Yleinen

Plastics and Current Legislative Developments – Some Insights

Authors: Rosa Maria Ballardini, Juha Vesala and Corinna Casi / University of Lapland The European Union is currently seeking to tackle the environmental issues that relate to plastics. The measures targeting or affecting plastics include particularly the Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) that is due to implemented in EU Member States by 3 July 2021. EU …

Plastics and Current Legislative Developments – Some Insights Read More »

Additive manufacturing technologies –productivity and process innovation on a sustainable basis?

Authors: Niklas Kretzschmar, Sergei Chekurov and Jouni Partanen / Aalto University Even though additive manufacturing (AM), also known as industrial 3D printing, is already there for some decades facilitating the manufacture of new design variations and legacy parts, it is still considered as a set of new production technologies. For numerous technical reasons, AM hasn’t …

Additive manufacturing technologies –productivity and process innovation on a sustainable basis? Read More »

Identifying policy-level instruments required for a more sustainable plastic future

Authors: Katri Valkokari , Peter Ylen (VTT) & Rosa Ballardini and Juha Vesala (University of Lapland) A transition towards renewable and circular plastic ecosystems is a systemic challenge. In this regard, there is an obvious need to find the appropriate bundle of policy measures, incentives and regulation instruments to enhance the transition to a sustainable and …

Identifying policy-level instruments required for a more sustainable plastic future Read More »

grass, frost, winter

Building a business case for renewable plastics innovation among material producers

Authors: Satu Salminen, Jaakko Siltaloppi / Aalto University The transition from fossil-based to bio- and circular economy is emerging as one of the major necessary societal transitions of the coming decades. While bio-based and recycled plastics are increasingly perceived as opening future business opportunities, as we have identified in the ValueBioMat project, in practice only …

Building a business case for renewable plastics innovation among material producers Read More »

Three avenues for developing plastic reuse and recycling

Author: Lars Vilen, Jaakko Siltaloppi / Aalto University The current linear economy model of plastics production and consumption entails a number of issues, including the leakage of plastics waste into the environment. Certainly the most salient issue from a political perspective, the environmental problems with plastics have induced a variety of political actions especially in …

Three avenues for developing plastic reuse and recycling Read More »

Three pillars of sustainability

Authors: Hannu Ilvesniemi and Frans Silvenius / Luke The carbon-cycle of bio-based plastics occurs mainly in natural carbon balance: the raw materials are mainly plant-based products, and the carbon content of them has been taken from atmosphere, and when they decompose, the carbon taken from atmosphere returns back. The carbon balance is different when the …

Three pillars of sustainability Read More »

Development paths of renewable plastics – what will the transition bring to the table?

Authors: Jaakko Siltaloppi/ Aalto and Markus Jähi & Katri Valkokari/VTT Transitioning to ‘renewable’, bio-based and recycled plastics is not an easy task – or something one could do alone. Therefore, it is important to find new ways to engage a variety of stakeholders in a shared problem-solving process. Based on our research work at ValueBioMat …

Development paths of renewable plastics – what will the transition bring to the table? Read More »

CC Elena Staffoni

Law, Innovation and Environmental Sustainability – From Vision to Reality

Photo: Sentiero dei fiori, Adamello (Passo del Tonale), Italia /CC-license: Elena Staffoni Authors: Rosa Ballardini, Juha Vesala, Anette Alen-Savikko and Corinna Casi / University of Lapland We are on the verge of an environmental crisis. Ecological degradation caused by human activity, ranging from loss of species to climate change, is rapidly spreading globally at a …

Law, Innovation and Environmental Sustainability – From Vision to Reality Read More »

Manufacturing Novel Biomaterial Products by 3D Printing

Author: Jouni Partanen/ Aalto University For the last 2 months and more, the news all over the world have been concentrated on the pandemic spreading of the COVID-19 virus and its catastrophic medical consequences.  Hospitals, even in many of the most developed countries, have been ill-equipped for the large number of patients needing intensive care …

Manufacturing Novel Biomaterial Products by 3D Printing Read More »