Building value, not waste: How Scania is driving circularity through smart asset management
20 AUGUST 2025
Pay-per-use BEVs, full-service solutions to facilitate the shift from fossil to electric trucks, and financing initiatives for battery leasing. These are some of the efforts from Scania VNB driving circularity and smart asset management.
Asset management and circularity are closely aligned with Scania’s broader goal: to drive the shift to a sustainable transport system. A key part of that journey involves rethinking how vehicles, components, and materials are designed, used, and reused. All the way from production to end-of-life.
That’s where Asset Management and Circularity, one of three strategic business areas within Ventures and New Business (VNB) at Scania, has a central role to play. With a growing portfolio of initiatives that support customers in shifting from ICE to battery-electric vehicles (BEV), Scania VNB also contributes to reducing the company’s material footprint – while opening up new kinds of customer value.
“Customer value is crucial, because you can’t have true circularity unless it also makes business sense. That’s why these two areas must go hand in hand,” says Therese Ahlström Brodowsky, Head of Asset Management and Circularity at Scania VNB.
Strong external forces shaping the future
Several global trends are creating new urgency – and opportunity – in this area. Raw materials are becoming more expensive due to rising demand, geopolitical tensions, and stricter environmental regulations. In addition, EU directives such as the Ecodesign Regulation are increasing pressure on companies to track and reduce their environmental impact.
At the same time, digitalisation and predictive maintenance are transforming how assets are monitored and managed across their life cycle. And perhaps most significantly, business models are shifting from linear to circular – pushing companies to prioritise reuse, refurbishment, and recycling.
“The world economy is built on a linear model – we extract, produce, and discard raw materials. But as we all know, we’re using more resources than the planet can provide, and that needs to change. Within that change lies a fantastic business opportunity: for companies to become circular. And becoming circular means rethinking everything – from how we design vehicles to how we service and retire them,” says Ahlström Brodowsky.
Electric trucks as a service
Several circular initiatives already exist within Scania – including services like ProCare, Service Exchange (offering access to remanufactured components), and the dismantling of end-of-life trucks. But through VNB, Scania is also developing new ventures to take circularity to the next level.
One example is JUNA, a joint venture that gives transport companies access to electric trucks on a pay-per-use basis. JUNA’s electric-truck-as-a-service model covers all essential aspects of vehicle operation – including maintenance, repairs, liability and comprehensive insurance, telematics, and electrification support.
JUNA also offers transport companies contracts with transport buyers to help ensure high utilisation. This includes a close collaboration with Scania’s partner company sennder, a leading digital freight forwarder. Contractual access to sennder’s premium-paying, green loads provides steady income and higher utilisation for the transport companies.
“Through JUNA, we offer customers a full-service solution that makes it easier to transition to electrification,” says Ahlström Brodowsky.
Enabeling circularity through smart asset management
Another example is Green Asset Co, a platform for usage-based BEV financing and asset lifecycle management. Green Asset Co owns and manages electric vehicles across their lifecycle, including monitoring, redeployment, and second-life strategies for batteries and vehicles.
“It’s an asset management solution where Scania will own the asset throughout its full lifetime. Thanks to digital tools, we’ll know exactly when to act on each component – helping us optimise uptime for the truck and extend time of the asset and maximase value over time,” says Ahlström Brodowsky.
Batteries are one of the most expensive parts of a battery-electric vehicle, often accounting for up to approximante 40 percent of the total vehicle cost. Through Green Asset Co, Scania can address this challenge by offering a flexible financing solution linked to actual usage and wear, rather than full ownership.
The model supports circularity, maximises lifecycle value, and helps reduce environmental impact.
“It’s a win-win,” she says. “Customers get better total operating economy as well as higher utilisation of high-value assets. This way, we drive the shift to more sustainable transport – together.”
Looking five years ahead
Looking ahead, Ahlström Brodowsky sees a continued development towards more circularity. For example, Scania’s customers will be able to choose between more ownership models – from purchase to short-term lease – depending on their needs.
“And by 2030, my dream is that Scania will be able to offer carbon-neutral vehicles, designed for circularity with reusable material and serviced with reused and remanufactured components. When a vehicle reaches end-of-life after 15 to 20 years of use, it will be disassembled to maximise reuse and minimise waste,” she says.
Digitalisation will make this possible at scale.
“Everything will be data-driven,” Ahlström Brodowsky concludes. “From the first kilometre to the last, we will make every asset count.”
Ventures and New Business at Scania
A Scania unit including strategists, venture builders, business analysts, business developers, and other specialists.
Engages in venture capital, making minority investments in startups with strategic relevance to Scania’s future in sustainable transport.
Also builds wholly owned ventures in three focus areas: Energy and infrastructure, Asset management and circularity, and Autonomous and supply chain. The aim is to scale these companies and, over time, integrate them into Scania’s core, as their solutions complement and extend the existing business.
