Borealis led the way towards green transition and circularity of plastics industry at the Plastic Forum in Helsinki on October 24, 2023. The event organized by the Ministry of Environment brought together more than hundred representatives from businesses, government, politicians, the scientific community and associations. Borealis had the honor of giving a keynote speech as Jaakko Tuomainen, Manager, Circular Plastics from the SPIRIT programme set the scene of green transition and plastics circularity.
Jaakko Tuomainen highlighted the importance of transition from linear to circular plastics. The use of biomass is one solution, but a linear bio-based system is not viable due to limited renewable resources and threat to biodiversity. Therefore, efficient short circular loops, such as reuse, closed cycles and mechanical recycling are needed. It is also essential to divert recyclable plastics away from incineration, and the chemical recycling is an alternative for the energy use.
Jaakko stated: “Plastics promote a sustainable lifestyle in many applications. However, the linear way to produce and use plastic needs to change. In addition to the recycling rate, the quality of recycled plastic is key: when high-quality recycled plastic replaces virgin plastic, the emissions generated by the production of new plastic can also be avoided.”
After Jaakko’s keynote speech, there was a presentation by the Finnish Member of the European Parliament, Sirpa Pietikäinen. Her presentation focused on the new EU’s Green Claims Initiative, underlining the need for clear criteria to ensure transparency and comparability of such claims.
The event continued with a panel discussion with Finnish Members of the Parliament, Noora Fagerström, Timo Furuholm, Sheikki Laakso, Mikko Ollikainen, Pinja Perholehto, Markku Siponen and Oras Tynkkynen, brainstorming the potential and acceleration of circular economy for Finland. The panelists agreed that circular economy needs to be strongly promoted. More companies like Borealis are also needed in Finland to get plastics from kitchens to circulation, provided that such plastics will have appropriate actors to further process the plastic waste.
More information:
Read the full article on the event here (in Finnish).