The ILPO – Climate-positive business parks and value chains project provided businesses with pilot opportunities, support and research for the development of low-carbon business activities. The development operations focused on resource-efficient business, low-emission value chains, emission compensation, carbon sinks, carbon footprint calculation and logistics.
The project took place in Turku, Tampere and Vantaa. The pilot sites were Topinpuisto in Turku, the circular economy cluster of Vantaa and industrial areas in Tampere. Slightly over 200 companies took part in the project.
Project Specialist Iris Kriikkula tells about the ILPO project in the video from 3.12 onwards (English subtitles in the settings).
Results of the ILPO project
Turku
- In Turku, the ILPO project yielded models for a scalable carbon roadmap (Topinpuisto climate path and the model for climate-positive industrial areas.) The models encourage industrial areas to get involved in cities’ climate and carbon neutrality work.
- The project provided the City of Turku with a forest carbon balance sheet for 2020 and a report on different operators’ compensation services and business models.
- The project identified concrete and masonry waste as a waste stream that is significant for carbon neutrality. The project carried out a pilot on the carbon sequestration effects of concrete carbonisation in cooperation with Betoniteollisuus ry and VTT.
- Topinpuisto was given its own climate path as part of the City of Turku’s project to build a model for climate-positive industrial areas. The operators collaborated with Topinpuisto businesses to launch carbon neutrality dialogue, which yielded good alternatives for reducing emissions.
- Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto (LSJH) provided SMEs with circular economy sparring services and carried out pilot procurements. The sparring provided Kiertomaa, Kaivoasema and Turun Ekotori Reuse Centre with an action plan for developing their own circular economy business activities.
Tampere
- Business Tampere carried out eleven pilot procurements in the ILPO project. Below are three examples:
- The ColloidTek pilot involved monitoring the industrial manufacturing process for beer remotely with the Collo analysis tool. The objective of the remote monitoring was to optimise the use of ingredients, energy and time while also decreasing the amount of waste generated and improving quality. The remote monitoring made it possible to detect faulty batches in good time, resulting in a significant reduction in environmental stress.
- The objective of the Soilfood pilot was to develop an operating model for verifying the climate benefits of Soilfood’s soil improvement fibres. Additionally, the pilot aimed at creating and introducing an operating model for soil improvement fibre carbon sinks in accordance with the rules of Puro, and bringing the carbon sinks created in 2020–2021 from the use of Soilfood’s soil improvement products to the Puro.earth marketplace. The pilot resulted in a verified model. Soilfood’s products have received plenty of attention in the media and an enthusiastic response from farmers. At the moment, the model developed in the pilot is the only model in Finland that can be used to verify the use of agricultural carbon sinks in emission compensation. Further development needs are related particularly to the measurement and modelling of the amount and degradation rate of carbon, as well as the unification of carbon sink trade practices and their comparability between different operators.
- The Vediafi pilot was carried out in cooperation with Tuomi Logistiikka. The objective was to survey the emissions generated by public transport in the Tampere region. Tuomi Logistiikka also wanted to survey the effects of the Clean Vehicles Directive and especially what the company should do in order to fulfil the objectives of the Directive. Tuomi Logistikka is responsible for a large portion of public personal transport operations in the Tampere region. The pilot involved analysing the information and performances of 700 vehicles with the CVW tool, and the results served as the basis for creating an action plan. The CVW tool revealed the vehicles with the lowest and highest emission levels, based on which replacements could be suggested for the latter. The process also enabled the operators to calculate the emission reduction potential of the replacement vehicles.
- Additionally, Business Tampere provided seven businesses with de minimis sparring in the project.
- The City of Tampere conducted a survey on the reduction of climate impacts in the ILPO project. The survey yielded concrete information on the emission reduction measures of an eco power plant, crushed concrete and a biogas plant, among others. The results provide information for procedure planning and profitability assessments.
- ILPO developed a simplified algorithm for carbon balance calculations that can be used in similar case studies and as a method to develop the calculation processes for other cases. The calculation tool develops climate impact calculation know-how especially at Topinoja, but also at the national level. The method has proven functional in international applications as well, e.g. in India. A scientific publication on carbon balance calculation is in the works.
- The project’s study on hydrothermal liquefaction has yielded new information on the pre-processing of challenging fractions. The study also provides information about the profitability of value chains and increases awareness of the method, facilitating development of the technology to the demonstration level.
- In a subproject of Tampere University, ILPO surveyed what factors have an effect on the business activities of circular economy value chains. The survey focused on crushed concrete and masonry, as well as biogas and the recycled nutrients generated in its production. The efforts resulted in an information package regarding the preconditions for a climate-positive multi-operator system.
- The research results also yielded two thesis projects. The results are also being utilised as part of two dissertations.
Vantaa
- In Turku, the ILPO project produced a description of and a model for a climate-positive industrial area process that can also be utilised in the future in the determination and selection of Vantaa’s circular economy area.
- ILPO was involved in building a circular economy cluster in Vantaa, i.e. a group of roughly 30 operators that attended events held by the project.
Follow-up procedures generated in the project
- The City of Turku will utilise the results of the project and the experiences gained from it to promote climate work between the City and businesses and, among other things, in the development of the operations of the City’s Climate Team and international cooperation.
- Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto will continue developing the Topinpuisto circular economy hub and the operations of the Topinpuisto sorting station on the terms of circular economy and low carbon emissions. The Topinpuisto businesses will monitor their climate procedures with the climate path tool published on the topinpuisto.fi website. LSJH will also continue the regional development of circular economy by providing sparring services and piloting opportunities.
- The CircHubs 2 project will continue implementing the good project communication work methods learned, circular economy sparring services and quick trials to develop the Topinpuisto area.
- The results and experiences produced by the Industrial Engineering and Management unit of Tampere University will be utilised as part of the university’s education scheme and the development of its teaching, in the operations of other projects and in the scientific field. The unit’s qualitative and open-access information on the value chains of material flows aiming at climate positivity will help industrial companies identify resource-wise operators in the market and plan solutions that support the business objectives of businesses. Additionally, the university will continue the development of climate impact assessment processes for difficult circular economy fractions.
- The circular economy cluster of Vantaa will also continue its operations.
The objective of the ILPO, Climate-positive business parks and value chains project was to support cities in reaching their ambitious climate goals. The ILPO project incorporated companies’ value chains and circular economy hubs into climate work, which needs input from all operators in society. The project designed and piloted operating models together with industrial areas focused on circular economy, industrial plants and companies that provide solutions to the sector. These operating models facilitated the development of emissions calculation and compensation models, measurement of carbon balances, review of value chains and piloting of new technologies. The project was coordinated by the City of Turku, and other parties included Business Tampere, Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto, Tampere University and the City of Vantaa. The budget for the project was €1,031,302 with the project taking place between April 2020 and March 2022.
The communications of the ILPO project were carried out as part of the CircHubs network and brand created as part of a previous 6Aika project. More information about ILPO: circhubs.fi
Further information:
Outi Laikko
Project Manager
City of Turku
tel. +358 (0)50 559 0799, outi.laikko(at)turku.fi
Iris Kriikkula
Project Specialist
City of Turku
tel. +358 (0)40 589 9495, iris.kriikkula(at)turku.fi