From waste to walls – Finnish expertise leads EU project turning waste into construction solutions

Imagine wheat straw left in a field after harvest, wood chips from a sawmill, or pulp residue from food production. Today, much of this material has little use. But in the near future, it could be keeping homes warm, softening indoor acoustics or even helping windows adapt to heat.

This is the ambition of CIRCBUILT, a new EU-funded project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd (VTT). Running from 2025 to 2028, it brings together twelve partners from Finland, Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland to demonstrate how agricultural, food and forestry residues can be turned into high-performance construction materials.

The construction sector produces 37 per cent of global emissions. CIRCBUILT addresses this challenge by developing bio-based materials from residues that would otherwise go to waste.

From raw residues to real applications

Foam-formed products, nanocellulose coatings with adaptive properties and bio-based binders are being tested for use in insulation panels, construction boards, acoustic panels and cooling windows.

“By creating high-quality products from residues, we can reduce emissions and resource use at the same time," said Minna Lahtinen, lead for EU projects in lignocellulose materials at VTT. "CIRCBUILT shows that sustainable construction materials do not have to compromise on performance or aesthetics.”

Funded by the European Commission under the New European Bauhaus initiative, CIRCBUILT will deliver new construction solutions by 2028. Its results are expected to support both sustainable building practices and Europe’s wider transition to a circular economy.