reused concrete - Recreate

March 31, 2026

Author: Juha Rämö, technology director Consolis Parma

Load-bearing frame structures account for the largest part of the carbon footprint of new buildings. Emissions can be significantly reduced by using low-carbon products and replacing new products with reused building components. Consolis Parma’s new circular economy solution, PARMA ReUse(TM), introduces reclaimed concrete elements to new construction alongside new products.

PARMA ReUse™ is Parma’s factory refurbishment solution for bringing reclaimed concrete elements to new construction. Reclaimed products refurbished using PARMA ReUse technology belong to the PARMA Green™ product family and can be used as part of the delivery package in the same way as new products.

The built environment plays a major role in combating climate change, as buildings and construction account for about one-third of Finland’s total emissions. Low-carbon building materials and products play a crucial role in reducing embodied emissions of buildings.

Parma’s strategy and development work focus on climate-smart low-carbon products, energy efficiency, and promoting the circular economy. In new construction, reuse of factory-refurbished reclaimed concrete elements can replace some of the new products.

The first binding national requirements for the carbon footprint of buildings came into force in Finland in the beginning of 2026. Achieving the limit values depends on many different factors. Reuse of reclaimed concrete elements is one solution that can help to meet the new requirements for low-carbon construction and achieving a carbon-neutral society.

Turning research of the ReCreate project into a commercially available service

Launching PARMA ReUse™ has drawn from the lessons learned in the ReCreate project, which have also been used in pilot projects and initial customer projects.

In circular economy projects like this, Consolis Parma’s core expertise lies in factory refurbishment, product design, storage, inspection, quality control and testing, and ensuring traceability. We have successfully tested our role in practice in pilot and customer projects.

End-of-life buildings form a huge material bank that can be capitalized for the reuse of reclaimed concrete elements. Necessary dimensional changes can be made during factory refurbishment, and the use of reclaimed elements does not limit the architecture compared to the use of new products.

Reuse of concrete elements is a relatively complex process that is influenced by many factors. Cooperation that begins as early as possible helps to ensure a successful delivery.

Read more about the PARMA ReUse solution in Finnish here.

ReCreate Laboratory testing at Consolis Parma/photo by Satu Huuhka

by ReCreate project

April 29, 2022

Erik Stenberg, architect and senior lecturer in architecture at KTH – School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE) in Stockholm, answered a few questions on why reusing concrete is important in urban development projects.

Why is the reuse of concrete important?

– This is where the biggest environmental benefits can be made. If you access the concrete in the structure of houses, you can achieve the largest reduction in carbon dioxide.

Why is it important in urban development projects?

– It is becoming more and more important to look at the entire life cycle and carbon footprint of the entire urban development and not just individual buildings. We have to look at what was there before and what will come after. We need to make better use of the resources that are already above ground. Also, the historical dimension has nothing to do with carbon dioxide pollution, but with cherishing a legacy, taking advantage of what is good and building on it, and improving what needs to be improved.

What are the benefits of using reused concrete?

– This is exactly what we test in ReCreate. The thesis is that the concrete continues to harden during its lifespan and the technical lifetime is much longer than the service life of the buildings. Therefore, reused concrete should be better than new concrete both constructively and environmentally as we do not use and extract resources from the earth’s crust.

So concrete is made to last longer than the time we use it today?

– It lasts much longer. The concrete you usually see is the one that is exposed outwards to the external elements and it is usually hit harder by rain, weather, cold, or salts (depending on where it is) than concrete that has been sitting hot and dry. If the concrete is hot and dry, it lasts forever.

What opportunities do you see when it comes to reusing concrete?

– I look at the material and historical values and that we get a healthier discussion about how urban development should be done, and that we consume fewer resources when we build in the future. This is the biggest change that needs to happen, not just thinking ‘new’ all the time but rather that we take care of what we already have.