Omtre

From a global perspective, timber is a scarce resource, while the use of timber is increasing by approximately 5% annually.

Today, about half of the waste volume in Norway is timber, and the majority of this "waste" is used for energy recovery (incineration). If we reuse half of the current timber waste in construction, it would equate to an 8% reduction in Norway's climate obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Vision: To meet 30% of the demand for timber in the construction industry with reused materials by 2035.

Omtre identifies, develops, and implements circular commercial solutions for the reuse of timber. We aim for our solutions to also be commercially sustainable, meaning they should be scalable and price-competitive.

Currently, we focus primarily on two commercial products:

• REjoin: Finger-jointed structural timber made from reclaimed wood sourced from industry, contractors, and recycling companies. The structural timber can be used in conventional applications such as studs, glulam beams, and cross-laminated timber (CLT) production.
• REblåkk: A modular building system made from blocks based on offcuts from cross-laminated timber (CLT) production. The solution is fully dismantlable and circular, as the blocks can be reused repeatedly without screws and nails.

One of the main challenges Omtre has faced is creating broader understanding and acceptance of circular solutions in an industry traditionally characterized by linear production methods. This involves overcoming barriers related to material usage, reuse, and waste reduction, as well as navigating complex regulations that often favor new over reused materials.