Business and the environment in Finland
Improving eco-efficiency - by creating more value with less environmental impact - has been recognised as one of the main ways business can contribute to sustainable development.
Finland has been top-ranked in the World Economic Forum's Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) since 2000. Finland also fares well in other international indexes describing environmental sustainability, competitiveness, clean water, and innovative solutions. The decoupling of environmental impacts from economic growth has been achieved for several important pollutants. Finland also has a high institutional capacity to handle environmental problems.
These web pages contain information on the most important Finnish environmental legislation for businesses. Businesses operating in Finland are legally obliged to be sufficiently aware of the environmental impacts and risks of their activities - and of opportunities to reduce these impacts and risks. Getting more from less
Finland is one of the first countries in the world to draft a major national programme addressing sustainable consumption and production. This programme, drawn up by a committee consisting of many different stakeholders, aims to make Finland one of the most eco-efficient and competitive societies in the world by 2025, through long-term yet flexible policy-making. The programme includes an impressive array of 73 wide-ranging policy measures.
Proposals include the objective that eco-efficiency should be increased throughout production chains to make Finland one of the world's most eco-efficient societies. This will give rise to new business opportunities and jobs in fields that improve well-being and create environmental innovations. Environmental controls also boost competitiveness
Effective environmental controls often help to reduce the costs of industrial processes and business operations, while also creating new markets and business opportunities for environmental products and services. Legislative controls also promote innovation, and encourage businesses to avoid the wasteful use of natural resources. Such benefits have been proven by international research projects, including a report from the managerial network of the European Environmental Agency 1) on The Contribution of Good Environmental Regulation to Competitiveness.
Fact sheets on Finnish companies' eco-innovations
The Ministry of the Environment has produced a series of fact sheets describing Finnish companies' eco-innovations. These nine fact sheets also give information on the environmental problems and challenges which have inspired the innovations. See page Fact sheets, Best practises.
1) The EPA Network is an informal grouping bringing together the heads of environment protection agencies and similar bodies across Europe.
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