Driving innovation with ecosystems

In 2022, Valmet launched the Beyond Circularity R&D program and ecosystem with the aim of transforming waste and emissions into valuable resources for sustainable growth. 

Virpi Puhakka, Director, Ecosystem, Operational Development, R&D, Valmet, explains, “With Beyond Circularity, our goal is to develop sustainable new solutions and value streams. Today, we have more than 280 ecosystem partners working on 35 joint projects funded by Business Finland and the EU. Beyond Circularity is part of Business Finland's Veturi initiative, which invites international companies to solve some of society's most pressing challenges through increased research, development, and innovation.

Virpi Puhakka, Director, Ecosystem, Operational Development, R&D, Valmet.

The ecosystem approach gives you more added value than any single company can achieve alone

Bringing the brightest minds together

“Ecosystems are a very powerful way of combining diverse skills and experience. You get more added value than any single company can achieve alone. In an ecosystem, you can access expertise and resources that are outside your own company. For example, our collaboration with Metsä Group and Neste has been incredibly fruitful, and they’ve really enhanced the overall impact of our joint projects. We have also been positively surprised by the interest throughout the partner and Valmet network. About 400 R&D professionals at Valmet, as well as a broad network of partners, are actively involved. I’m very proud and pleased with all the partners and Valmeteers who have contributed.”

Driving innovation and competitiveness

“Beyond Circularity has strengthened our external partnerships and internal collaboration. It really demonstrates how collaborative efforts can drive innovation and the circular economy and help partners and participating companies be part of the green transition – not just for environmental reasons but also for improved competitiveness. It’s a great showcase for Valmet’s commitment to sustainability and sustainable leadership.” 

Metsä Group: ExpandFibre and sustainable bioproducts

ExpandFibre is an R&D collaboration and ecosystem launched by Metsä Group and Fortum to accelerate the development of sustainable bioproducts. “We were among the first to get Veturi funding, and when Fortum approached us and asked if we could do something together, we decided to join forces,” says Katariina Kemppainen, SVP Group R&D, Metsä Spring.

Katariina Kemppainen, SVP Group R&D, Metsä Spring.

New biobased materials

“ExpandFibre began in 2020, and we finished the main phase in August this year. I’m very happy to have had the involvement of so many different types of organizations, with 103 members and 30 projects altogether, some of which are also in Beyond Circularity. Our own development focuses on MuotoTM wood fiber packaging products, Kuura® wood-based textile fibers, and biocomposite fibers, as well as pulp-based packaging and barriers based on natural polymers.”

Sharing through the ecosystem

“At Metsä Group, we’ve always believed in ecosystems. Ecosystems are a good way to find R&D partnerships, which are critical for us because we don’t have a big research infrastructure. ExpandFibre has bought new learning and competences to our company.”

For me, ecosystem work is about sharing information, and one of the big successes is that we’ve shared a lot of information through the ecosystem with articles and events.

“Cooperation with our partners is very fruitful,” Kemppainen says. “Valmet are much more than just a project partner. They’re a big part of the Muoto 3D-fiber project with Metsä Spring, and we couldn’t have done it without each other. We’re very happy that we’re on this journey together,” Kemppainen concludes.

Neste: Renewable fuels and circular raw materials

Neste is building an ecosystem to transform waste and other resources into renewable fuels and circular raw materials. Neste’s Veturi program started in 2020 and will run until May 2025.

“Our program aims to develop renewable fuels and circular feedstock solutions for polymers and chemicals from new types of renewable and circular feedstocks,” says Teija Laitinen, Manager, R&D&I Partnerships, Neste. “Our ecosystem includes more than 100 organizations and over 20 consortium projects, and when you count bilateral collaboration partners, the number is even larger. Collaboration is key to success, as our good partnership with Valmet on several projects demonstrates – for example, in the GreenAro project, which aims to develop biobased aromatics for the biofuel business.”

Teija Laitinen, Manager, R&D&I Partnerships, Neste.

A community of companies

“An ecosystem provides a way to increase outside-in perspectives and the amount of informal discussion between different companies, even beyond the scope of a specific project. I think this is a really good thing,” Laitinen says. “For example, Neste participated in Valmet’s internal innovation training program. We picked topics from our Veturi program, and Valmet’s teams suggested solutions. Of course, there are challenges. Companies must carefully determine what knowledge to share openly, what to safeguard internally, and what insights they aim to gain from the ecosystem.”

Taking research forward

“In this ecosystem, we’ve been able to bring many things forward, including research areas and technology pilots. We’ve learned a lot and have also been able to build proofs of concept with the help of our partners. For example, the E-Fuel project successfully demonstrated the production of synthetic fuels.”

“We’ve been really lucky to have good partners,” Laitinen says. “We’ve really enjoyed working with Valmet. We’ve had the privilege of being part of Beyond Circularity, and we definitely want to continue to collaborate in the future.”

Collaboration is key to success, as our good partnership with Valmet on several projects demonstrates.

Text: Peter Cura