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Transition pathways towards sustainable plastics value chains

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Authors: Kirsi Immonen, Anna Leinonen & Katri Valkokari VTT To foster a more sustainable and resilient plastics ecosystem, the ValueBioMat project defined three transformation pathways to describe the necessary transformation from the current plastic system towards the desired target state. Our previous blog post entitled Evolution of problem framing: How to enhance transition towards sustainable …

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Evolution of problem framing: How to enhance transition towards sustainable plastics?

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Author: Anna Leinonen, VTT Transitional processes are complex, and people often have different opinions on problems and solutions regarding them. This ambiguity makes it hard to coordinate efforts towards sustainability goals. Therefore, we need tools to help set common goals, align interests, and create shared plans for future transitions. This writing tells the story of …

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Can Plastics Be a Solution to Climate Change?

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Authors: Esko Hakanena, Jan Holmströma, Teemu Mikolaa, Kirsi Immonenb, Jukka Niskanenc, Hannu Ilvesniemid, Corinna Casie, Kirsi Kukkof, Jouni Partanenf  Plastics are often portrayed as a problem when tackling climate change. Plastic products made from fossil raw materials also deplete non-renewable resources. Moreover, plastics are commonly incinerated at the end of their life, to avoid microplastics …

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Biocomposites – solution for sustainable plastics or a reason to redesign plastics recycling?

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Author: Teemu Mikola In recent years, the environmental problems related to plastic materials have been gaining increasing attention. Although plastic materials deliver many benefits, such as durability, light weight, and low cost, they depend on fossil resources and create emissions and harmful waste in many stages of their value chain. To address these challenges, the …

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European policy framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics – what are the key aspects?

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Authors: Jukka Seppälä & Arun Teotia (Aalto University) and Katri Valkokari (VTT) European Commission has published a policy framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics on 30.11.2022. Here the authors aim to share our elaboration on essential key statements and conclusions related to the EU framework. COM(2022) 682 final (1) In Europe and internationally, biobased, …

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Making sense of sustainability of plastics – insights from the first episodes of Talking Plastics podcast

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Katri Valkokari The researchers of the ValueBioMat project are eager to find new ways to disseminate the research results in order to actively support the transition towards more sustainable plastic ecosystems. A good example of this work is the Talking Plastics podcast hosted by our researchers. Listening to the podcast series, it is nice to …

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A dive into the multifaceted sustainability of plant-based oils for plastics

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Photo by Nguyen TP Hai on Unsplash Authors: Laura Äkräs and Marjatta Vahvaselkä No alternative is perfect, yet advantageous in the right context You already know this, but let’s recapitulate! Nowadays, the role of biomass-derived, bio-based feedstock has increased as a raw material for a myriad of end applications as one approach to reduce some of the negative …

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Reflections on the first stage of the ValueBioMat project: A researcher experience based on a narrative research approach

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Author: Corinna Casi The beginning of a new journey: The ValueBioMat project Two years and half have passed since the beginning of the ValueBioMat (VBM) project funded by the Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland. Since then, my role as Doctoral researcher has evolved immensely: I got more and more responsibilities internally within …

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Research for societal impact – What does it mean to researchers?

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Author: Anna Leinonen/ VTT How can research fulfil such challenging purposes as creating great societal impact or developing solutions to extremely complex and systemic grand challenges? Moreover, what are the implications of such aspirations to the understanding of the researcher’s role, if innovation and high-quality research are not the only expectations of research output? Above …

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Incremental actions for transformative outcomes?

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Exploring Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) brand owner strategies for a sustainable plastics economy Authors: Pyry Päivölä & Jaakko Siltaloppi (Aalto) Today, approximately 25% of all plastics produced are used in packaging, which amounts to a nearly 100 million tonnes annually. The majority of plastics packaging is used in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. …

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