Abstract
This project, funded by Handelens Miljøfond with support from industry partners and a sling producer, explored how synthetic lifting slings used in Norwegian construction can shift from single-use disposal toward circular practices. Although technically durable and recyclable, most slings are discarded after one use, generating unnecessary plastic waste, pollution, and GHG emissions. The study mapped current flows and user approaches, highlighting major barriers such as fragmented practices across the supply chain, lack of formalized procedures and systematized processes, and high recertification costs compared with the low purchase price of new slings. Although not fully circular, best practices already exist such as established collaborations between suppliers and contractors for returning and sorting routines enabling partial reuse and recycling. Innovations like mobile scanning for sling “activation” related to new uses, digital documentation, and monitoring of slings across their useful lifetime, as well as higher recycled content of slings material represents proactive measures that set the basis for circular solutions. Coordinated stakeholder action, formalized systems, and integration of circular goals into management practices are crucial to make reuse and recycling both practical and economically viable.