At Finnfoam, the circular economy is already part of everyday life: FF Recycling Bags collect plastic insulation waste from construction sites and hardware stores for reuse. In the future, used, even dirty, foam insulation can also be recycled into new raw materials at the Salo factory's polystyrene solvent recycling plant.
The built environment causes approximately 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, and more than half of the raw materials consumed are used in construction. We recognize that as manufacturers of construction products, we are part of the solutions of the future, and therefore we want to be involved in building new operating models.
As a testament to this, we were the first construction products manufacturer to commit to the Circular Economy Green Deal. For us, the commitment is not a single act of responsibility, but part of a long-term development effort to make the circular economy a way of thinking and acting.
Plastic insulation into circulation – no longer for burning
The national goal is that at least 70 percent of construction and demolition waste will be reused as material by 2027. The goal was originally set for 2020, but because it was not achieved, the goal was postponed.
Utilization as a material does not include utilization as energy. Plastic insulation has traditionally been incinerated at the end of its life cycle, and the energy recovered in the process has been utilized in the production of district heating or electricity. However, the incineration process causes emissions, and valuable natural resources that have already been put into use are lost from the cycle. Plastic insulation should therefore be utilized as a material in the manufacture of new products, and this is also the core theme of our commitment.
One concrete example of promoting this goal is the FF Recycling Bag, which collects plastic insulation waste from construction sites and hardware stores for reuse. The system benefits all parties: construction companies and private builders save on waste fees, the environmental impact of construction is reduced, and we get recycled raw materials for product manufacturing.
Our goal is to develop the system to be even more efficient so that as much of the building insulation waste (and also packaging polystyrene) as possible can be utilized as a secondary raw material instead of being burned. This requires, among other things, close cooperation with construction companies and distributors, i.e. hardware stores, as well as the continuous development of our own processes.
Innovations drive the circular economy forward
Currently, we are able to receive XPS, EPS and PIR insulation cutting waste and clean packaging polystyrene in FF Recycling Bags, but in the future our goal is to also utilize plastic insulation from demolition sites. The polystyrene solvent recycling plant built at the Salo factory plays a key role in this. With it, used, even dirty, foam insulation can be recycled into new raw materials in an energy- and cost-efficient manner in the future. A patent has been applied for for the process and its environmentally friendly solvent.
We are also involved in a research project to explore how by-products that are not suitable for food production can be used to produce bio-based raw materials for our products. This is an example of how the circular economy can connect different industries and create completely new solutions.
Real change comes from bold innovations and open collaboration. The circular economy is not only an environmental act, but also a competitive advantage in the future. We want to challenge the entire construction industry, customers and other partners to join us on the journey towards a more sustainable future.
Finnfoam's circular economy green deal goals by 2035
- 30 percent of recycled materials in production
- The utilization rate of collected recycled material is almost 100 percent
- Replacing fossil raw materials with bio-based ones where possible
- Establishing an additional thermal insulation solution that improves the energy efficiency of solar panels as part of the product range
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