A solution for reusing fire extinguishers

'This grant will ensure that fewer fire extinguishers are thrown away, and the environmental impact will be significant. We are delighted to receive this grant from Innovation Norway,' says Nils Aulie, CEO of Miljø Norge.

There are an estimated ten million fire extinguishers in Norway. Every year, around one million of them need servicing or replacing. By reusing fire extinguishers in Norway, the company will reduce the need for imports and significantly cut total CO2 emissions. This means less transport and fewer raw materials being extracted. Producing a new fire extinguisher currently requires four kilograms of steel.

'Recertifying fire extinguishers is a good example of how circular solutions can reduce resource consumption,' says Ann-Mari Skinne, Senior Advisor at Innovation Norway in Oslo and Viken.

- Setting up an automated production line for recertifying fire extinguishers is a new approach. The transition to a circular business model requires innovation at many stages, she says.

The company has designed a circular business model in which outdated fire extinguishers are serviced and returned to the customer as good as new. The servicing process involves emptying, inspecting and refilling the extinguisher before repressurising it.

Through automation and digitalisation, the company has developed a production line that ensures consistently high quality and high production volumes. Reusing a fire extinguisher saves 38 kg of CO2 emissions. Over time, the facility in Lier is expected to create up to sixty new jobs.

By working with a range of partners across the value chain, including waste collection facilities, retailers, builders’ merchants, fire prevention specialists and distributors, the company aims to simplify the return and purchasing process for customers.

There is significant market potential across the commercial sector, public buildings, infrastructure and property development, and the company has a clear goal to address today’s challenges and offer circular alternatives.

‘We are in talks with several major players that have the potential to set a new standard in their industry. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, confirming that this is a much-needed solution,’ says Aulie.

The NOK 26 million grant they have now received from us will fund investments in the production line and the introduction of new work processes at the company’s premises in Lier, outside Drammen.

‘We have awarded funding to the project to reduce the company’s risk and strengthen its ability to deliver. Norway is good at waste collection, but we need more strong examples of solutions higher up the waste hierarchy,’ says Special Advisor Skinne.

‘We want to make it easy for customers to make sustainable choices when replacing or buying a new fire extinguisher. The grant from Innovation Norway enables us to build a production line that will significantly increase the proportion of reused fire extinguishers,’ says Aulie.

Read more about how Miljø Norge presents its solution to international audiences on Business Norway.