Vyrk’s sustainable wall panel eliminates construction waste with circularity

Construction creates an alarming one-third of the world’s overall waste. Yet within this mountain of waste lies a goldmine of valuable resources. Waste can be reused, recycled and repurposed, if only the industry can develop a circular model for waste management. This would also reduce global CO₂ emissions, 40 per cent of which can be linked to construction.

“We want to change the paradigm that panels are used and then thrown away or burned,” explains Lyseng.

Vyrk delivers Trysilpanel, a sustainable, high-tech panelling made from residual raw materials. The panel’s core is made from recycled wood and covered with a veneer of oak, walnut, birch or ash, each available in five different shades.

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The luxurious wood panelling gives an appearance of exclusivity, suitable for the most upscale projects.

To eliminate waste, the company has adopted a circular business model, creating the world’s first closed-loop system for wall panelling. “We want to utilise our resources as far as possible and get more square metres of wall from every cubic metre of wood,” says Lyseng.

Vyrk has circularity down to a science, where the panels are purchased, mounted, demounted after years of use, returned to the company, and remanufactured for new customers. The unique mounting/demounting system enables easy removal of the panels, even after years of use.

To achieve circularity, Vyrk has designed an innovative return scheme. The panelling is sold with a deposit, and when it needs to be replaced, the buyer can return it to Vyrk and get the deposit back.

Upon return to Vyrk, the panels are refurbished and, if desired, given a new appearance with a different type of wood. They can also be milled back into a new core plate, although the company prefers to avoid this expense and the emissions involved.

As the product was introduced in 2023, no customers have used the return scheme yet, but Lyseng has high expectations. “In the professional market, we expect to see a return rate of 80 to 90 per cent,” he says.

He also notes the importance of saving forest resources in the first place. “We want to make our panels with as little interference with nature as possible. We must take care of the forest because it’s breathing for us.”

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The EU aims to dramatically reduce the 500 million metric tons of construction waste generated in Europe each year. As such, the Circular Economy Action Plan identifies construction materials as an area of focus. This, and other guidelines and regulations, is pushing the industry towards innovative solutions.

Vyrk has established itself as a role model in this area. “We want the EU and the whole world to see that circularity is the only way to achieve our environmental goals,” states Lyseng.

Several prestigious architects and builders are customers, including the award-winning Norwegian architecture and design firm Snøhetta.

Vyrk was named a finalist in the Norwegian Construction Industry’s Innovation Award 2023 for its Sustainable Wall Panel.