FINNISH SOLUTIONS

15 October 2009
Finland - home of sustainability

Sustainability is most often defined "means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Finland has been on this way since decades and is now speeding up on the way from a natural resources based economy headed by the basic industry to a knowledge-based economy where human capital plays a larger role.

Finland’s achievements and expertise in the environmental sector are internationally acknowledged. For instance, in 2008 Finland has been ranked four among 146 countries in environmental performance index provided by World Economic Forum.

Finland has been successful in breaking the fatal link between economic growth and environmental load, and is able to respond to one of the main challenges of sustainable development, for instance, fighting the climate change.

The basis of this development lies in our instinct for applications of clean technology in products, production and business operations; including applications of modern automation, control and ICT technologies for cleaner production.

Furthermore, well-functioning innovation systems and our economic activities have resulted in a higher quality of services and goods that have an improved social impact, have resources and diminish environmental damage.

An efficient energy system

Finland's energy needs are high due to the country’s energy-intensive industry, cold climate and long distances. At the same time, Finland’s own energy resources are scarce.

To respond to these needs, developing an efficient energy system has for decades been a high priority in the Finnish energy strategy.

Finland's versatile energy system utilizes any viable energy form. It has been planned and constructed on a network basis - including production, transmission, usage and energy reserves - and optimized an environmentally friendly way. The carbon dioxide emissions are among the lowest in the world.

In its country report released in 2004, the International Energy Agency (IEA) commended Finnish energy policy for being remarkably well implemented and for simultaneously supporting economic growth, meeting environmental challenges and securing the country's energy supply.

In 2008, the IEA stated that Finland is the ‘model for the world’ in combined heat and power generation or co-generation with high efficiency and low emissions.

World-class technology

Research and development work and continuous modernisation of the energy system over the decades have brought also Finnish energy technology up to a world-class standard.

In addition to energy technologies, Finland has gained important reputation in several sectors of the environmental business including, for example, energy intensive industrial processes and related automation, water and waste management and recycling.

A good level of research activities as well as high public awareness of environmental values significantly contributes to this success of the Finnish environmental business.