Circular economy in transport infrastructure management
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency works to reinforce the principles of the circular economy in its operations. The aim is to reduce the use of natural resources in transport infrastructure management and prevent waste generation in advance. The circular economy will be promoted, with measures such as the development of the life cycle sustainability of transport infrastructure management, utilising the masses generated in the project and developing mass coordination, the reuse of materials, recycling demolition materials and use of recycled materials in construction.
Transport infrastructure management and transport use a substantial amount of natural resources. Natural resources are consumed both in the manufacture and maintenance of the infrastructure and in traffic itself. The largest amounts of material in rail infrastructure management consist of sleepers, rails, ballast and other earth and aggregate materials. In road management, pavements, soil, and aggregates form the largest amounts of material.
The utilisation of demolition materials is important in construction projects. Reusable parts, such as rails or turnouts, are used as such or after they are refurbished. Materials used in transport infrastructure management are recycled. Wooden sleepers that cannot be reused are used as energy in combustion plants with an appropriate environmental permit.
Most pavement materials are already now recycled. An effort is made to avoid the use of ingredients that interfere with the reuse of materials. For example, the use of additives used in pavement must not interfere with the reuse of the pavement or weaken the properties of a recycled pavement.
The aim of earthworks is to increase the use of recycled materials, thereby reducing the volume of natural materials that construction projects must bring in from outside. Recycled materials suitable for earthworks are obtained, for example, from industrial waste and from waste from demolition and recycling operations. In addition, surplus soil can be utilised.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency promotes the circular economy in numerous ways. For example, as of 1 February 2025, road and rail projects require the preparation of a circular economy plan. There is a separate website on the content and preparation of the circular economy plan, which contains questions and answers related to the topic. In 2024, a procurement criterion for circular economy competence was also introduced with the aim of increasing circular economy competence throughout the sector.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency committed to the circular economy Green Deal in early 2025. Read more about the commitment on the Sitoumus2050 website.
Guidelines
Processing and use of concrete waste in transport infrastructure projects (Guidelines of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 43/2022)
Technical terms of delivery for recycled material turnouts Guidelines of the Finnish Transport Agency 20/2017)
Content and preparation of the Circular Economy Plan (Guidelines of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 40/2024)
Use of recycled materials in transport infrastructure projects (Guidelines of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 20/2022)
Instructions for recycled surfacing materials (Guidelines of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 3/2024)
Other publications
EU taxonomy in transport infrastructure management (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 45/2024)
Circular economy in railway bridge projects (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 66/2024)
The circular economy in transport infrastructure management (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 28/2022)
Experiences of using recovered materials in road structures (Research reports of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 7/2019)
Agency: Survey (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 36/2025)
The circular economy of track investment projects (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 43/2024)
Recycling of concrete from demolished bridges and other engineered structures. (Research reports of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 8/2019)
Assessment of the technical suitability of recycled materials (Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 2/2022)
Recycled materials suitable for transport infrastructure (16 December 2024)
Environmental criteria for FTIA procurements (Publications of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency 12/2023)