Circular economy was of interest at FinnBuild – Finnfoam aims to increase the share of secondary raw materials through chemical recycling

Photo: Elina Saarinen. Enni Ohrankämmen, Marko Alho and Juha Tuomaala at the Finnfoam stand at the Finnbuild fair. The last day of the fair was also Tuomaala's first working day at Finnfoam.

More than 15,000 visitors visited the construction and building services fair At the FinnBuild fair At the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Center, 29 September–1 October 2026.

The fair showed that the construction industry is experiencing a strong transformation, colored by artificial intelligence, energy transition and growing responsibility requirements.

Photo: Elina Saarinen. The construction industry is showing positive signs in the economic cycle. The positive atmosphere was visible and audible, for example, in the large joint stand of the Building Technology Industry and Trade, which was styled in a maritime cruise atmosphere with disco balls and the theme M/S Talteka.

Secondary raw materials for insulation production

Insulation manufacturer Finnfoam was one of over four hundred exhibiting companies.

Finnfoam presented its circular economy concept in a spectacular way. Finnfoam has been separately collecting insulation plastic waste with the FF Recycling Bag System, which it launched in 2019.

The collected materials can be utilized at Finnfoam's Salo factory and used as secondary raw materials in insulation production.

"The circular economy is definitely a selling point for us," says the company's sales manager. Marko Alho.

Alho says that on the first day of the FinnBuild fair, the stands were visited by many students and professionals in the field. According to Alho, the middle day of the fair, Wednesday, was particularly lively. At that time, Finnfoam also organized an evening event for its customers.

Test runs continue at chemical recycling plant

Finnfoam crushes the collected waste itself in Salo using mechanical equipment.

The company has also long developed chemical recycling, as materials collected from construction sites, such as waste pieces of thermal insulation, can often be dirty. They may contain glue residues, concrete or sand.

Finnfoam has developed a solvent-based recycling method with its partnersto effectively remove impurities.

A chemical recycling plant has been built in Salo. The plant was originally planned to be fully operational in 2023, but the plan has changed. The company is still conducting test runs.

Finnfoam published a voluntary circular economy Green Deal commitment last autumn. According to it, the company plans to increase the share of secondary raw materials in its production from the current approximately eight percent to 30 percent by 2035.

Photo: Elina Saarinen. On the third day of the fair, Viivi Lastuvirta presented NG Nordic's operations. Kuljetusrinki Oy, which NG Nordic acquired this spring, was also present at the same stand.

The competition featured products based on the circular economy.

The FinnBuild Highlights competition sought the most interesting new products and services.

The prize money of 15,000 euros awarded by the Finnish Fair Foundation was received Condicon protective wall system, which was chosen by public vote.

The Condicon wall system is a modular, reusable partitioning solution that replaces disposable dust protection walls on construction and renovation sites.

The elements can be used hundreds of times and are fully recyclable. The system reduces waste. The solution is already in use in renovation projects.

Text: Elina Saarinen, Uusiouutiset

Photo: Elina Saarinen. Enni Ohrankämmen, Marko Alho and Juha Tuomaala at the Finnfoam stand at the Finnbuild fair. The last day of the fair was also Tuomaala's first working day at Finnfoam.

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