The Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program responded to global crises and contributed to the green transition of companies
The Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program started at the beginning of 2020 and will conclude at the end of 2023. The program focused on the sustainable renewal and strengthening of the Finnish manufacturing industry.
The closing seminar of the Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program was held in Helsinki on November 27, 2023.
272 companies and nine research organizations participated in the Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program. The RDI projects launched through the program amounted to more than EUR 400 million, of which Business Finland funding almost 200 million euros..
The program helped Finnish companies to utilize EU funding and networks and promoted the export of Finnish companies, especially to Central Europe. The total exports of the SMEs involved in the program increased by 47%, amounting to around EUR 26.7 billion, and the number of people employed by the participants increased by 8%.
Crises have shaken the manufacturing industry
During the Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and also directly affected the manufacturing industry. The coronavirus shut down the world, broke supply chains, and made it difficult to obtain raw materials and components
The Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program provided targeted support measures for manufacturing companies and created a guide, Building resilience for Sustainable Manufacturing for SMEs in order to develop their future crisis tolerance. The guide contains an overview of the risk factors typically facing Finnish manufacturing companies and provides proven practices for anticipating risks and recovering from risks that materialize. Almost a hundred Finnish companies were also able to find new customers in Europe through the program after losing customers due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Toni Mattila, Head of Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program
The most recent crises, first the war in Ukraine and now also the conflict in Gaza, are reflected in the manufacturing industry in a manner similar to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the crises have highlighted the vulnerability of global semiconductor value chains and the need to manage the related risks. In Finland, a considerable number of initiatives have been launched to develop Finnish capabilities for the pre-commercial production of electronics and photonics, such as prototyping.
“The renewed microelectronics and photonics sector certainly has the potential to become Finland’s number one export sector again,” says Toni Mattila, Director of the Sustainable Manufacturing program.
Sustainability is a competitive factor
Industrial companies are responsible for more than 30% of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, they play a significant role in the fight against climate change. The Sustainable Manufacturing program has emphasized sustainable development and the means for companies to make sustainability one of their competitive factors instead of seeing it as a mere expense.
Business Finland has selected Sandvik as a leading company to run an ecosystem project aimed at developing solutions for the global mining and contracting industry.
“Sandvik is investing heavily in the development of electronic and digital technologies in its Shift`25 program. With electronic and digital solutions, we help our customers to improve their productivity and support them in their sustainable development goals,” said Miika Kaski, Commercialization and Networks Lead at Sandvik, at the closing seminar of the Sustainable Manufacturing program.
Miika Kaski, Commercialization and Networks Lead at Sandvik
“Many large companies have already realized that sustainability is a source of growth. However, many SMEs, especially those operating in the chain of subcontractors to large companies, still question the role of sustainability as a competitive factor in their business. The Sustainable Manufacturing Finland program has helped companies to adopt sustainable business practices and, in particular, encouraged SMEs to do so. Companies must realize that consumers increasingly appreciate sustainable values and demand products and services that conform to them. The effect is further reinforced by the fact that many brands, especially those visible to consumers, have voluntarily started to ensure the sustainability of their manufacturing in order to protect their brand image,” Toni Mattila says.
“By moving gradually towards more sustainable operations, positive impact accumulates. It is possible to move forward in leaps and bounds by renewing operating methods and adopting new technology as well as by increasing automation and digitalization. At the same time, companies need to plan the training and development of their personnel to keep up with the change,” Mattila sums up.
What will happen after the program?
The Sustainable Manufacturing program is ending, but Business Finland will not neglect the manufacturing industry. You can apply for R&D funding as well as for Business Finland’s internationalization services all the time.
One emerging field in the manufacturing sector is microelectronics. Furthermore, it can be coupled with photonics, which offers a huge number of new applications. Optical sensors, solar cells, charging technologies, AI applications, and virtual displays fall into this category.
We are also preparing a semiconductor campaign for the microelectronics sector, which will be launched next year. All companies in the sector are invited to participate in the campaign.
Further information
Toni Mattila
toni.mattila (at) businessfinland.fi
Tel. 040 500 9909
