Circular economy solutions

The primary responsibility of the circular economy solutions unit is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable circular economy and bioeconomy.

The following groups are under the Circular economy solutions unit: 

• Industry and value chains: group manager Susanna Horn
• Waste: group manager Tuuli Myllymaa
• Contaminants: group manager Noora Perkola
• Use of natural resources: group manager Hannu Savolainen
• Policy and consumption: group manager Annukka Berg

Development manager of the societal change unit

• Petrus Kautto

More information

The duties of the groups under the Circular economy solutions unit 

Industry and value chains group  

• studies the management of environmental impacts and risks in production and value chains,  
• manages BAT coordination and support tasks in industry-related environmental regulation,  
• develops and applies Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) assessments,  
• manages and develops regulation and cooperation on persistent organic compounds (POP compounds),  
• develops ecological planning in industry.  

Waste group  

• studies and monitors the circular economy, with a focus on prevention of waste accumulation, reuse, a sustainable relationship with possessions, recycling, and a sustainable circular economy with plastics,  
• studies and monitors municipal waste, industrial waste (especially mining waste), POP waste and hazardous waste,  
• contributes to the support of waste policies, impact assessments and research, 
• manages waste reporting and the waste information service, development of the information system in the waste sector, and user support for the shipment document register,  
• provides EU expert support in soil protection.  

Contaminants group  

• studies and develops sustainable restoration of contaminated areas and risk management (soil, groundwater, sediments),  
• studies and develops risk management of recycled materials,  
• evaluates the occurrence and environmental impacts of contaminants.  

Use of natural resources group  

• studies and develops environmentally extended economic models (ENVIMAT model family),  
• develops environmental and materials accounting and analyses,  
• reviews scenarios and systemic effects of the circular economy and green transition,  
• evaluates sustainability of the use of natural resources.  

Policy and consumption group

• studies the policy and steering methods of the circular economy,  
• reviews products, business models and markets in line with the circular economy. 
• studies and assesses sustainable consumption.