Sitra nominated finalist for The Circular Economy Award for the second time

The Circular Economy Awards, or The Circulars, announce annually the world’s best circular economy pioneers. The Circulars is organised by the World Economic Forum and Forum of Young Global Leaders, and its next winners will be announced in January 2018.

Last year Sitra was one of the finalists for the CNBC Award for Circular Economy Investor. This year Sitra was once again selected as a finalist but this time for the CNBC Award for Circular Economy Public Sector which names the best pioneers who enable an environment for the circular economy to develop and flourish.

Sitra has been nominated again as a finalist in The Circulars. Circular Economy Specialist Ernesto Hartikainen, how do you feel about that?

Ernesto: It feels absolutely awesome! It’s great that the international judges recognise the significance of Sitra’s work on circular economy. This time Sitra has been globally noticed as an influencer who fosters wider societal change instead of being viewed as an investor, which was the case last year.

What kinds of factors have probably influenced on the judges’ decision to select Sitra to the finals?

Ernesto: Sitra’s courage to try out new things has certainly contributed to the choice. The world’s first national road map to a circular economy and World Circular Economy Forum 2017 are examples of our work that have drawn also a lot of global attention.

In addition, Sitra comprehensively advances the transition to the circular economy through multiple different ways and methods varying from scientific research to pilots at the grass-root level. The circular economy is not only about recycling or waste management. Instead, it should be viewed as a massive economical turning point that concerns all of us.

Sitra’s success in The Circulars is likely to be also based on Finland’s strong national commitment for the circular economy. We would like to thank especially the actors in Finnish public sector actors as well as the companies, the NGOs, and all amazing Finns who have began to make an impact together.

What happens next in The Circulars?

Ernesto: The next step is to assure the judges about the significance of Sitra’s role in supporting transition to a more sustainable circular economy. The finalists are now being judged, and the winners will be announced in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

However, to put it in perspective: Advancing the circular economy through co-operation is much more important than winning – actually, it is the most important thing for everyone. We will in any case continue our work on circular economy in Sitra, and we would like to invite everyone to build together a more sustainable circular economy for tomorrow!

 The Circulars 2018 finalists can be found here.