The rise in the price of raw materials and energy have brought the circular economy closer to the everyday lives of more and more people. "The basic idea of the circular economy is to save energy and natural resources as well as the consumption of money - and even to find new ways of earning," says Tuomas Kohvakka, Finland's first circular economy engineer.
Tuomas Kohvakka has previously worked, for example, at a workshop where cruise ship furniture was built. After Kuopus was born, she went on parental leave and applied to study material and process technology at the University of Applied Sciences. During the circular economy course's company visit to Saint-Gobain, it hit me: working in a big company, you can really make a difference. He got the opportunity to do a thesis for the company, got a summer job, graduated in December 2020 and the rest is history.
"Finally, many people are starting to understand why the circular economy is profitable and what it means. To me, the circular economy appears as part of normal language use and solutions to problems. It's not just talk or wishful thinking, but really concrete solutions," says Saint-Gobain's circular economy engineer Tuomas Kohvakka.
Tuomas admits that sometimes people come across people who throw garbage like garbage into the mixed waste and do not see the environmental aspect as motivating enough to make recycling worthwhile.
"If environmental issues still seem strange and vague, then the financial perspective is an easy and natural way to tell about the benefits of recycling. Environmental work must also be profitable - the circular economy is not a green piper, but smart economic management. New financial opportunities are specifically created in the circular economy. All material, waste and by-products are raw materials that always have value," sums up Tuomas.
From glass wool to Leca light gravel
According to Tuomaks, the construction industry has all kinds of potential and ways of using, for example, construction waste. At Saint-Gobain, together with partners, he thinks about how different construction waste fractions can be reused as efficiently as possible and with minimal impact on the environment.
"I am currently involved in a couple of projects where we are trying to find new uses for mineral wool waste. In our own product, Leca light gravel, we partly use natural clay, and we have, among other things, ground surplus mineral wool from the Isover factory into the clay. Considering the production volumes of Leca gravel, this small practical innovation can help get rid of mineral wool cutting waste, which would otherwise end up in a landfill."
"In the EU-funded H2020 WOOL2LOOP project, we have tested how mineral wool waste can be used as a raw material to replace the concrete binder for new low-carbon construction industry products. Hopefully, with these innovations, we will reach a situation in the near future where all mineral wool building insulation ends up being reused and not landfilled."
Step 1. The process waste brought from the Isover factory is ground and ends up being reused.
Step 2. Ground wool is mixed with clay at Leca's Kuusankoski factory.
Step 3. The mixture of wool powder and clay is used to make Leca gravel, which is used on the construction site for foundation work. Leca gravel becomes even lighter than normal.
Tuomaks perspectives on the benefits of the circular economy
- Nature: The more we use virgin raw material, the more harmful it is to biodiversity. If the surplus from construction, such as mineral wool building insulation, is used in concrete, for example, less virgin raw materials are needed. Glass wool insulation itself is mostly made of recycled glass.
- Man: From an individual's point of view, recycling should be made as simple as possible. It would be great to see in the future that the builders of single-family houses and cottages could take the surplus mineral wool to the local hardware store for recycling. Rautakauppa would forward the mineral wool to a company that processes the waste into new building material. And the new product would come to the hardware store again for the consumer to use. For the environmentally conscious, the circular economy brings new opportunities to make use of old material.
- Company: If the waste is not dumped in the landfill, there will naturally also be savings. On the other hand, if a new usable material is developed from the waste, the company might actually make money with the new innovation. The reuse of old material can be made economical. At the same time, it is an act for the climate, because the goods are not dumped in a landfill.
In a nutshell
- Saint-Gobain is a global group that employs more than 167 people in 000 countries. In Finland, Saint-Gobain employs around 72 professionals in their field in the building materials sector, as a producer of innovative materials and in wholesale. Saint-Gobain's product brands in Finland include Ecophon, Gyproc, Isover, PAM and Leca. Read about Saint-Gobain >>
- Saint-Gobain's climate goal is to be carbon neutral in Finland by 2035 and globally by 2050. Check out Saint-Gobain's sustainability and carbon roadmap >>
- Leca-sora is a well-known brand for light gravel in Finland. Read about Leca gravel >>
- So far, only Saint-Gobain's Tuomas Kohvakka is working in Finland with the title of circular economy engineer. The job description is a mix of development engineer and environmental expert. Tuomas is involved in development projects that require an expert specialized in environmental issues and the circular economy.
Text: Sari Perento
Photos: Saint-Gobain