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South Savo Fund

Verstas Venture Builder: Redstone and Miksei offer a free startup coaching program

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd and venture capital fund manager Redstone invite potential start-ups to join a 12-week individual startup coaching program that launches in September 2023.

The purpose of the program is to help startups to develop their idea into solid business. The program is primarily aimed for startups that are based in South Savo or would consider the possibility to establish some of their key functions in the region.

Redstone organises the program and its partners Kaj Hagros and Oskari Lehtonen carry out the coaching. It contains both face-to-face sessions and online sessions. Most of the sessions are individually organised coupled with some common topic group sessions. Areas covered include eg. business model, customer validation, go-to-market strategy, fundraising, team development and board governance. Program participation does not require relocation, can also be entitely remote, and takes only a couple of hours per week during approx. 3 months. Hagros and Lehtonen are among the most experienced early stage investors, entrepreneurs and startup coaches in Finland with over 100 executed startup investments, several successful exits and four IPOs.

After the program companies can apply for venture capital funding from South Savo Growth Fund that is managed by Redstone. We estimate that including public grants and Redstone’s VC investment, companies could receive +200.000 euro funding packages initially.

Send your open application to henrietta.hirvonen@redstone.vc including a short description of your business and CV of founders Sep 10th.

About Verstas

Verstas Venture Builder project helps young growth companies get the best possible advice and support for growth. With the help of the project, companies may develop into attractive funding candidates for South Savo Growth Fund as well as other investors and public and private investors. The chosen companies receive coaching and mentoring assistance as well as various tools, the aim of which is to develop the company, test the business idea and make the company eligible for financing.

About MikseiMikkeli

We at Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd match your company with growth opportunities and partnerships in the South Savo region, Finland. Our services range from startups to growth funding and from employer services to regional development projects.

About Redstone

Redstone is a European venture capital firm following selected investment strategies. Our focused approach with specialized investment teams for each strategy has enabled us to develop strong sector expertise and networks. This combination supercharges our portfolio companies. Redstone has offices in Berlin, Zurich and Helsinki.

More information

Marjo Niittuaho-Nastolin
+358 440 361 615
marjo.niittuaho-nastolin@mikseimikkeli.fi

The coaching program is funded by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment of South Savo, Mikkeli Region Fund and companies.

 

Lake Saimaa Purest Finland

Saimaa & South Savo

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Living in Mikkeli and spending summers on the shores of Lake Saimaa offer a completely different way of life compared to the capital region.

Picture a jetty for swimming, a summer cabin, a sauna with a wood burning stove, a barbecue, a boat and a fishing rod.

Mikkeli is a part of the Finnish Lake District, and when thinking of the Lake District, the first thing to come to mind is, well, lakes. Mikkeli is located between a few big lakes – Lake Puula, Lake Kyyvesi, and of course, Lake Saimaa.

Lake Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland, and the fourth largest in Europe. It spreads accross Eastern Finland in small, crooked straits and larger open water areas. It’s unique shape makes for a fascinating landscape of rocky islands and hills. It is also the home of the Ringed Saimaa Seal, an endangered species of freshwater seal that doesn’t appear anywhere else. You can explore Lake Saimaa e.g. by paddling, cruises, boat, or SUP boarding in summertime, and by skiing, skating, or snowshoeing in wintertime.

Holiday villas and sauna

Holiday cottages and sauna are a vital part of Finnish culture and leisure time. During the best holiday seasons you can see city centres deserted, as all the Finnish holiday-makers have retreated to their cottages and second homes in the countryside. A cottage is preferably by a lake, and it always has its own sauna, where Finns can enjoy their hot and steamy löyly (it’s impossible to live without!). Mikkeli is one of the biggest second home regions in Finland, and aside from private cottage-owners, there is also a wide selection of rental cottages available.

Nature

Finns tend to have a strong bond with nature, and it plays a big part in the Finnish culture. Recreational activities like fishing work as a tool for relaxation, and many Finns make berry and mushroom picking trips to the forest every year. You can find berries and mushrooms almost everywhere, and picking them is also permitted to everyone according to the Finnish Every Man’s Rights. Just make sure to leave some for others as well! Hiking and camping are also great ways to enjoy and explore the wonderful Finnish nature, so why not make a trip to Neitvuori Hill or Repovesi National Park, for example, or go visit the ancient rockpaintings of Astuvansalmi?

Local food

As fishing, berry picking and mushroom picking are an important part of the local lifestyle, it is of course natural that you can see it also in the local cuisine. Local food is one of Mikkeli’s fortés, and especially recently many new restaurants specialising in local ingredients and natural flavours have opened their doors in the region. Places you have to absolutely try are for example restaurant Vino, Bistro Holvi and Sahanlahti Resort’s restaurant Koskivahti.

Headquarters City and Marshal Mannerheim

During the Second World War, Mikkeli operated as the headquarters city of Finland, and so all the war operations, led by Marshal Mannerheim, were issued from here. Having the headquarters left its mark on the city landscape and cultural life. Besides museums and landmarks, you can explore Mikkeli’s history on guided tours.

Manors and gardens

Manor houses have long traditions in Finland. Many of them date back to 16th century, and some as far as the 14th century. In Mikkeli region, many authentic manor houses still remain, such as Tertti Manor, Kyyhkylä Manor, and Kenkävero in Mikkeli, Löytö Manor in Ristiina and Kuninkaankartano Manor in Juva. Nowadays the manor houses offer many different services, such as local food, celebration services, accommodation, local products and handicrafts and different activities. Gardens are an important part of a manor’s milieu, but Mikkeli region offers also many other possibilities for a traveler interested in gardening. Visit for example Vanha Kilkkilä and Linkkumylly for a garden experience.

Ice sports and trotting races

Finland is famous for being good at winter sports, and the sport in the country is of course ice hockey. Mikkeli has very succesful teams in both ice hockey and bandy, and games are organised throughout the winter season. In summertime, the biggest sports events are the trotting races, and the largest of those races is the St. Michel trotting race, which is also the biggest annual event in Mikkeli. Come and see yourself what all the bustle is about!

Dance, classical music and metal

Open air dances are an exclusively Finnish phenomenon. Summer nights are the best time to head for a dance pavilion and have a try on classical dances such as valse, tango, foxtrot and Finnish humppa, as well as rock ‘n swing dances, such as jive or boogie. Almost every town or village has their own dance pavilion, so you can try it wherever you’re staying. Another great music event in Mikkeli is the Mikkeli Music Festival, also known as the Gergiev Festival. It takes place in late June or early July, and features almost a full week of concerts by St. Petersburg’s famous Mariinsky Theater’s orchestra. Local bands have gigs in pubs and bars around the year, so do go and check them out, and if you want to experience a wilder atmosphere, join the Jurassic Rock festival in early august in Kenkävero’s fields.

MikseiMikkeli ryhmäkuva

Eight Strengths of Mikkeli

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Significant strengths of the Mikkeli region are its forest resources and Finland’s long industrial history in the forest industry. South Savo is Finland’s most forested region and eastern Finland has the fastest forest growth in Europe. The region has a significant cluster of forest industries, which also attracts forest technology companies.

The forest industry directly employs 2,300 people in South Savo, which corresponds to 4.1% of the region’s employment. However, direct income from forestry accounts for 9% of the region’s economy and, taking into account the multiplier effects, accounts for 17% of the region’s total economy. In addition to the traditional forest industry, future fields of economy in Mikkeli include bioproduct production, bioenergy expertise and environmental technology.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Mikkeli also has strong security sector expertise. For example, Mikkeli is home to the Finnish Army Command and Information Management Unit. The South Savo Rescue Department is also a pioneer in developing national rescue work. Mipro Oy develops railway safety systems, while Environics Oy’s main products are CBRNe monitoring systems. Platom Oy focuses on process modeling, analysis, and life cycle services for nuclear facilities, while Profium Oy focuses on data monitoring, storage and discovery. There are also other security sector companies in the region.

Another strength of Mikkeli is its geographical location. Eastern Finland’s core traffic flows through Mikkeli both by road and along the railway line.

The region’s position as one of Finland’s leading leisure areas is also one of its strengths. Mikkeli is Finland’s second largest ‘cabin municipality’ with 10,349 holiday homes. The large number of holiday homes is reflected in the local scenery and the city’s purchasing power, especially during the summer

Relative to its size, Mikkeli has a large student population that provides an educated workforce and a solid foundation for increasing skills. Almost 10% of the city’s residents are students. Furthermore, it is studied that workforce commitment in Mikkeli is higher than national average.

City of Mikkeli is the southernmost city in Finland, where 40% EU regional development investment scheme is available. Comparing start-up costs for example new industrial operations, strong investment support significantly lowers the capital requirement for newly established operations.

Costs are in control in Mikkeli, as land values, rent costs and salary costs are lower compared to e.g. capital area in Finland. The cost of an office or production facilities in Mikkeli is sometimes only 40% of the cost in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

Mikkeli offers quality of life for employers and employees alike. Simple things, such as owning your own home debt-free, having a summer cabin by the lake and having leisure time for family and hobbies, are achievable in Mikkeli.

LUT-artikkeli

Research and Education in Mikkeli

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Mikkeli has traditionally been a strong student city. The city’s further education is organised by the South Savo Vocational College (Esedu), where some 3,000 young students and 5,000 adult students study annually. They offer 47 different undergraduate, 24 vocational and 8 specialist qualifications. Approximately 80% of graduates stay to work in the region.

The South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) also operates in Mikkeli. The Xamk is the fifth largest university in Finland in terms of student numbers. Xamk offers higher education studies in 89 degree programmes to a total of 7,900 degree students. About half of the students study at the Mikkeli campus. The applied university also offers seven degree programmes in English.

Mikkeli University Centre is one of three educational units operating in the city and several different universities units are located on the campus of the University Centre. These include: Aalto University School of Business International Business Training Unit, University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute, National Library Digitisation and Conservation Centre, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT) Entrepreneurship Research Unit and the Green Chemistry Laboratory training international postgraduate students.

Every year, about 250 undergraduate students at the campus study for the English-language Bachelor of Science in Economics programme and 320 in the Co-op Network Studies programme. Additionally, the University of Helsinki provides continuing education for approximately 1,150 students per year at the campus. The campus employs 130 permanent staff. Furthermore, the Natural Resource Centre, the Summer University and the campus’s Researcher Hotel offer facilities for about 150 experts and researchers.

According to surveys, Mikkeli, along with Kuopio, have the best cooperation between companies and educational institutions in Finland.

Mikkeli in Brief

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Mikkeli (in Swedish St. Michel) is a city of 53,000 residents in eastern Finland. Based on its population numbers and purchasing power, the city is the regional centre of South Savo. Mikkeli is the 18th largest city in Finland. The eastern parts of the city are located on the shores of Lake Saimaa, Europe’s fourth largest freshwater area. In the west, the urban area of Otava borders the provincial lake Puula.

The city of Mikkeli covers an area of 3,230 m2 of which 681 m2 is water areas. In addition to the city centre, significant urban areas include Otava, Haukivuori, Anttola, Ristiina and Suomenniemi. 80% of the population live in built-up urban areas.

Founded in 1838, Mikkeli is one of Finland’s largest concentrated leisure areas. The city has 27,721 permanent households and 10,349 holiday homes. As 70% of holiday home owners live outside the economic area, second home ownership is a significant factor in the city’s service structure and purchasing power. On average, a holiday home is used for 85 days a year.

Currently the Mayor of Mikkeli is Mr. Janne Kinnunen and the Chairman of the City Board is Mr. Pekka Pöyry.

73.6% of the population of Mikkeli have completed further education and 29.8% have a higher education degree. At the end of 2016, there were 22,500 jobs in the city with 21,700 people in the working population. 90% of the city’s workforce worked in Mikkeli. As a regional centre, Mikkeli also attracts workforce from the neighbouring municipalities, which in December 2018 had a total population of 24,600. The share of entrepreneurs in the workforce is 15%, which is one of the highest in the country.

Kuopio Water Cluster and BEM Mikkeli exhibiting at the Aquatech 2021

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

Kuopio Water Cluster (KWC), and Blue Economy Mikkeli (BEM), will join the Aquatech exhibition in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 2-5 November 2021.

Aquatech Amsterdam is the world’s leading water trade show for process, drinking and wastewater. “Taking part in the exhibition gives Kuopio Water Cluster and Blue Economy Mikkeli a unique opportunity to reconnect with water professionals from all over the world after a long period of remote and hybrid work”, said Panu Jouhkimo, Programme Coordinator at BEM.

During the 4-day event, we will connect with 18,000+ water experts and 650+ exhibiting companies. As a refreshing change after extended lockdowns, during fairs, there will be opportunities to join inspirational seminars and presentations, topical round tables, HUBs and pavilions, as well as Aquatech Innovation Award Show.

“Kuopio Water Cluster and Blue Economy Mikkeli respond to strong demand for Finnish water expertise and innovation, especially in the circular economy and digitalization” – said Patryk Wójtowicz, Research Manager responsible for internationalisation in KWC. Furthermore, by taking part in the Aquatech 2021, this unique interregional cooperation aims to build strong and diverse international partnerships.

Join us at booth 05.451

The Kuopio Water Cluster (KWC) concentrates Finnish water expertise providing product development, testing and commercialization services. Water Cluster aligns network of universities, and multi-disciplinary national research institutes focused on the water sector. KWC is a collaborative network for start-ups, SMEs and large companies to stimulate growth and innovation.

Blue Economy Mikkeli (BEM) is a part of an eco-industrial park combining the utilization of municipal and industrial material cycles with water circularity. Excellence in research, world-class RDI environments, and collaboration with companies create the conditions for the development, commercialization and business development of new solutions and services. State-of-the-Art MBR WWTP with full-scale testing and piloting environments for wastewater treatment and water reclamation make BEM a unique environment and collaboration network for business and RDI.

Contact:

Panu Jouhkimo,
Programme Coordinator, Blue Economy Mikkeli Development Platform
Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd
panu.jouhkimo@mikseimikkeli.fi
+358 44 598 6854

Patryk Wójtowicz,
Research Manager, Kuopio Water Cluster
Savonia University of Applied Sciences
patryk.wojtowicz@savonia.fi
+358 44 785 55 64

CityLoops presentation image

CityLoops: Closing the loop for urban material flows

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

CityLoops logo

Mikkeli development Miksei Ltd takes partnership in a new EU-project. The CityLoops: Closing the loop for urban material flows -project aims to reduce urban materian flows by increasing material circulation.

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) – including soil – and organic waste (OW) are two of the most significant urban material flows with a remarkable environmental impact in European cities. Led by ICLEI, the EU-funded CityLoops project will develop a series of innovative procedures, approaches and open access and open source tools to embed circularity within planning and decision making processes for CDW and OW in cities. The ultimate goal is to drive the transition to a circular economy.

Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde (Denmark), Mikkeli (Finland), Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), Bodø (Norway), Porto (Portugal) and Seville (Spain) are the seven European cities involved in CityLoops. They will structure their pilots in three phases: inception and preparation phase, including a series of preparatory analysis and stakeholder mapping and participatory planning; demonstration phase, when the solutions will be implemented and tested, and replication phase, when the CityLoops measures will be upscaled at regional and European level. The solutions and actions go from instruments for predicting future excavated CDW and soil production, to awareness-raising campaigns, circularity decision making support tool, simulation of impacts 3D visualisation tools and procurement guidelines for OW products. A total of ten demonstration actions will be implemented, testing over 30 new tools and processes.

Alongside these, a sector-wide circularity assessment and an urban circularity assessment will be carried out in each of the cities. The former will help to optimise the demonstration activities, whereas the latter will enable cities to effectively integrate circularity into planning and decision making.

Another key aspect of CityLoops is circular procurement: the seven demonstrator cities will explore how public sector purchases can create markets for innovative circular economy products and solutions – from more circular design and increasing the use of recycled content in products, to ensuring reparability, reuse and appropriate recycling of products and materials, and promoting servicisation models. The active involvement of key stakeholders in every stage of the project will be also of crucial importance.

Project duration: 1.10.2019-30.9.2023

Cities involved

  • Demonstrator cities: Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde (Denmark), Mikkeli (Finland), Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), Bodø (Norway), Porto (Portugal) and Seville (Spain)
  • Replicators: Murcia and Vallès Occidental (Spain)

EU Horizon 2020 -logo

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 821033. The sole responsibility for any error or omissions lies with the editor. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Commission. The European Commission is also not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

Promoting Cross-Border Business in Biotechnology and Circular Economy

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

There are similar and shared environmental challenges in Finland and Russia, and these challenges need to be solved together, in cross-border cooperation.

By: Elena Mochnikova, Alexander Ostroukhov, Mervi Rajahonka, Anitta Sihvonen and Saija Tillgren

Many of technologically advanced scientific inventions in biotechnology and circular economy cannot find their users, and although many companies are interested in internationalization, they have limited knowledge or resources to proceed. Therefore, there is still a lot to do.

The need for intensive and concrete cooperation in circular economy and biotechnology is recognized in both Finland and Russia. Business in Biotechnology and Circular Economy (BBC1) project aims to increase sustainable economic growth in the Finnish-Russian cross-border region. The main target groups are Finnish and Russian biotechnology and circular economy companies operating in the cross-border area, and university students and researchers. The project aims to increase the awareness and competences on entrepreneurship and commercialization of scientific research results, and to improve the skills and competitiveness of companies.

Strong consortium and tested methods

The consortium behind the project includes two strategic alliances, namely alliances of universities ITMO (St. Petersburg, Russia) and Xamk (Mikkeli, Finland) and business development organizations Miksei (Mikkeli, Finland) and AsEP (St. Petersburg, Russia). These alliances work during the course of the project hand in hand. The universities will provide training for companies to improve their competences to operate in international markets, and for students and researchers to accelerate innovations to turn into spinoffs and startups. The business development organizations will help companies in their efforts further.

Project steering group meeting in St. Petersburg, November 2019. From left to right: Alexander Ostroukhov, Elena Mochnikova, Anton Gopka, Anne Gustafsson-Pesonen, Anna-Maija Torniainen, Daria Mironova, Saija Tillgren, Boris Krylov, Jouni Riihelä, Panu Jouhkimo. Photo: Elizaveta Pomazkova

The project uses verified methods for boosting innovation activities in the universities and research institutes. In December 2019, an open innovation competition for students and researchers was launched to find new ideas in biotechnology and circular economy. Over 80 ideas were received for the competition, mainly from ITMO university students and researchers. The best ideas will be selected into an accelerator program. Due to the global COVID-19 crisis, the biggest challenge of this year will be to transform all activities into an online form.

The project offers startups and established companies practical support in their efforts towards viable growth and internationalization. Training programs and matchmaking events for Finnish and Russian companies will be arranged to improve their competences for international markets. Additionally, EcoSairila – a development and cooperation platform established by the City of Mikkeli – will offer a base to cooperate for both researchers and businesses. With EcoSairila, Mikkeli aims to become a top of the world center in wastewater treatment, waste management, recycling and in biogas production. In the future, also a digital platform of EcoSairila will be developed, offering an open access showcase for new circular economy solutions.

BBC1 Project in Brief

Business in Biotechnology and Circular Economy (BBC1) project is administered by Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd., and partnered by South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk), Small Business Center, Finland, and ITMO University and the Association for Environmental Partnership (AsEP), Russia. The project is funded by the European Union, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Finland. The main source of funding is ENI CBC Programme South East Finland – Russia 2014–2020. The implementation period of the project is 1.9.2019 – 28.2.2022. 

About writers:

Mochnikova works as an ENI CBC Project Coordinator at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Ostroukhov works as a Project administrator at ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia, Rajahonka works as a RDI Specialist at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Sihvonen works as a Manager of Funding at Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd and Tillgren works as a Project Manager at Mikkeli Development Miksei Ltd.

Biltema tontti

Biltema expands to Mikkeli

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

The Nordic Biltema chain builds a new department store in Mikkeli. BiltemaReal Estate Finland Oy, a member of the Biltema Group, buys 3.4 hectares of land from the City of Mikkeli in Visulahti. The company submitted a purchase offer for the plots in a public tender organised by the city.

CEO Jani Mahlakaarto from Biltema Suomi Oy confirms that the company is planning to open a new department store in Mikkeli. The 7,000 square metres store, in accordance with the company’s new department store concept, will employ approximately 25-40 people after its opening, and many times more during the construction phase.

According to Jani Mahlakaarto, expanding to Mikkeli is part of Biltema’s new growth strategy, the aim of which is to increase the number of shops in Finland over the next few years. The company plans to start construction in 2021 and open the new department store to the public at the end of spring 2022.

Sale of Land Accelerates the Development of the Visulahti Business Area

For the City of Mikkeli, the plot sale of about 3.4 hectares is the most important starting point for the construction of the Visulahti area’s trade and business activities. The strong national retail chain will act as the forerunner business in the region, which is sure to speed up other investment plans in the region.

Biltema is the first retailer to go public with its plans.

The City of Mikkeli and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will work together to build the Mikkeli – Juva main road project. The new section of the main road will open for traffic at the end of 2020. The new interchange in Visulahti will be opened at the same time. New areas reserved for retail are also located near the interchange.

The City of Mikkeli has zoned areas for retail and business in the immediate vicinity of the main road. The connection project has already built streets and roads in this area to enable a speedy deployment of the plots.
A company previously settled in this area is Ponsse Oyj.

Jouni Riihelä, Mikkeli City Technical Director, explains that the area has been systematically developed.

-The City of Mikkeli has been patiently building an area of trade and entrepreneurship around the Visulahti intersection. With the progress of the main road project and this plot sale, the belief in the attractiveness of this retail area has become more concrete. It can be said that the commitment of a nationally well-known retail chain to Visulahti is the most concrete example of this, and a step forward. This company’s investment creates the vitality and jobs Mikkeli needs, which has always been the goal of Visulahti’s development.

At the moment, six other preliminary reservations have been made at Visulahti, explains Hannele Hynninen from the Mikkeli Development Company Miksei Ltd. In addition, negotiations are under way with several other operators.

-We believe that Biltema’s decision will also speed up the decisions made by others.

Mikkeli Development Company Ltd. creates jobs for the residents of Mikkeli by supporting the development, growth and export of companies. Miksei supports businesses through all stages of development, starting from business plans. Our experts help companies find a suitable location and workforce, develop their business, and create national and international networks. More about us

Seven European cities pilot solutions to be more circular

Osasto: by Jukka Kumpusalo

CityLoops is a new EU-funded project focusing on organic, and construction and demolition waste

Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde (Denmark), Mikkeli (Finland), Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), Bodø (Norway), Porto (Portugal) and Seville (Spain) are the seven European cities that will pilot a series of demonstration actions on construction and demolition waste (CDW) and organic waste (OW) with the aim of achieving material circularity. Over 30 new tools and processes will be tested as part of CityLoops, an EU-funded project with 28 partners involved, that has just kicked-off and will run until September 2023.

– Construction and demolition waste (CDW) – including soil – and organic waste (OW) are two of the most significant urban material flows with a remarkable environmental impact in European cities. The EU-funded CityLoops project will develop a series of innovative procedures, approaches and open access and open source tools to embed circularity within planning and decision-making processes for CDW and OW in cities. The ultimate goal is to drive the transition to a circular economy.

The seven pilot cities – all of them small- to medium-sized ones – will structure their pilots in three phases: inception and preparation phase, including a series of preparatory analysis and stakeholder mapping and participatory planning; demonstration phase, when the solutions will be implemented and tested, and replication phase, when the CityLoops measures will be upscaled at regional and European level. The solutions and actions go from instruments for predicting future excavated CDW and soil production, to awareness-raising campaigns, circularity decision-making support tools, simulation of impacts 3D visualisation tools and procurement guidelines for OW products. A total of ten demonstration actions will be implemented, testing over 30 new tools and processes.

Alongside these, a sector-wide circularity assessment and an urban circularity assessment will be carried out in each of the cities. The former will help to optimise the demonstration activities, whereas the latter will enable cities to effectively integrate circularity into planning and decision making.

Another key aspect of CityLoops is circular procurement: the seven demonstrator cities will explore how public sector purchases can create markets for innovative circular economy products and solutions – from more circular design and increasing the use of recycled content in products, to ensuring reparability, reuse and appropriate recycling of products and materials, and promoting servicisation models. The active involvement of key stakeholders in every stage of the project will be also of crucial importance.

“CityLoops aims to provide a tested blueprint for promoting circularity which other local and regional governments across Europe can follow,” said Simon Clement, coordinator at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, a city-network responsible for leading the CityLoops project.

Circular Cities Declaration

Political representatives from the demonstrator CityLoops cities, as well as from Vallès Occidental (Spain) – one of the ‘followers’ of the project together with Murcia (Spain) – gathered last week to sign a ‘Circular Cities Declaration’. Through their signatures, they commit to enhancing the circular economy through policy and regulatory levers; to initiating a series of innovative pilot and demonstration activities to help identify the most promising solutions; to sharing knowledge with peers, and to building a wider circular cities coalition with key stakeholders and initiatives across Europe.

Background information on CDW and OW

CDW is, in volume terms, the most significant waste fraction in Europe. According to Eurostat (2015), in 2012 construction and demolition activities were responsible for 32% of all waste generated in the EEA, with a further 27% from mining and quarrying. Resource consumption for buildings and infrastructure in Europe is highly material intensive, consuming between 1.2 and 1.8 billion tonnes of materials per annum in Europe (Ecorys, 2014). The construction sector is also economically important, contributing on average 5–13% of the total (gross) value added (Eurostat, 2015).

Regarding OW, according to the European Commission the European Union produces approximately 130 Mt of organic waste per year, a number that is projected to have increased by 10% by 2020. Organic waste consists of organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OMSW) as well as organic waste from commercial sources and public spaces. Overall, 68% of organic waste produced annually in the EU consists of food waste originating from food manufacturing and packaging processes (39%), household scraps (42%), and restaurants/grocery stores (19%).

For more information contact us:

Mrs. Anitta Sihvonen
Mikkeli development Miksei Ltd