A powerful new coalition is reshaping how we think about industrial product lifecycles. Leading global companies—including Grundfos, Danfoss, Schneider Electric, Kvadrat, DSV, and DXC Technology—have joined forces in the groundbreaking Back2Back project to ensure used industrial equipment gets a second, third, or even fourth life.
🌍 The Challenge: From Scrap to Resource
Today, when a pump, thermostat, or control unit reaches end-of-use, valuable materials are often lost: metals get melted down, functional components are discarded, and plastics end up in landfills. This linear “take-make-waste” model is no longer sustainable—or smart business.
The Back2Back consortium, led by the Danish Technological Institute, is changing that narrative. Their mission? To build a scalable, shared infrastructure that makes reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling not just possible—but profitable.
🔧 How Back2Back Works
✅ Joint Take-Back System: A unified collection scheme allows multiple manufacturers to recover end-of-life products efficiently.
✅ Smart Digital Triage: An innovative digital tool quickly assesses each returned item to determine its best next step:
- 🔁 Remanufacturing by the original manufacturer
- ♻️ Component recovery by recycling specialists
- 🛠️ Refurbishment or maintenance for continued use
✅ Reverse Logistics at Scale: Logistics leader DSV is helping design efficient return pathways—applying the same precision used in outbound delivery to the circular economy.
✅ Cross-Industry Collaboration: By uniting players across manufacturing, IT, logistics, and research, Back2Back creates the volume and expertise needed to make circular solutions economically viable.
💡 Why This Matters for Industry
🔹 Supply Chain Resilience: Recovering high-quality components reduces dependency on volatile raw material markets.
🔹 Cost Savings: Extending product life and reusing parts lowers total cost of ownership.
🔹 Sustainability Leadership: Companies participating in Back2Back advance their ESG goals while contributing to Denmark’s climate targets.
🔹 Innovation Catalyst: The project fuels R&D in circular design, digital tracking, and sustainable business models.
“We have a clear ambition that, through this project, we can join forces and hopefully generate the necessary scale to make reverse logistics sustainable for everyone – including financially.”
— Christoffer Tange Damgaard, Grundfos
🤝 The Partners Behind the Movement
Industry Leaders: Grundfos, Danfoss, Schneider Electric, Kvadrat, DSV, DXC Technology
Knowledge & Research: Danish Technological Institute (Project Lead), Stena Circular Consulting, Aalborg University, Linköping University
Funding: Supported by TRACE, a mission-driven Danish innovation partnership backed by the Innovation Fund Denmark
