"An unprecedentedly productive, growing and sustainable Finland is entirely possible, at best within a decade. Signs of Finland's next growth turnaround are already visible in sectors of exponential hope that are developing new technology. There is no shortage of potential and solutions to global challenges are within our reach."
In 2024, VTT published the vision paper A Fully Possible Finland.
"The idea behind the Vision Paper is to awaken us to the realization that we have all the capabilities and opportunities to build a sustainable business. But implementation requires innovation from many parties as well as decisions and actions that support sustainable growth," says VTT's Director of New Products and Materials. Tua Huomo.
The business area's research topics are mainly related to the bioeconomy, circular economy and digitalization.
“Sustainable economic growth requires sustainable solutions everywhere. We need, among other things, the replacement of fossil raw materials, a circular economy, and improving the energy efficiency of current production processes.”
A discussion on biodiversity and carbon sinks is also needed.
"We need to consider how to utilize the limited wood raw material now and in the future. This work requires research and innovation."
The goal of the financing law, which was drafted to stimulate innovation, is for Finland to spend four percent of its GDP on RDI activities. An additional 280 million euros will be invested in this annually until 2030. Public funding accounts for one third. The remaining two-thirds should come from companies.
New pulp and its side streams
Huomo highlights hygiene-related fiber products, such as plastic-free nonwoven products, as new potential volume products from the bioeconomy.
"There is also a lot of potential in textiles, although it seems a bit challenging right now. The use of lignin is also progressing, for example in the construction industry and in energy storage materials."
Among other things, product development related to replacing plastics in packaging is moving from the bioeconomy to the circular economy, as cardboard is one of the most significant current products in the forest industry.
“Innovation aimed at improving the recyclability of packaging materials will certainly be emphasized in packaging design.”
According to Huomo, better utilization of production side streams is essential in building sustainability, as the majority of wood used for energy production comes from side streams of the forest industry.
“I think it is a good principle that we should strive to get rid of burning side streams for energy.”
To increase the value of the product, it is important to develop commercial applications for side streams. Only then will it be an innovation that can be priced.
The utilization of side streams such as bark, pulp and sludge is already underway – most often the productization is carried out by a partner company that has taken the pulp side stream as a raw material for its own business.
“It's also nice to see that certain things that were just a draft ten years ago are now starting to come to fruition,” Huomo rejoices.
He refers to the utilization of lignin in the construction industry. Metsä Fibre and Andritz are building a lignin processing pilot plant in connection with the Äänekoski bioproduct mill, which is expected to be completed in late 2025. Potential end uses for the oxidized lignin processed from side streams of Metsä Fibre's pulp production include, for example, concrete plasticizers.
“Research into the utilization of lignin in the construction industry began at VTT in 2013. Anna Kalliola dissertation. The EU project carried out in 2017–2022 enabled both the technological maturity to be increased and the value chain to be committed to collaboration. This is also an excellent example of how the forest bioeconomy has successfully utilized the EU project to create new value chains.”
Refining processes
Huomo highlights two projects related to production processes from VTT's scope of activities that have a significant impact on the sustainability of forest industry business.
VTT is currently building a pilot environment for fiber products in Jyväskylä as part of its Energy First research program. The pilot environment will create a foundation for product innovations and test commercially viable, more responsible alternatives for the production of fiber-based products.
"In addition to VTT, there are over 70 companies involved. So the idea is less energy, more sustainability."
Another large-scale project that increases sustainability is Emission Free Pulping (EFP). The project aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from pulp production, among other things, by significantly reducing biomass combustion. The goal is to significantly increase the product yield of chemical pulping, i.e. it is an attempt to increase the degree of processing. The project, funded by Business Finland, is expected to last five years. The project coordinator is VTT and its Swedish research partner RISE. The project also involves seven major companies in the industry.
"EFP is a very significant and novel project. It involves research institutes, universities and companies. Its idea is to promote research by creating new expertise and concrete technology concepts for the forest industry. All participants also have the right to utilize the information collected in it in their own operations."
