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KEMI

The Kemi region accounts for about 80 % of Lapland's industrial production.

At the same time, Kemi’s active development of circular economy strategies produces new opportunities in environmental business and circular economy, already generating EUR 200 million in annual revenue, and showing an exponential potential for future growth.

Circular Economy Centre
Connecting Circular Economy and Business

The Circular Economy Centre is a renowned pioneer in its field at a national and international level. For example, we lead a nationwide network of eco-industrial parks, which offers an outlook on the entire circular economy in Finland.
 


The Circular Economy Centre is headed by a multi-disciplinary steering group consisting of businesses and authorities in the field, which meets regularly. In addition to the founders of the Circular Economy Centre, the members are from various ministries, the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, companies operating in the field of the circular economy in Lapland, and local authorities.

The Circular Economy Centre was established by Digipolis, the Town of Kemi and Lapland University of Applied Sciences. Our key operators also include Lappia Vocational College. The Circular Economy Centre was established in partnership with the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra in 2017.

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Metsä Fibre 
Bioproduct mill project in Kemi

Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, has started their project to replace Metsä Group’s current mill in Kemi with a new bioproduct mill enabling an annual production capacity of approx. 1.5 million tonnes of pulp.

The new mill will be the biggest wood processing unit in the Northern hemisphere.

The value of the investment is EUR 1.6 billion and it is the largest investment ever made by the Finnish forest industry in Finland. The construction phase will take approximately two and a half years, and the mill will be completed during the third quarter of 2023.

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Kemi-Tornio is an international model for
eco-industrial parks 

Industrial symbioses in which one company’s waste is another company’s raw material or the process industry’s excess energy serves as an indispensable source of energy for another company, are principal pillars for eco-industrial parks.

The Kemi-Tornio region has carried out successful development work to tackle these challenges for years already. The industrial circular economy expertise of Kemi’s Digipolis and the Digipolis-led Circular Economy Centre have been recognised both in Finland and internationally.

WATCH THE WCEF2021 session about the BENEFITS of Measuring Eco-industrial Parks

HOW TO ESTABLISH AN ECO PARK?

An eco-industrial park is a geographically defined area where materials, energy and information circulate between companies. Its operations aim for profitable business while making environmental values a high priority.

Eco-industrial parks create added value for the participating companies through co-operation. There are about 20 large-scale eco-industrial parks in Finland promoting regional business in line with the principles of sustainable development. 

Digipolis in Kemi created a network of eco-industrial parks across Finland. This guide is based on the work done by the network.

Europe's first CIRCULAR ECONOMY pedestrian
and cycle path 

On the Koululaisenpolku, a pedestrian and cycle path in Kemi, the cyclists pedal on Europe's first circular economy pedestrian and cycle path. In connection with the repairing of the pedestrian and cycle path, a unique circular economy innovation experiment was conducted, coordinated by the Circular Economy Centre/Digipolis.


In the structure of the path, different types of circular economy products were tested, and the properties of the materials were compared with each other, and real-time frost measurements were made.

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“The pedestrian and cycle path is a great indication that pioneers like the Circular Economy Centre are needed in the circular economy. Different types of materials can be tested in the pedestrian and cycle path and the measurements made by Lapland UAS give us more information about, among other things, the effects of ground frost and the load-bearing capacities of the materials” says Tuomas Pussila, the manager of the Circular Economy Centre.

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Contact us!

Looking for business opportunities in Circular Economy in the
Kemi region? 

TALK with Tuomas !

Tuomas Pussila 

Leader of Circular Economy Centre

KEMI

tuomas.pussila@digipolis.fi 

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