As the first nation to develop a circular economy road map in 2016, Finland has had a head start in trying to develop an economy that’s based on reusing and regenerating materials and products. A lot can be learned from Finland’s experience so far, including challenges and gaps, Mongabay’s Mike DiGirolamo found in an episode of the Mongabay Explores podcast released in November 2024.
During the episode, DiGirolamo spoke with nature and circular economy specialist Tim Forslund from the Finnish Innovation Fund (SITRA), which helped design Finland’s road map, about the shift from a “take-make-waste” mindset, or linear economy, toward a circular economy with a “reduce-reuse-recycle” focus.
Forslund said the first phase of the road map was largely about getting as many people on board and convincing them that circularity makes business sense.
To do this, Finland started with some pilot projects in the food and forestry sectors. Forslund said it was important to note that circular economy strategies depend on each country’s unique contexts. For Spain, for example, water is a key sector for circularity since it’s the most water-scarce area in Europe. Similarly, forestry is a key sector for circularity for Finland since about 75% of the country is forested, Forslund said.
Under the road map, the various sectors are incentivized to reuse materials every step of the process. The circularity road map for the food sector, for instance, aims to “create a market for organic recycled nutrients, minimize food waste by eliminating barriers and creating incentives, support biogas systems and renewable energy solutions to replace fossil fuels in agriculture.” Methane from decomposing organic matter and lost heat from the technology sector are also targeted for reuse.
Forslund said waste can also be reframed as an inefficiency: companies could make more money from business models that reduce waste, such as those offering products as a service. Some companies in Finland have been doing this for centuries, he added, such as those that rent out and maintain carpets, which means they have an incentive to produce carpets that last very long.
Finland’s road map aims to reach “maximum circularity” by 2035. While it was developed in 2016, domestic material consumption in the country increased between 2015 and 2018. But consumption has since stagnated, and as of 2022 was at around the same level as in 2018.
Forsland said he thinks Finland hasn’t moved ahead fast enough. He cited various reasons for this: the time it takes for policies to result in change, how “change” is measured, and the speed of implementing the road map.
Still, Forsland said Finland is “moving ahead at a good pace” toward the 2035 goal. He added that “real change” started when absolute resource reduction targets were set in the 2021 strategic circular economy program.
To learn more, listen to the full episode here.
Banner image of a forest in Finland by kallerna via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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