Reusing or upcycling waste materials are key to reducing the carbon footprint.
Danish architectural company Lendager Group, who is ahead of using both recycled and upcycled materials in buildings. “Lendager’s sustainable building project Resource Rows, using recycled brick walls and wasted window scantlings from VTI, is currently nominated for the world’s most prestigious architecture award, the EU Mies van der Rohe Award,” Wernberg says. WASTE DOES NOT MEAN LOW-COST A general misconception is that waste material is a bar- gain. “There is much more labour involved in upcycling than using virgin materials,” Wernberg underlines. “Small bits have to be hand sorted, finger jointed into larger pieces, moulded, pressed and sanded. The result is unfortunately more expensive than using virgin material.” “However, the point with Norto is to use upcycling ma- terial because you want to, not because of the price,” he continues. VTI and Norto are family-owned companies with long- term investment in sight. They believe upcycling waste material is by far the easiest way of reducing or delaying carbon dioxide emissions. “In the long run, when demand for upcycling products increases, processes will become more efficient and prices will go down,” Wernberg says. HIGH AMBITIONS IN INTERIOR DECORATIONS Norto’s first years have focused on developing the concept and the designs as well as investing in certifications and machines. Growth is a target, but specific figures are not yet set. “Our ambition is to become the number one brand in interior decorations using upcycled materials,” says Wern- berg. “When you want to combine solid wood products with interior design and functionality, Norto should be on top of your mind.” Wernberg sees an upward trend of using wood in in- terior design. From a larger perspective, solid wood is increasing in furniture, interior and exterior use as a sus- tainable solution.
“Metsä Fibre is VTI’s long-term supplier of sawn timber for our glulam production,” says Wernberg. “They have provided us with prime quality timber par- ticularly suitable for furniture production during the past twenty years. We believe even the leftover scraps of this kind of slow-growing wood is too valuable to burn or throw away.” •
Jacob Wernberg (left) and Flemming Nielsen, founders and creators of the Norto concept.
VINDERUP TRAEINDUSTRI (VTI) Produces glulam for furniture, windows, doors and staircases, as well as for DIY stores and timber merchants. • Established in 1976 • 120 employees in Denmark • Processes more than 85,000 cubic metres of sawn timber a year www.vti.dk NORTO Produces interior design products from high-quality residual wood for homes, offices and businesses as well as public buildings. • Established in 2018 • 4 employees in Denmark • Processes about 700 cubic metres of recycled timber a year • Subsidiary of VTI www.norto.dk
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