Climate Summit 2023: Premiere of Circular Solutions for Builders

THE UPCYCL took the Yellow Stage at the Climate People's Meeting, Friday at 10.30 am. Jakob Rauff Baungaard, project manager for Applied Circular Economy in Middelfart Municipality, had gathered an impressive panel group to discuss concrete solutions for how the construction industry can become more circular.

Nina Koch-Ørvad, Project Manager at VÆRDIBYG, welcomed the audience and set the scene by referring to the recently published "Circularity Gab Report", which revealed that Denmark is only 4% circular. This clearly indicated that there is a lot of work to do.

Nina also introduced the three distinguished speakers: Rikke Ullersted, CEO & Founder of THE UPCYCL, Sofie Mora Kristensen, Sustainability & Marketing Manager at Superwood A/S; and Kent Fonseca, Stark'tivist at STARK, all of whom are deeply committed to finding concrete solutions.

Kent Fonseca from STARK was then given the floor. He began with a motto: "Sustainability: It's a hassle, but it's good!". The path to total sustainability requires collective action, and STARK placed extra emphasis on partnerships and the results these collaborations can achieve, even across industry boundaries.

Kent passed the ball to Sofie Mora Kristensen, Sustainability & Marketing Manager at Superwood. Sofie shared exciting news about a collaboration between STARK and Superwood. Sofie unveiled a modular facade solution made from New Waste materials, tested on a pilot project together with Stark Group.

Finally, Rikke Ullersted, CEO and founder of THE UPCYCL, stepped up on stage. Rikke guided the audience through a thought-provoking presentation on waste streams and how different companies can share resources. She strongly encouraged consumers to ask critical questions to companies and ask: "Are you sharing waste with anyone?". She argued that we all need to do our part to extend the life of materials and avoid waste. The next time you're thinking about buying a washing machine, coffee machine or kitchen countertop, ask the question: "Who do you share waste with?" and expect a clear answer.

At the same time, Rikke encouraged people to look "kindly" on those who are taking steps towards a more circular economy and not point fingers. She pointed out that taking the circular step requires a significant effort and that everyone has to start somewhere.

With these words, Nina Koch-Ørvad concluded the event and opened up for questions from the audience.