Opening remarks and vision for Finland’s circular future
The event opened with welcoming words from Aila Maijanen, Jussi Lahtinen, and Anna Tenhunen-Lunkka at CLIC, who set the stage for an afternoon of though leader insights. The keynote address, delivered by Ulla Palander, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland, laid out Finland’s priorities in the bio and circular economy.
Ulla emphasized the significance of circularity as a key driver of competitiveness and resilience. She highlighted how the bio and circular economy is central to addressing the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and unsustainable resource use. Recent EU strategies—such as the new Bioeconomy Strategy, Circular Economy Action Plan, Clean Industrial Deal, and the upcoming Biotech Act—offer substantial opportunities for Finnish companies to innovate, scale, and lead globally.
The transition is laid out in Finland’s Bioeconomy Strategy, which includes achieving climate neutrality by 2035, doubling the value added by the bioeconomy sector, producing higher value from fewer resources, and being ready for the future biotechnology transformation.
Ulla emphasized the need to enhance competitiveness through simplified regulation, greater market access, and improved availability of biomass to increase added value by extending value chains and creating new products and services. Realizing this vision calls for robust circular business models, investment in R&D and skills development, and active involvement in EU policy shaping. This way, Finland, the first country to launch a national bioeconomy program, could fully integrate sustainability into daily life—turning emissions into inputs and waste into resources.
Navigating the operational landscape & 4R Ecosystem update
Senior Scientist and Project Manager Henna Sundqvist from VTT and Ecosystem Lead Jussi Lahtinen from CLIC shared insights into the operational environment and strategic direction of the 4R ecosystem.
Henna Sundqvist provided a deeper analysis of the changing operational environment. She noted that planetary crises—such as climate change and biodiversity loss—are deeply interconnected and pose long-term challenges. Henna emphasized how policy remains a central driver of the circular economy transition, with an increasing shift from recycling to systemic circularity. Key legislative frameworks include the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and the Clean Industrial Deal, which targets a 24% increase in circular material use by 2030.
Henna also highlighted the role of digitalization and AI in enabling the circular transition. The EU’s twin transition—green and digital—includes new tools such as digital product passports for tracking sustainability. However, despite the emergence of biobased, recycled, and carbon capture-based plastics, the commercialization of circular business models remains in early stages and subject to economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
Following Henna, Jussi introduced the 4R ecosystem, which operates under Business Finland’s growth engine orchestration. The 4R open innovation ecosystem accelerates RDI initiatives in line with the four R strategies: Renew, Refuse, Reuse, and Recycle. The platform promotes systemic collaboration, knowledge exchange, project development, business creation, and proactive policy engagement—including a dedicated regulation node. To date, the platform has engaged over 450 organizations, including more than 120 SMEs.
As Finland prepares for the third phase of the 4R ecosystem, Jussi outlined the strategic spearheads: circularity in packaging, technical plastics and composites, and textiles. The next application round is expected in Q3–Q4 of 2025, with the ecosystem running until 2029. Funding, regulatory alignment, and scalable solutions will be key to success.
Wood-based circularity and regenerative forestry
Maija Pohjakallio, VP of Climate and Circular Economy at Metsä Group, discussed the potential of wood-based materials within the circular economy. Metsä Group, owned by the Metsäliitto Cooperative, operates across the full forest industry value chain—Metsä Forest, Wood, Fibre, Board, and Metsä Spring—and is committed to achieving fossil-free mills and industrial ecosystems by 2030. From Maija we learned how renewable virgin content is now recognized as a circular inflow under ISO 59020. To fully harness wood’s potential in the circular economy, she called for a transition to regenerative forestry. In collaboration with partners like Soilfood, Metsä is improving biodiversity and measuring ecosystem impacts across value chains. Metsä is also introducing new forest management practices through its “Metsä Group Plus” initiative, which includes wider buffer zones around waterways and increased decaying wood for biodiversity.
At its Äänekoski bioproduct mill, Metsä Group has built synergies between companies that reuse side streams—for example, converting odours into valuable raw materials. Future projects include the oxidation of lignin for new biochemicals and the capture of biogenic CO₂ from flue gases—a pilot project set to begin this summer at the Rauma pulp mill. Metsä is committed to the Circular Economy Green Deal, aiming to reduce bioenergy from side streams and increase their use in higher value bioproducts. Overall, Metsä’s goal is to ensure zero process waste to landfill by 2030.
Transforming business models in the circular transition
Professor Leena Aarikka-Stenroos from Tampere University presented how business models and value networks must evolve in the face of systemic transitions. With clean and circular economy goals reshaping the industrial landscape, companies must rethink their strategies, structures, and value creation mechanisms.
Leena outlined four strategic pathways for companies: Born Circulars, Identity Finders, Circularity Adopters, and Circularity Transformers. Interview data from Tampere University revealed that consumers increasingly value safety, function, and performance above price—and that circular economy partnerships often deliver high-value learning, improved company image, and industry-wide gains. According to Leena, future business models are being shaped not only by internal strategy but also by policy and technological innovation. Transitioning to circular and bio-based models can help companies achieve low-carbon outcomes while creating new sources of value.
Regeneration in practice: business and urban solutions
A closing discussion and pitch session focused on regenerative business approaches and their implementation across sectors. Tuulamari Helaja from AFRY presented their industrial-scale biorefinery project using algae—an example of regenerative business at the intersection of decarbonization, electrification, circularity, and digitalization.
Nina Kinnunen from Neova Group and Kekkilä-BVB shared how the company is integrating regenerative solutions into urban environments in Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Their initiatives include recycling industrial side streams into growing media, designing substrates to mitigate stormwater impact, and fostering biodiversity with specialized soils. Despite these innovations, challenges remain in planning, politics, and implementation.
Final reflections: defining regeneration
A final panel brought together Maija Pohjakallio, Tuulamari Helaja, Nina Kinnunen, Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, and Ulla Palander to reflect on the meaning and challenges of regeneration.
For Maija, regeneration is a systemic journey— “the only path we can succeed on.” Nina stressed the need for transparency and avoiding greenwashing, while Tuulamari called for a clearer definition of what is considered regenerative. Leena suggested regeneration could be integrated into existing sustainability metrics, and Ulla emphasized the importance of trust, infrastructure, and innovation.
The panelists saw future challenges in misalignment between investment and benefits, timing of first-mover projects, and the lack of international standards, yet all agreed that through collaboration, innovation, and a long-term perspective, Finland can not only meet its sustainability goals but also shape the future of regenerative economies globally.
As CLIC is celebrating 10 years anniversary, we are introducing new concepts to address sustainable transition topics. Get introduced to our newest video podcast “CLIC talks” available on Spotify, Apple and YouTube platforms.
