The Circular Construction Challenge addresses the global problem of waste overload, mass consumption, and continuously increasing resource use. Thirty-nine innovators, from a wide range of Danish companies, submitted their ideas to reduce waste through the built environment.
We are pleased to announce that Golder, together with Solum A/S and STARK Group, was selected as one of the three winners, with the innovation “GENTRÆ – Circular Alternative: Reused timber in large-scale retail sale.”
About Circular Alternative – Reused timber in large-scale retail sale
Every year, approximately 50,000 tonnes (55,116 tons) of timber used for temporary construction on building sites are disposed of as combustible waste in Denmark. Golder believes that by making recycled products available alongside conventional building materials, they become an attractive and natural choice for designers and craftsmen, thereby contributing to a paradigm shift towards increased circularity in the construction sector.
By launching GENTRÆ, an assortment of reused building materials will be introduced in large-scale retail sale, which can be sold across building material suppliers. The first building material in GENTRÆ is timber used for temporary construction at building sites. Other materials might be evaluated for recycling and sold at the construction markets in the future.
GENTRÆ will collect timber from temporary constructions (e.g., guardrails, toe boards) on construction sites, handle the wood at Solum A/S, and resell the tree for the same purpose at the construction market STARK. This timber is particularly interesting from a circularity perspective because while its life span is very short, the product is not significantly changed or exposed to hazardous substances, and the volumes disposed as waste are significant.
The team already has a handful of major contractors who will provide access to waste collection at their construction sites. The entire circular value chain will be thoroughly analyzed, with the aim of designing the optimal environmental, social and economic solutions for the implementation.
