Taking the circular economy forward

Why is pursuing a circular economy important?

The circular economy addresses two major global challenges we are facing: the growing scarcity of natural resources and climate change.

The sustainable future of the planet is threatened, as the current population is consuming more resources than the planet can provide. This has created an urgent need to find new ways to better utilize resources and products throughout their lifecycles.

In a circular economy, products, components and materials stay in a continuous cycle instead of being discarded. The main idea is about taking into use as few new materials as possible, using existing material flows longer and minimizing waste. This can be achieved by reducing the initial need for raw materials, by circulating the materials longer in the process, by recycling the used materials, and by prolonging the lifetime of production equipment with well-planned maintenance.

Valmet's role in circular economy. Click to enlarge the picture.

Our approach to a circular economy

For us, the circular economy is a way to build a sustainable future for us, our customers, other stakeholders and society. The fundamental idea of a circular economy is embedded in our mission: Converting renewable resources into sustainable results.

The circular economy is an integral part of Valmet’s solutions for pulp, paper and energy production. Through our technology, automation and services offering, we have a key role in enabling our customers to apply a circular economy in their operations. In our own operations, we are constantly improving our processes to increase resource efficiency and aim to maximize the use of recycled materials in our technology offering.

“Valmet is well positioned regarding circular economy. With our technology and services, we enable our customers to produce sustainable products from renewable materials and at the same time we continuously develop our own processes. For example, in October 2019, Valmet was the first company in the world to launch roll covers based on biomaterials and recycled materials for board, paper, tissue and pulp making,” says Anu Salonsaari-Posti, who is responsible for marketing, communications, and sustainability at Valmet.