Building Green offered new perspectives on smart transition and sustainable construction

How can the construction sector accelerate its transition while using resources more efficiently? That was one of the key questions at Building Green in Copenhagen, the Nordic region’s leading forum for sustainable construction. Representatives from the business community, the public sector, and innovation hubs gathered there to discuss future solutions in circular and climate-smart construction.

For Innovatum Science Park and Smart Omställning, the visit provided valuable insights into how companies can strengthen their competitiveness through collaboration, innovation, and increased resource efficiency.

Collaboration opens doors to new opportunities

An important aspect of the event was establishing new contacts and identifying opportunities for future collaboration. Through organized matchmaking, participants had the opportunity to meet companies and stakeholders with complementary expertise and shared development needs.

“The matchmaking went very well. The discussions provided both new perspectives and concrete avenues for future collaborations,” says Vítor Ortega, business coach at Innovatum Science Park.

Creating venues where businesses, researchers, and other stakeholders can exchange knowledge is an important part of the smart transition. New partnerships can help accelerate the pace of innovation, strengthen competitiveness, and increase the adoption of sustainable solutions.

An understanding of market needs drives innovation

For several of the participating companies, the trade show was an opportunity to better understand market needs and explore new applications for existing technologies and products.

Discussions with visitors and industry stakeholders provided valuable feedback on the solutions needed to support the construction sector’s transition toward lower climate impact and more circular material flows.

Experience shows how close dialogue with customers and the market can help develop innovations that meet real needs while also creating business opportunities.

From Ambition to Proven Climate Benefits

This year’s theme at Building Green, “Scaling for Enough,” focused on how society can scale up sustainable solutions without increasing resource consumption. A clear conclusion from the seminars and meetings was that companies increasingly need to be able to demonstrate and measure their climate and resource savings.

It is no longer enough to simply describe sustainability efforts. Customers, investors, and other stakeholders are demanding concrete data that shows the actual impact of a solution.

The need for measurable climate benefits is particularly important given that global circularity continues to decline, while Sweden’s level of circularity remains low compared to what is required for long-term sustainable resource use. For businesses, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity to develop new circular business models and solutions.

International forums strengthen the transition

Participation in Building Green demonstrated the value of international networks and knowledge sharing in accelerating the transition in the construction and industrial sectors. By pooling experiences, identifying common challenges, and developing new partnerships, more stakeholders can contribute to a more competitive and sustainable future.

Smart Transition is a collaborative project between Innovatum Science Park and University West. The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Västra Götaland Region, and the Fyrbodal Municipal Association.