Swegon, Skanska, Multiconsult, Demontera, Lindab, NollaE, Oras, ASSA ABLOY, Staaltro, SRV, and CapMan Real Estate. The pilots test a variety of circular business models including reuse, refurbishment, and Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) in Finland, Sweden, and Norway, across five different product categories: HVAC systems, electrical equipment, sanitary equipment, elevators, and access systems.
Circular pilots in the Nordic Circularity Piloting Program:
1. Disassembling HVAC systems for reuse and refurbishment
(Swegon, Vasakronan, Skanska Sweden, Demontera, Lindab)
Evaluates the process and costs of dismantling HVAC products in two pilot sites in Sweden.
2. Reused access system
(ASSA ABLOY, Certego)
Explores customer needs and distribution models to build a scalable business model for circular solutions.
3. Refurbishing access solutions
(ASSA ABLOY, Tampereen Tilapalvelut, City of Tampere)
Tests circularity in practice by refurbishing ABLOY products and optimizing their reuse process.
4. Enhancing circular economy of HVAC systems
(Nolla_E, Kotkan Julkiset Kiinteistöt Oy, Skanska Sweden)
Demonstrates reuse of air handling units in pilot sites in Finland and Sweden to develop scalable solutions.
5. Elevator modernization
(KONE, CapMan Real Estate)
Modernizes elevators in a CapMan property in Oslo by retaining viable components and replacing only outdated ones.
6. Faucets and showers as a service
(Oras, SRV)
Pilots a PaaS model that reduces water waste, extends product life, and leverages predictive maintenance.
7. Reusing cable trays
(CapMan, Insenti, Bevar/Øst-Riv, Staaltro)
Develops and implements a process to dismantle, assess, and prepare used cable trays from demolition projects for resale through wholesalers.
8. The reuse tool for electrical equipment
(Multiconsult, Norwegian Property, Trondheim Municipality)
Develops and tests a reuse matrix to assess and visualize the circular potential of electrical components.
The need for a circular transition in the building industry is urgent. These pilots show how to move from just talking to actually doing, demonstrating some much-needed good examples, leading the way towards a circular building sector.
– Ulla Janson, Senior Lecturer, Installation and Air Conditioning Engineering, Lund University
Background on the Nordic Circularity Piloting Program
The Nordic Circularity Piloting Program is led and coordinated by Combient Pure and co-financed and supported by Nordic Innovation. The Program started in November 2024 and has brought together the Nordic construction industry through open Value Chain Sessions to spread knowledge and present case studies on what circularity can mean for technical building equipment. The official Program partners are ASSA ABLOY, Cradlenet, Demontera, KONE, Multiconsult, NollaE, Skanska, Swegon, and Vasakronan.
Technical building equipment make up the third largest emission source in the lifecycle of buildings after energy and main construction materials.
“Collaboration across the value chain is needed to establish sustainable ways of using resources and energy in the product category. This initiative is one of the first to actively involve the original product manufacturers into the piloting of circular technical building solutions. Bringing the manufacturers together with the end customers - the property owners - can be, from our experience, the best bet for creating new circular business models in the construction industry”, Marika Määttä, Head of Combient Pure notes.
The diversity represented in the piloting companies creates a unique opportunity for cross-product category, cross-value chain and cross-border knowledge exchange. During the fall, the piloting groups will be able to share experiences and reflect with each other along the piloting journey, as well as enjoy pilot-specific sparring sessions, all aiming to help in assessing the circular solutions’ value propositions, feasibility, and scalability towards new business.
Once the pilots have been carried out, the Program will culminate in open review sessions and a final event in Sprint 2026, sharing findings, best practices, and policy recommendations with the broader industry and public stakeholders.
More information: www.circularitypiloting.com
Media Contact:
Melissa Kanerva
Program Manager, Combient Pure
melissa.kanerva@combient.com
+358 44 502 2373
circularitypiloting.com