Norwegian Centre Of Circular Economy (ncce)

What Norwegian Centre Of Circular Economy (ncce) does

NCCE (Norsk Senter for Sirkulær Økonomi) is a membership-based business cluster and collaboration arena established in 2017, operating as Norway's largest circular economy cluster with nearly 100 members across industry, research institutions, municipalities, and public sector entities. The organization is structured as a non-profit association (organization number 919332042) headquartered in Asker with regional offices in Fredrikstad and Tønsberg, and is led by CEO Tina Wågønes. NCCE's primary function is to facilitate the transition to a circular economy through industrial symbiosis, knowledge sharing, and project collaboration rather than developing proprietary technology products.

NCCE's service portfolio includes the Circular Business Lab (a methodology tool for circular business model development), Ressursbank (a resource database connecting waste streams with new users), Lab & Test services, topic-specific Working Groups, the Nordic Circular Design Programme (co-led with Ethica Finland and Cradlenet Sweden, now globally available), and the annual Sirkulærkonferansen conference. The organization holds ESCA Bronze certification for cluster management excellence (December 2023), participates in Norway's National Cluster Programme since 2022, and is initiating a National Competence Centre for Circular Economy with eight research partners. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership fees, supplemented by project grants and event income. NCCE participates in the national social mission for circular economy steering group, giving it direct influence over Norwegian and EU circular economy policy development.

Name

Norwegian Centre Of Circular Economy (ncce)

Legal name

Norsk Senter for Sirkulær Økonomi

Website

https://ncce.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCCE is Norway's largest circular economy cluster, operating as a membership-based non-profit that facilitates industrial symbiosis, resource sharing, and circular business model development for approximately 100 member organizations across industry, research, and public sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Circular Economy Cluster Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Circular economy services
• Industrial symbiosis facilitation
• Cluster management services
• Sustainability advisory
• Circular business consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredrikstad

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: NCCE operates as a membership organization with nearly 100 members and cooperation partners. Revenue is generated through annual membership fees from companies, municipalities, research institutions, and other organizations engaged in circular economy activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NCCE is a Norwegian membership-based business cluster that facilitates the transition to a circular economy by providing member services such as the Circular Business Lab methodology tool, the Ressursbank resource-matching database, industrial symbiosis project facilitation, working groups, the Nordic Circular Design Programme, lab and test services, and the annual Sirkulærkonferansen conference. Membership is open to businesses, municipalities, research institutions, and public-sector organizations across Norway and the Nordic region.

Product overview

NCCE (Norsk Senter for Sirkulær Økonomi / Norwegian Centre of Circular Economy) is a membership-based business cluster and collaboration platform that facilitates the transition to circular economy. Rather than offering a unified software product, NCCE provides a portfolio of services including the Circular Business Lab for practical circular solutions, a Resource Bank connecting waste resources with new users, the Nordic Circular Design Programme for circular design implementation, Lab & Test services, Working Groups for collaborative development, and the annual Sirkulærkonferansen conference. The organization focuses on industrial symbiosis, resource efficiency, and connecting businesses across value chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circular Business Lab A practical collaboration arena and methodology tool for circular solutions and industrial symbioses that helps NCCE members bridge the gap between circular economy theory and implementation by developing circular business models. Targeted at leaders of member companies undertaking circular transitions.
• Ressursbank (Resource Bank) NCCE's resource database platform that connects waste resources with new users and applications, facilitating industrial symbiosis and circular solutions across member organizations and industries.
• Nordic Circular Design Programme An international program supporting businesses in translating circular design theory into practical applications, helping identify circular opportunities throughout product lifecycles. Co-led with Ethica (Finland) and Cradlenet (Sweden), and now open globally.
• Lab & Test Services Laboratory and testing services offered to NCCE members for developing and validating circular economy solutions, providing hands-on experimentation capacity for member-led circular projects.
• Sirkulærkonferansen (Circular Conference) Annual conference bringing together stakeholders in circular economy for knowledge sharing, networking, and collaboration, organized jointly with KS and Asker municipality.
• Working Groups Topic-specific collaborative working groups bringing together NCCE member companies to address common circular economy challenges and develop solutions collectively.

Quantifiable outcome

• Øra Industrial Park handles 20% of Norway's national waste resources in metals, vehicles, batteries, and window glass categories
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• SINTEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Major European research institute with 2000+ employees. NCCE partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative and active NCCE member. SINTEF contributes research expertise across value chains and leads projects like SirkOff on circular building management.
• NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Leads the EarthresQue Centre for Research-based Innovation (SFI) with 220 MNOK funding over 8 years. NCCE participates as a partner in this major research initiative on sustainable use of surplus materials and waste.
• NORSUS (Norwegian Institute for Sustainability Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute specializing in sustainability. Key partner in EarthresQue project, resource mapping for Østfold, and the National Competence Centre initiative.
• FREVARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional waste management company and project owner for the Sustainable Innovation through Industrial Symbiosis project. Key actor at Øra industrial park.
• Borg Havn IKScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort authority involved in Øra industrial symbiosis. Partner in EarthresQue project and sustainable innovation initiatives.
• Borregaard AScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvanced biorefinery company with goal of zero waste by 2030. NCCE member with board representation; involved in EarthresQue project.
• NF&TA (Norwegian Fashion & Textile Agenda)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with NCCE on Tekstil 360 project to create value chain connections for textile waste management. Project funded by Buskerud County Council.
• Fredrikstad kommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipality leading the artificial turf recycling project investigating how plastic from decommissioned pitches can become new products. Key partner in Øra industrial symbiosis.
• Drammen kommunesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnly Norwegian city selected for EU NetZeroCities project. NCCE member collaborating on climate initiatives.
• NetZeroCitiessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded climate project with 53 pilot cities from 21 countries. Drammen municipality is NCCE's connection to this initiative with 1.5 million euro funding.
• Østfold fylkeskommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty municipality funding resource mapping project and artificial turf recycling project. Supports industrial symbiosis work in the region.
• Norges FotballforbundsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFootball association co-funding the artificial turf recycling project exploring plastic material recovery.
• NIBIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative.
• OsloMetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOslo Metropolitan University partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative.
• NORCEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative.
• Fagskolen VikencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative, contributing to practical education.
• USN (University of South-Eastern Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in the National Competence Centre for Circular Economy initiative.
• Kronos Titan ASsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial company at Øra involved in sustainable innovation through industrial symbiosis project.
• Metallco Stene ASsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetal recycling company at Øra involved in sustainable innovation through industrial symbiosis.
• Eyde ClustersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry cluster partner in sustainable innovation through industrial symbiosis project, working on material side stream mapping.
• Sotenäs Symbiosis CentresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish symbiosis center partner in sustainable innovation through industrial symbiosis project, sharing best practices.
• Kalundborg Symbiosis CentresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish symbiosis centre (Europe's oldest industrial symbiosis) partner in sustainable innovation project.
• Ethica (Finland)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish partner co-leading the Nordic Circular Design Programme with NCCE.
• Cradlenet (Sweden)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish partner co-leading the Nordic Circular Design Programme with NCCE.
• Grønn VekstsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen growth organization in Drammen cooperating on NetZeroCities climate project.
• Advokatfirmaet BerngaardsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm providing practical legal guidance on EU regulations for NCCE members through EU regulatory forum.
• Universitetet i Sørøst-NorgesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner in Drammen's NetZeroCities project, conducting innovative pilot projects.
• Nasjonalt partnerskap (National Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCCE participates in the steering group for the Social Mission for Circular Economy, alongside government ministries, business organizations (LO, Virke), municipalities (KS), consumer organizations, and civil society. Led by Climate Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD): Global CEO-led association of ~200 companies working on sustainability, including circular economy. Comparable in offering member services, working groups, and policy advocacy — but at a vastly larger scale and broader sustainability remit.
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Global thought-leadership foundation for the circular economy with programmes for business, education, and policy. Comparable mission and target audience (large enterprises and policymakers); not a member-based cluster but a much larger, better-funded incumbent in the same space.

Direct peers

• Kalundborg Symbiosis: Denmark-based industrial symbiosis centre and Europe's oldest such network. Directly comparable to NCCE's Øra and Den Magiske Fabrikken symbiosis activities; NCCE already partners with Kalundborg on knowledge exchange.
• Ethica: Finnish circular-economy consultancy and partner co-leading the Nordic Circular Design Programme with NCCE. Comparable as a Nordic circular-economy organisation delivering training, advisory, and member programmes.
• Sotenäs Symbiosis Centre: Swedish industrial symbiosis centre sharing best practices with NCCE under the same Nordic cooperation. Comparable as a regional industrial-symbiosis hub with a cluster-style stakeholder model.
• Circle Economy: Amsterdam-based impact organisation operating the Circularity Gap Reporting framework and a global circular-economy community. Highly comparable in mission (circular economy transition), network-facilitation model, and member-driven working groups.
• Eyde Cluster: Norwegian process-industry cluster organisation. Comparable as a national, sector-focused cluster under the same Norwegian Cluster Programme; collaborates with NCCE on material side-stream mapping for industrial symbiosis.
• Cradlenet: Swedish circular-economy network co-leading the Nordic Circular Design Programme with NCCE and Ethica. Comparable as a Nordic member-based circular-economy cluster delivering events, working groups, and training.

Regional players

• GreenWin: Belgian competitiveness cluster for green and sustainable chemistry, materials, and circular-economy innovation. Comparable as a European regional cluster delivering circular-economy projects and member services, though focused on the Wallonia region.

Others

• Innovasjon Norge (Norwegian Cluster Programme): Administrator of Norway's national cluster programme (alongside the Research Council and SIVA) of which NCCE has been a member since 2022. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem in which NCCE operates rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLfBZkCdXZRtEwZL51DKERZeozHoVDYE22
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncce.no
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/28992371
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncce.no

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Norwegian Centre Of Circular Economy (ncce)