Circular Reno: Accelerating energy renovation with bio-sourced and recycled materials

Renovating also means innovating.

Reducing the carbon footprint of buildings isn't just about new construction. Energy-efficient renovation represents a key lever for limiting the use of virgin resources and integrating bio-sourced and recycled materials.

This is the key focus of Circular Reno, an Interreg North-West Europe project that structures local and circular sectors to deploy more sustainable energy renovation solutions. Led by 17 partners from five European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands), it demonstrates that renovating with materials from the circular economy is not only possible, but also a credible and replicable alternative for the construction sector.

Co-funded by the European Union 🇪🇺

Circular Reno receives €6.28 million in European funding out of a total budget of €13.1 million through the Interreg North-West Europe program, which funds transnational cooperation initiatives to accelerate the transition to a circular and sustainable economy.

Circular Reno: An ambitious European project for more sustainable construction

The construction sector is known to be one of the largest consumers of resources and a major contributor to CO₂ emissions. To reduce its impact, energy renovation must incorporate local and circular solutions. Circular Reno aims to structure sectors adapted to local areas and develops low-carbon materials to sustainably renovate social housing.

• Develop four prefabricated energy renovation solutions for collective and individual housing.

• Integrate bio-sourced and recycled materials (straw, wood, biopolymers, miscanthus).

• Organize six regional sectors with farmers, manufacturers, builders, and social housing providers (NL, IR, FR, DE).

• Renovate 88 social housing units across four sites to validate the feasibility of the solutions.

• Promote the development of public policies and regulations to support these practices.

Neo-Eco: Structuring local sectors for circular renovation

At Neo-Eco, our mission is to give used materials a second life and to structure local recovery sectors. As part of Circular Reno, we are leveraging our expertise in eco-design and regional engineering to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in energy renovation.

Our actions within the project:

• Analyze and structure the sector: Map the value chain, identify key players (farmers, manufacturers, builders), and define opportunities for integrating bio-sourced and recycled materials.

• Develop local and competitive solutions: Test the use of agricultural by-products and recycled materials in prefabricated components, while reducing their cost to make them more attractive.

• Support skills development: Organize training and workshops to raise awareness among construction professionals and structure a favorable regulatory and economic framework.

Congratulations to all the partners

Circular Reno is, above all, a collective adventure. Thanks to the mobilization of 17 partners from five European countries, we are implementing concrete solutions to sustainably transform energy renovation.

• In France : Greenflex, Activ-Paille, Vilogia, Neo-Eco

• In Belgium : Cluster Eco-Construction

• In Germany : DENA, Renowate

• In Ireland : Kore Retrofit, Tuath, Airpacks, Energiesprong UK

• In the Netherlands : Building Balance, Energiesprong Gobal Alliance, Wonion, Miscancell, RC Panels, Provincie Overijsel, Provincie Flevoland, Davids Bouwkundig ontwerp

Stay connected to follow the progress of the project and discover the first results!