Vyrk and NTNU head to Japan to learn more about the circular economy

Vyrk and NTNU are travelling to Japan – specifically to the Canon Eco Technology Park, which is located 85 km outside Tokyo – to learn more about the circular economy. Through an important collaboration with NTNU, Vyrk and Steinar Lyseng have been invited to Japan, to help showcase some of our innovation projects and to learn more about the circular mindset.

Strengthening international cooperation on circular production

Through the project CIRMAN (Circular Manufacturing), which is funded by the Research Council of Norway, NTNU and Vyrk are making the trip to strengthen international collaboration with Japan and India on the circular economy. The circular economy will ensure greater resource utilisation and reuse of products, so that they last as long as possible without new resources constantly having to be extracted. Vyrk is represented on the trip by its Market and Innovation Manager Steinar Lyseng and Carla Susana Assuad, who is the project manager in CIRMAN and who has a 20% position at Vyrk through NTNU.

"An important part of Vyrk's development is innovation. The key to economic growth lies in development and innovation. In our industry, there is a great need for climate-friendly solutions, and for the reuse and circularity of wood. Our collaboration with NTNU, and the opportunity to be a guest in this project and develop international collaborations in the field of circular economy, is therefore very significant."

International research network for circular production

Partners in the project include the Indian Institute of Technology, the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering at NTNU in Gjøvik, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), SINTEF, Norcics and Waseda University.

The aim of the project is to develop world-class research and education in circular production in Norway. The project could result in long-term international collaborations. This includes the development of joint research plans and research funding applications for all CIRMAN institutions, joint seminars and educational programmes, as well as collaboration with businesses in Norway, Japan, and India.

"How to get the most out of the resources we use is at the very core of the circular economy. I strongly believe that this project and our international collaboration will provide us with knowledge for use in research and education to develop circular production even more," says Torbjørn Skogsrød, head of the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering at NTNU.

The business models of the future are circular

Many of the business models of the future are moving away from the linear model and are instead aiming for circular solutions. Today's value chains are underutilised, something that Vyrk and NTNU wished to address through innovative research and innovation projects.

The collaboration between academia and business is crucial for developing practical solutions for a more circular economy. By participating in the CIRMAN project, Vyrk is playing an active part in shaping the production methods of the future, with a focus on sustainability and resource efficiency in the wood industry.