Pilot Partners:
Swegon (manufacturer)
Vasakronan (real estate owner)
Skanska Sweden (contractor)
Demontera (disassembly)
Lindab (manufacturer)
Country: Sweden
What was piloted
Swegon and Lindab already operated take-back schemes for installed HVAC products, but the challenge was the inflow: too many products are scrapped at end-of-use rather than sent back to the manufacturer. With Skanska Sweden, Demontera and Vasakronan, the pilot tested the full take-back process for diffusers, air handling units (AHUs) and ducts: inventory, dismantling, packaging, logistics to the manufacturers, refurbishment, and follow-up on carbon savings.
Challenges and how they were tackled
Asbestos findings cancelled the first site. At Tegelbruket in Stockholm, planning and inventory were completed, but dismantling was cancelled due to risk of asbestos. Galleria Boulevard in Kristianstad served as a second site, and learnings were gathered from both.
Timing and project conditions, not technology, were the bottleneck. Early-stage planning and project readiness mattered more than technical capability.
Inventory quality suffered without HVAC installation expertise. The fix: involve installation-competent people in the inventory from day one.
Generic dismantling instructions may lead to products being damaged during dismantling. The fix: image-based, product-specific dismantling instructions.
Misaligned incentives across the value chain. Clear benefits existed for buying reused HVAC products, but few incentives existed to send them back. The team modelled the take-back loop and the resale loop as two separate business models, so costs and revenues can be allocated where they fall.
Key learnings
Reused HVAC products can deliver up to 95% lower climate impact than new equivalents when refurbished and re-warranted by the manufacturer
Dismantling for reuse is not necessarily slower than demolition: Air handling units added time is close to zero, diffusers a few minutes per product, and ducts a few minutes per section for both careful dismantling and packaging.
Embed reuse requirements before procurement, prioritise high-impact products, and treat reuse inventories as part of the legally required materials inventory.
Sequencing matters: ceilings and cable trays should be dismantled before HVAC.
Use contracts that specify dismantling instructions, packaging, traceability and risk allocation.
Solution scaling probability: 4.5 / 5
Swegon is prepared to scale volumes and expand the offering to new markets and Lindab is planning to widen the offering to more product groups. The scaling depends also on external conditions of real estate owners setting clearer reuse targets and contractors more willing to use circular approaches.
Our pilot showed that dismantling for reuse does not necessarily add much time. Yet it remains one of the biggest barriers, especially for smaller projects. To scale, we need aligned incentives across the value chain so that circular solutions become the natural choice.
— Caroline Jacobsson, Circularity Director, Swegon
We see strong potential for scaling reuse within HVAC, especially when reuse is integrated early in project planning. The pilot confirmed that manufacturers can play a key role by ensuring quality, refurbishment and traceability, but scaling circular flows further will depend on improved access to reliable data on material availability in the existing building stock.
— Cecilia Cederek, Sustainability Specialist North Europe, Lindab