Gaia is part of developing business opportunities from bioeconomy and circular economy in the Nordic region’s largest oil refinery and petrochemical cluster located in the Kilpilahti area in Porvoo, Finland. In order to be able to identify the growth opportunities of bioeconomy and circular economy, a clear and coherent overall picture was formed for the first time regarding the way companies in the area use energy and materials, as well as regarding the waste streams and waste energy generated. The material and energy balance of the industrial area gave concrete information on the material and energy use between the companies and thus helped to identify new business opportunities related to them.
The changes brought by circular economy open up a wealth of new business opportunities for companies. Gaia has supported a number of companies in various industries to identify these business opportunities as well as to develop their business in accordance with the principles of the circular economy. The Kilpilahti project was partly based on a new method which aims to recognize synergy opportunities between different actors concerning the use of materials and energy in industrial parks, and opportunities to develop new circular economy business with cooperation between actors. The method is developed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland and Gaia and Kilpilahti was the first pilot case in implementing of this method in Finland.
“Circular economy means new jobs and business opportunities. Through the new business models and partnerships profitability of business can be improved and environmental impacts reduced The analysis completed in cooperation with Gaia and Neste Jacobs and the method used for mapping the synergy possibilities of material and energy use is an excellent and important first step towards tangible benefits of circular economy” says Posintra’s Program Director Leena Tuomi.
According to the study, the companies in the Kilpilahti industrial area use 14 million tons of materials and generate about 8 TWh of waste heat in a year. Based on these figures, nine different opportunities to boost bioeconomy and circular economy as well as the cooperation between companies were identified. New opportunities are related to the utilization of organic side and waste streams, to the more effective utilization of waste heat formed in the area as well as to the positive impacts brought by the co-operation of the companies, for example, through centralized waste management and material supply. The most potential business opportunities were assessed from the viewpoint of their economic impact and employment.
The study of material and energy balance of Kilpilahti industrial area was commissioned by Posintra, the development company for the Eastern Uusimaa, and it was conducted by Gaia Consulting in cooperation with Neste Jacobs.
The final report of the project is available at Posintra’s webpage (in Finnish).
More information
- Tiina Pursula, Business Director, +358 40 514 9507, Gaia Consulting Oy, firstname.surname@gaia.fi
- Tea Miller, Consultant, +358 50 4630373, Gaia Consulting Oy, firstname.surname@gaia.fi
