Construction plastic cycle can be promoted through procurement – view training summary

On 3 October 2024, we organised a training session on the procurement of plastics in construction, where we heard and learned about the topical issues of the plastic cycle. You can listen to a recording of the event and explore the training materials. Above all, you should implement the ideas and tools presented. We have compiled below a summary of the training event. At the end of the page, you can find the presentations given at the event (in Finnish).

Salla Koivusalo from the Ministry of the Environment spoke about the Construction Plastics Green Deal concluded in 2021. Its aim is to increase the separate collection of plastic film, enhance the reuse and recycling of separately collected plastic film, and increase the use of plastic film made of recycled materials. The voluntary commitment can be signed at the Sitoumus2050 (“Commitment 2050”) website, which is also used to monitor the progress and reporting of the objectives. Goals related to the responsible use of plastics are increasingly topical, and Koivusalo’s presentation also covered other topical regulations related to plastics, such as the first international plastic treaty, which is currently under negotiation. In Finland, the Construction Plastics Green Deal was joined in September by a wider Circular Economy Green Deal, one of whose areas of change concerns a sustainable built environment. Circular Economy Finland and Green Building Council Finland offer sparring assistance in making a Circular Economy Green Deal commitment.

Plastic = polymer + additive, explained Vesa Kärhä from the Finnish Plastics Industries Federation. The polymer can be man-made or natural. There are a huge number of different types of plastics, but most plastics represent one of the five so-called mainstream plastics: PP, PE, PET, PS or PVC. In addition to the mainstream plastics, we can talk about technical plastics and specialty plastics, and one category of plastics could also be recycled plastics (mainly from mainstream plastics). The key takeaway of Kärhä’s presentation is that there is no rubbish, only raw material that is in the wrong place. Put the right plastic in the right place.

Aino Moisio from HSY talked about different puzzle pieces that together make up a good material cycle. Waste can only be separately collected by a waste management company and recycled by a recycling plant if the consumer sorts it at the place of origin. And in order to be able to sort waste at the place of origin, the consumer must have enough information about sorting and its importance, as well as a suitable container into which to sort the waste. Extensive recycling of waste is not yet very common on construction sites, and improving the situation requires measures especially at the construction site planning stage. Moisio also points out that the customer may require the contractor to arrange separate collection. In fact, separate collection of construction site waste has been required by law for 12 years.

Tiia Tuuri from the City of Espoo and Mari Hiljanen from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences talked about the new procurement criteria for construction plastics and their drafting process, and gave guidance on implementing the criteria. The criteria were developed in cooperation with construction industry through market dialogue and comprehensive surveys. The completed criteria can be found at kriteeripankki.fi, a sustainability criteria website maintained by Motiva. There are two levels of criteria: an easy basic level and a more ambitious pioneer level. The first criterion concerns the separate collection of plastic film, two criteria are related to increasing the share of recycled plastic film, and one is related to committing to the goals of the Construction Plastics Green Deal. Comprehensive and easy-to-read instructions have also been prepared to support the implementation of the criteria. Contractors should be required to recycle construction plastics: contractors who have already tried collecting plastic film have calculated that its collection is actually cost-neutral. Requiring sustainability also gives enthusiastic contractors better opportunities to develop their operations.

Ilari Aho from Uponor talked about a renovation project for the water supply and sewerage network in Itäranta, Espoo, where pipes containing recycled raw material were used. The objective of the renovation was to minimise the carbon footprint of the products used and the use of fossil raw materials, while ensuring that the technical performance of the pipeline would be exactly the same as before. Uponor managed this with the use of the mass balance approach, where virgin raw material is mixed with recycled material at the beginning of production. The resulting product’s molecular structure is identical to that of a product made entirely of virgin material. According to Aho, recycled materials would be more common if not for many regulations and certificates that currently block the use of recycled materials. However, standards are evolving, and the use of recycled plastic will be easier in the future.

Erik Nyroos from the City of Helsinki gave a presentation on a dynamic procurement system that, thanks to its flexibility, is well suited for circular economy procurements, where markets and solutions are constantly evolving. In a dynamic procurement system, a company that meets the suitability requirements can join at any time, but being in the system does not oblige the company to bid on anything. However, a company that is in the system can see the invitations to tender, so it can monitor and anticipate the development of the market. The client can always conduct competitive tendering on slightly different terms and wishes, and the competitive tendering is always between companies that are in the dynamic procurement system at any given time. The system improves companies’ ability to provide functional solutions and makes the city’s procurement process faster and more agile. In Helsinki, the dynamic procurement system was used to find recycling solutions for artificial grass fields.

The event was organised in cooperation by the City of Espoo, the City of Helsinki and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences as part of projects promoting plastic circulation: Closed Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice and PlastLIFE(external link, opens in a new window). The premises were provided by the Crown Bridges Alliance(external link, opens in a new window).

Let’s build a sustainable future together!

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