Ruokamo, E., Savolainen, H., Seppälä, J., Sironen, S., Räisänen, M., & Auvinen, A.-P. (2023). Exploring the potential of circular economy to mitigate pressures on biodiversity.

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Julkaisun nimiExploring the potential of circular economy to mitigate pressures on biodiversity
KirjoittajatEnni Ruokamo, Hannu Savolainen, Jyri Seppälä, Susanne Sironen, Milja Räisänen, Ari-Pekka Auvinen
JulkaisijaGlobal Environmental Change
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102625
Julkaisupäivä6.12.2022
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Abstract

The effects of circular economy on biodiversity are poorly understood. This study provides observations on approaches for assessing circular economy and illustrates, with a Finnish case study, the potential of circular economy to mitigate pressures on biodiversity. The case study focuses on the construction and real estate sectors, as well as the forest industry. The findings imply that circular economy actions that reduce the extraction of virgin raw materials and relieve land use pressures are effective. Improving material efficiency, increasing the cascading use of wood, and optimizing the use and reuse of materials and products, as well as extending the lifetime of buildings and optimizing space use, have good potential for mitigating pressures on biodiversity in Finland. However, as forest utilization has a major impact on Finnish biodiversity, certain actions that possibly increase the use of forest resources (e.g., replacing fossil-based, concrete, or steel materials with wood-based solutions) may impair biodiversity if biodiversity-enhancing forest management practices are not utilized. Assessing the biodiversity impacts of circular economy is challenging, and the need for further research and the development of indicators and assessment methods is clear.

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Lazarevic, D., Salo, H. & Kautto, P. (2022). Circular economy policies and their transformative outcomes: The transformative intent of Finland’s strategic policy programme.

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Julkaisun nimiCircular economy policies and their transformative outcomes: The transformative intent of Finland’s strategic policy programme
KirjoittajatDavid Lazarevic, Hanna Salo, Petrus Kautto
JulkaisijaJournal of Cleaner Production
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134892
Julkaisupäivä27.10.2022
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Abstract

This paper analyses how Finland’s circular economy policy attends not only to the promotion and acceleration of innovation, but also the reconfiguration of resource intensive systems. Socio-technical transitions research has historically focused on niche innovation processes. Yet recently, increasing attention has been placed on policy processes that seek to destabilise and disrupt incumbent systems and practices. Furthermore, the social justice aspects of system phase out policies have been brought to the fore. Our qualitative analysis of Finland’s circular economy policy programme draws upon the transformative innovation policy and sustainability transitions policy-mix literatures, extending the transformative outcome framework to include outcomes related to the repercussions of regime destabilisation, coordination and tilting the socio-technical landscape. Our analysis shows that Finland’s circular economy policy programme aims predominantly at niche stimulation and acceleration, with little emphasis on the regime destabilisation or coordination. Overall, the policy proposals aim toward a strategy of progressive system change, an orientation shaped by the country’s corporatist approach to policy making and pre-existing plans.

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Toppinen, A., Aaltio, A., Lähtinen, K., Jussila, J. & Toivonen, R. (2022). “It all depends on the project”—A business ecosystem in residential wooden multistory construction in Finland.

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Julkaisun nimi“It all depends on the project”—A business ecosystem in residential wooden multistory construction in Finland
KirjoittajatAnne Toppinen, Anniina Aaltio, Katja Lähtinen, Jaakko Jussila, Ritva Toivonen
JulkaisijaFrontiers in Built Environment
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2022.1046954
Julkaisupäivä24.11.2022
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Abstract

Using wood in multistory apartment construction (WMC) has a climate-positive advantage with buildings acting as long-term carbon storage. Business ecosystem (BE) development around WMC is needed to accelerate the adoption of wooden materials in the conservative construction industry. As the business actors around WMC are essentially different from those using other building materials, new knowledge must be built from the project level. This study uses a qualitative interview approach among actors from three pioneering urban building projects to address their perceptions of building with wood regarding a project-based BE. Based on the thematic analysis, sources of both tangible and intangible value creation were found to arise from building with wood. A higher degree of prefabrication associated with WMC was seen in all projects to influence the reorganization of logistics, enabling faster building processes and lean material use. No strong sustainability-driven culture could be identified in any of the projects. Results further flag the sensitivity and importance of management and coordination skills in targeting improvements of the construction business based on WMC. In the bigger picture, there is still room for further research at regional and global level on business model changes in building with this renewable and recyclable material.

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Sankelo, P., Ahmed, K., Mikola, A. & Kurnitski, J. (2022). Renovation Results of Finnish Single-Family Renovation Subsidies: Oil Boiler Replacement with Heat Pumps.

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Julkaisun nimiRenovation Results of Finnish Single-Family Renovation Subsidies: Oil Boiler Replacement with Heat Pumps
KirjoittajatPaula Sankelo, Kaiser Ahmed, Alo Mikola, Jarek Kurnitski
JulkaisijaEnergies
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3390/en15207620
Julkaisupäivä15.10.2022
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Abstract

Finland has approximately 150,000 oil-heated private homes. In 2020, the Finnish government launched subsidies for private homeowner energy renovations. In this study, we examine the impact of two new energy renovation subsidies, the ELY grant and the ARA grant, from an energy efficiency point of view. Data from these subsidies reveal that a typical energy renovation case is a building from the 1970s where the oil boiler is replaced with an air-to-water heat pump. With additional data from the Finnish Energy certificate registry, a reference 1970s house is constructed and modelled in the building simulation programme, IDA ICE 4.8. Combinations of several renovation measures are simulated: air-to-water heat pump, ground-source heat pump, ventilation heat recovery and improved insulation. We found that resorting mainly to air-to-water heat pumps is not the most energy-effective solution. Ground-source heat pumps deliver a more significant reduction in delivered energy, especially with additional measures on insulation and heat recovery. Ground-source heat pumps also demand slightly less power than air-to-water heat pumps. Onsite solar PV generation helps supplement part of the power needed for heat pump solutions. Subsidy policies should emphasize deep renovation, ventilation heat recovery and onsite electricity generation.

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Roos, A., Hoen, H-F., Aguilar, F. X., Haapala, A., Hurmekoski, E., Jussila, J., Lähtinen, K., Mark-Herbert, C., Nord, T., Toivonen, R. & Toppinen, A. (2022). Impact of prospective residents’ dwelling requirements on preferences for house construction materials.

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Julkaisun nimiImpact of prospective residents’ dwelling requirements on preferences for house construction materials
KirjoittajatAnders Roos, Hans-Fredrik Hoen, Francisco X. Aguilar, Antti Haapala, Elias Hurmekoski, Jaakko Jussila, Katja Lähtinen, Cecilia Mark-Herbert, Tomas Nord, Ritva Toivonen, Anne Toppinen
JulkaisijaWood Material Science & Engineering
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/17480272.2022.2126947
Julkaisupäivä6.10.2022
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Abstract

This study investigated people’s requirements for multi-story housing attributes and preferences for apartments in wooden-structure versus steel/concrete-structure multi-story buildings. Data came from an online survey conducted in Finland and Sweden that screened for respondents who expressed a preference for living in an apartment, as compared with a low-rise dwelling. Responses were analyzed using exploratory factor and regression analyses. Swedish respondents assigned significantly higher requirements to factors related to environmental and social sustainability performance than Finnish respondents. Requirements in both countries were described across three factors: environmental and social sustainability, quality, and design. Factor scores differed between socioeconomic sub-groups, particularly regarding quality, between urban and non-urban respondents. Preferences to live in an apartment in a wooden building were positively associated with respondents’ requirements for environmental and social sustainability, and negatively with requirements for quality-related attributes. Opposite relationships were found in the Swedish sample for apartments in non-wooden structure houses. Design requirements had no significant association with preferences for a specific material in load-bearing structures for multi-story buildings, in either country. The findings can contribute toward enhanced marketing efforts and customized value propositions to increase the social acceptability of multi-story wooden buildings and advance climate-related goals within the housing sector.

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Harju, C., & Lähtinen, K. (2022). Consumers’ Consciousness for Sustainable Consumption and Their Perceptions of Wooden Building Product Quality.

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Julkaisun nimiConsumers’ Consciousness for Sustainable Consumption and Their Perceptions of Wooden Building Product Quality
KirjoittajatCharlotta Harju, Katja Lähtinen
JulkaisijaForest Products Journal
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.13073/FPJ-D-22-00014
Julkaisupäivä11.7.2022
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Abstract

Wood products are seen globally as an important solution to substitute nonrenewable materials in the construction sector to enhance the life cycle sustainability of buildings. Globally, the most prominent opportunities for sustainability change in housing production lie in multistory residential buildings, which are built mainly of concrete, steel, and bricks. The possibilities of achieving multiple benefits from the use of wood in multistory residential buildings have gained interest among scholars, especially in the 2000s. However, the research has been dominated by views of production (especially construction processes), while scientific knowledge of consumption (especially the occupational phase of buildings) remains very limited. Information about how consumers with differing views of sustainable consumption evaluate the quality of wooden building materials particularly is scarce. This study aimed to investigate consumer perceptions of wooden building product quality and examine how the perceptions connect with consumers’ consciousness for sustainable consumption (CSC). The research data were gathered in 2018 by a postal survey sent to 1,000 people living in Finland (response rate 25.6%) and analyzed with exploratory factor analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test. According to the results, respondents’ views of wooden building product quality indicators can be grouped into three factors: technical advantages, environmental sustainability of materials, and social benefits at home. The strength of CSC was found to be linked with respondents’ views of wooden building product quality. The results of consumers’ CSC views help actors involved in the wood and construction industries better meet consumer expectations both for different aspects of sustainability and for lifestyles.

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Kylkilahti, E., Autio, M., Harvio, V., Holmberg, U. & Toppinen, A. (2022). Co-developing sustainability – a consumer-inclusive approach to wooden housing business in Finland.

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Julkaisun nimiCo-developing sustainability – a consumer-inclusive approach to wooden housing business in Finland
KirjoittajatEliisa Kylkilahti, Minna Autio, Viktor Harvio, Ulrika Holmberg, Anne Toppinen
JulkaisijaHousing Studies
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2022.2114592
Julkaisupäivä9.9.2022
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Abstract

The housing construction industry can address sustainability issues by developing its business practices. This requires a shift from a firm-driven business logic to a consumer-inclusive approach where consumers and businesses together enhance sustainable development. By analyzing data from focus group discussions with both industry experts in the wooden multi-storey construction business and consumers residing in novel wooden buildings, this study examines how businesses can engage consumers in the development of sustainable housing. The results are presented as an iterative dialogue process that acknowledges consumers as important actors to whom innovative housing solutions should be appropriately introduced and whose lived experiences need to be understood. The findings indicate that consumer experiences can feed the creation and uptake of innovations that enhance sustainability in the construction sector. The study fosters the material aspect of sustainable housing and, by highlighting consumer participation and communication, proposes tools for its consumer-inclusive co-development.

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