A solution for reusing fire extinguishers
There are an estimated ten million fire extinguishers in Norway. Each year, around one million need servicing or replacing. Fire extinguishers save lives, but generate significant CO₂ emissions from production to disposal. New extinguishers are usually imported from China, and producing a single extinguisher requires four kilograms of steel.
‘When customers choose a reused fire extinguisher, they gain environmental benefits through reduced raw material extraction, less hazardous waste and lower transport emissions,’ says Njål Kjellesvik Norheim, Sales EVP at Miljø Norge.
Circular business model with automated production
The transition to a circular business model requires innovation at many stages.
In 2022, the company received an environmental technology grant of NOK 26 million from us. The funding supported the development of the world’s first automated production line for reusing fire extinguishers.
«The support from Innovation Norway gave us the confidence to take the leap. Building an industrial company and a factory in the middle of the pandemic was a big step, but the support gave us the reassurance we needed to develop the technology we still benefit from five years later.»
On the production line in Lier, fire extinguishers are emptied, checked for damage, refilled, pressurised and cleaned. Automation and digitalisation enable the company to deliver consistently high quality at high volumes. The production line can process a fire extinguisher in 50 seconds.
‘Setting up an automated production line to recertify fire extinguishers is a new approach. This is a good example of how circular solutions can reduce resource use,’ says Ann-Mari Skinne, Specialist Advisor at our Eastern Norway office.
«We are good at collecting waste in Norway, but we need more good examples of solutions higher up the waste hierarchy.»
The company is authorised to receive and process up to 600,000 fire extinguishers a year. Around 300,000 are expected to be reused and returned to the market, meeting most of the demand in Norway and Sweden. The extinguishers can be reused at least three times.
Ready for Europe
The company works with waste collection facilities, retailers, building supply chains, fire prevention organisations and distributors to make returns and purchasing easier for customers. There is significant market potential in commercial premises, public buildings, infrastructure and property development.
‘We will make it easy for customers to make sustainable choices,’ says Norheim.
The first production line is operational in Norway, and the facility in Lier is expected to create up to sixty new jobs over time.
With common EU standards for fire extinguishers, the concept can be scaled up in other European markets. Miljø Norge is looking for an international partner to help scale up the concept.