RE:SLAB Nordic – Circular Value Chains for Concrete Slab Reuse in the Nordic Region

Project name: RE:SLAB Nordic – Circular Value Chains for Concrete Slab Reuse in the Nordic Region
Project leader:  Erik Stenberg
Other participants in the project from KTH: Helena Westerlind (Lecturer, Architecture)
Participating universities/companies/other organisations: KTH, Sirkulær Ressurssentral AS (Norge), circrete (Danmark), Tscherning (Danmark), FORCE Technology (Danmark)
Project period: 2026-2029
Financing: Nordic Innovation

The project aims to establish scalable Nordic value chains for reuse of concrete slabs, targeting slab systems that represent a major share of material consumption and embodied greenhouse gas emissions in buildings. By focusing on hollow core slabs, recovered in-situ cast slabs, and other prefabricated slab systems, the project addresses one of the largest circular opportunities in the construction sector. Through Nordic collaboration, market testing, and removal of practical, organisational, and financial barriers, the project will make concrete slab reuse a viable and competitive alternative to new concrete while strengthening regional competitiveness and accelerating the transition to a circular and low-emission construction industry.

By reducing dependence on virgin materials, the project also contributes to strengthened resource resilience and preparedness in the Nordic construction sector, supporting more robust value chains in an increasingly uncertain global supply situation.

A core strength of the project is its emphasis on financial feasibility and robust documentation of the quality and performance of reused concrete slabs. Leveraging the diversity of project partners and case contributors, the project will generate insights into information flows, cost structures, and risk factors across the reuse value chain, including dismantling, testing, handling, storage, and integration into new projects. Cross-Nordic comparison will strengthen transferability and scalability of results.

The project builds on an established methodology for mapping opportunities, barriers, and actors, combined with documented experience from pilot projects. Demonstration projects in several Nordic countries will validate methods under commercial conditions, while shared documentation, quality assurance practices, and legal guidance reduce uncertainty for market actors.

Through the project, we will activate and connect key actors across the reuse value chain, develop and document practical reuse methods, demonstrate slab reuse in real construction projects, analyse and reduce cost drivers, and establish collaboration models and policy-relevant guidance for large-scale implementation.

The project is implementation-driven and focused on real-life application rather than research. It is designed to deliver measurable environmental and market impact before 2030, supporting Nordic Innovation’s objective of a green and competitive Nordic region.

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