Boosting the Development

A shift towards a more circular economy requires effort on many different fronts, e.g. technology development, new business models and systemic changes in the society.

New approaches are needed in production and consumption, as well as in regulation. The aim is to increase industrial symbiosis, modularity of devices, digitalisation, recycling, sharing of goods, and business models such as leasing, in which service plays a key role. Several regional and other development projects related to bioeconomy and the circular economy are ongoing in Finland.

The transition towards a more circular economy is one of the key political priorities of the EU as well as of the Finnish administration. The transition is guided by:

• the EU Commission’s Circular Economy package and Bioeconomy strategy
• the Finnish national Circular Economy Roadmap conducted under the supervision of Sitra and Bioeconomy Strategy
• the Paris (Climate) Agreement
• the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030)

Numerous companies within the chemical industry are forerunners in the circular economy. For example, the development of energy and material efficiency have for years been top priorities for many of them. The chemical industry was the first sector in Finland to adopt a voluntary programme to support and measure sustainability holistically at the company level. Over 80 per cent of the production of the chemical industry in Finland is engaged in this Responsible Care programme (RC) and excellent results have been obtained.

The Chemical Industry Federation of Finland is the chemical sector’s trade association, which actively participates in the development of the operating environment of the circular economy, coordinates and further develops the implementation of the RC programme and supports the energy and material efficiency activities of its member companies. The federation co-operates with various stakeholders and works actively in the chemical sector’s European organisation Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council).