The goal of the project is to promote the construction industry’s use of digital solutions, and clarify and facilitate choices that enable increased recycling, efficiency and traceability while reducing the impact on our climate.
The timber industry is already at the forefront of work to increase the traceability of materials and reduce climate impact, according to Swedish Wood. Sweden, for example, was the world’s first country to make it a legal requirement from 1st January, 2022 for every new building to be climate declared with a life cycle analysis.
“Data is being created all the time. Where a tree grows is, for example, data that can be included in the final life cycle analysis together with data regarding transportation, the type of wood, planer profile, length, weight, type of treatment and various other properties that can be linked to a product”, says Patrik Rådin, Processing Administrator at Norra Timber.
Patrik is Norra Timber’s representative for ‘4 steps to GTIN’ - a feasibility study within the framework of CIRCLA. GTIN stands for ‘Global Trade Item Number, and is used to generate articles, packaging and services using unique item numbers. The aim of the study is to identify new methods of traceability and information-sharing that can lead to increased levels of material recycling and reduced amounts of waste.
“To be able to pass on machine-readable data for integral components in a building project that can constantly be updated is crucially important when facilitating and streamlining the ability to trace the origins of a product. This in turn will make it easier in the future for those who want to replace, reuse or recycle materials, which will lead to more sustainable construction in Sweden and around the world”, Patrik concludes.
