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TIME magazine covers Finland’s efforts to move towards a circular economy

Education and new skills are key to Finland’s transition to a circular economy.

Writer

Antti Lehtinen

Specialist, Communications and Public Affairs

Published

TIME magazine visited Finland in December and had a look at how different players across Finnish society are building a more sustainable future based on the circular economy The circular economy An economic model which does not focus on producing more and more goods, but in which consumption is based on using services – sharing, renting and recycling – instead of owning. Materials are not destroyed in the end, but are used to make new products over and over again. Open term page The circular economy .

The article includes, for example, a visit to a kindergarten where tuition is based on the principles of a circular economy, and a look inside the “factory” of Swappie, a start-up company selling refurbished smartphones.

“To make changes at every level of society, education is key – getting every Finn to understand the need for a circular economy and how they can be part of it”, said Nani Pajunen, leading specialist of Sustainability solutions at Sitra.

Since 2016, Finland and Sitra have been striving to transition to a circular economy. Finland was, for example, the first country in the world to create a national road map to a circular economy.

Finland’s recipe also includes investing in education and skills for the young and the old alike. It is not a strategy that works overnight, but it might be a viable way to support a future within the planetary boundaries.

Thank you Lisa Abend for visiting and sharing Finland’s circular story in TIME! Read the article “Inside Finland’s Plan to End All Waste by 2050”.

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