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The circular economy (CE) can be a driver for sustainability and CE can be promoted and supported by the creation of new and innovative business models, which embed CE principles into their value propositions throughout the value chains. This study focuses on the environmental value propositions of the CE business models. The term environmental value proposition refers here to an absolute value being a promise of environmental improvement, which a company provides to the environment by its impacts throughout the whole value chain. The aim of this study is to outline a framework for evaluating the environmental value propositions of CE business models. The framework consists of an environmental value propositions table (EVPT) and a step-by-step approach towards an evaluation process. The framework was tested in three CE business model cases. The outlined framework enables a better understanding of circular economy principles, combining them with the environmental value proposition. With the framework, companies can plan and design new CE business models or they can verify intended environmental benefits and analyse their contribution to sustainability. The biggest challenges, when applying the framework, were related to the estimation of environmental benefits gained from the environmental value propositions at the system level. In the future, intensive scientific work should concentrate on developing environmental assessment methods specifically for companies developing new CE business models.Post-print / final draf
Kaisa Manninen; Sirkka Koskela; Riina Antikainen; Nancy Bocken; Helena Dahlbo; Anna Aminoff. Do circular economy business models capture intended environmental value propositions? Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 171, 413 -422.
AMA StyleKaisa Manninen, Sirkka Koskela, Riina Antikainen, Nancy Bocken, Helena Dahlbo, Anna Aminoff. Do circular economy business models capture intended environmental value propositions? Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 171 ():413-422.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKaisa Manninen; Sirkka Koskela; Riina Antikainen; Nancy Bocken; Helena Dahlbo; Anna Aminoff. 2018. "Do circular economy business models capture intended environmental value propositions?" Journal of Cleaner Production 171, no. : 413-422.
Circular economy and resource efficiency have recently gained enormous attention as solutions to global resource scarcity. Among other actors, cities are in a central position in putting these concepts into action. In Finland, the network of Finnish Sustainable Communities (FISU) encourages its member cities to adopt the principles of resource wisdom: zero climate emissions, zero waste and living within the Earth’s carrying capacity. These targets of the cities are monitored through three indicators: greenhouse gas emissions, material loss and ecological footprint. In this study, we tested the applicability of these indicators for the city-level sustainability measurements. The results show that for greenhouse gas emissions, the accuracy of emission inventory varies in different sectors. However, greenhouse gas emissions are applicable for the periodical city-level follow-up towards climate neutrality. Concerning material loss, industrial waste as well as mining waste and excess soil dominate the results. Allocation of waste flows to different municipalities poses a challenge to interpretation of the results. Ecological footprint is a simple and understandable indicator for pointing out overconsumption, and it easily indicates the need for action. Nevertheless, the availability of local data for the calculations is limited. The indicator set can be used as background information for setting long-term visions and targets for a resource-wise city. The conclusions from indicator calculations should be translated into practical actions by setting a local action plan towards sustainability. The annual follow-up of these kinds of action plans requires supporting indicators in addition to the three indicators tested in this study. Several different city-level sustainability indicator frameworks from the literature should be utilized in defining the relevant additional indicators.
O. Sahimaa; M.K. Mattinen; S. Koskela; M. Salo; J. Sorvari; T. Myllymaa; J. Huuhtanen; J. Seppälä. Towards zero climate emissions, zero waste, and one planet living — Testing the applicability of three indicators in Finnish cities. Sustainable Production and Consumption 2017, 10, 121 -132.
AMA StyleO. Sahimaa, M.K. Mattinen, S. Koskela, M. Salo, J. Sorvari, T. Myllymaa, J. Huuhtanen, J. Seppälä. Towards zero climate emissions, zero waste, and one planet living — Testing the applicability of three indicators in Finnish cities. Sustainable Production and Consumption. 2017; 10 ():121-132.
Chicago/Turabian StyleO. Sahimaa; M.K. Mattinen; S. Koskela; M. Salo; J. Sorvari; T. Myllymaa; J. Huuhtanen; J. Seppälä. 2017. "Towards zero climate emissions, zero waste, and one planet living — Testing the applicability of three indicators in Finnish cities." Sustainable Production and Consumption 10, no. : 121-132.
Today total environmental impacts of power production are a subject of emerging interest. Operation of power plants presents direct and indirect impacts to the environment. Direct impacts consist of instant emissions due to the operation of power plants and indirect impacts are originated from the production and transportation of fuels and waste handling. The direct emissions are monitored with Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) but indirect Life Cycle Impacts (LCI) are typically assessed only once during the design phase of process properties such as applied combustion technology and fuels. This paper introduces a procedure for a real time monitoring of total environmental impacts of power plants. The monitoring system aggregates direct and indirect impacts as a total environmental efficiency of the power plant. The procedure can be used e.g. for designing the environmentally friendly operation strategy for the power plant and sustainable purchasing of fuels. This project is a part of the MMEA (Measurement Monitoring and Environmental Assessment) research program coordinated by CLEEN Ltd and funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation TEKES.
Yrjö Majanne; Timo Korpela; Jachym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Ville Laukkanen; Anna Häyrinen. Real Time Monitoring of Environmental Efficiency of Power Plants. IFAC-PapersOnLine 2015, 48, 495 -500.
AMA StyleYrjö Majanne, Timo Korpela, Jachym Judl, Sirkka Koskela, Ville Laukkanen, Anna Häyrinen. Real Time Monitoring of Environmental Efficiency of Power Plants. IFAC-PapersOnLine. 2015; 48 (30):495-500.
Chicago/Turabian StyleYrjö Majanne; Timo Korpela; Jachym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Ville Laukkanen; Anna Häyrinen. 2015. "Real Time Monitoring of Environmental Efficiency of Power Plants." IFAC-PapersOnLine 48, no. 30: 495-500.
Jáchym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Timo Korpela; Niko Karvosenoja; Anna Häyrinen; Jari Rantsi. Net environmental impacts of low-share wood pellet co-combustion in an existing coal-fired CHP (combined heat and power) production in Helsinki, Finland. Energy 2014, 77, 844 -851.
AMA StyleJáchym Judl, Sirkka Koskela, Timo Korpela, Niko Karvosenoja, Anna Häyrinen, Jari Rantsi. Net environmental impacts of low-share wood pellet co-combustion in an existing coal-fired CHP (combined heat and power) production in Helsinki, Finland. Energy. 2014; 77 ():844-851.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJáchym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Timo Korpela; Niko Karvosenoja; Anna Häyrinen; Jari Rantsi. 2014. "Net environmental impacts of low-share wood pellet co-combustion in an existing coal-fired CHP (combined heat and power) production in Helsinki, Finland." Energy 77, no. : 844-851.
Mari Tuusjärvi; Ilmo Mäenpää; Saku Vuori; Pasi Eilu; Susanna Kihlman; Sirkka Koskela. Metal mining industry in Finland – development scenarios to 2030. Journal of Cleaner Production 2014, 84, 271 -280.
AMA StyleMari Tuusjärvi, Ilmo Mäenpää, Saku Vuori, Pasi Eilu, Susanna Kihlman, Sirkka Koskela. Metal mining industry in Finland – development scenarios to 2030. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2014; 84 ():271-280.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMari Tuusjärvi; Ilmo Mäenpää; Saku Vuori; Pasi Eilu; Susanna Kihlman; Sirkka Koskela. 2014. "Metal mining industry in Finland – development scenarios to 2030." Journal of Cleaner Production 84, no. : 271-280.
Sirkka Koskela; Helena Dahlbo; Jáchym Judl; Marja-Riitta Korhonen; Mervi Niininen. Reusable plastic crate or recyclable cardboard box? A comparison of two delivery systems. Journal of Cleaner Production 2014, 69, 83 -90.
AMA StyleSirkka Koskela, Helena Dahlbo, Jáchym Judl, Marja-Riitta Korhonen, Mervi Niininen. Reusable plastic crate or recyclable cardboard box? A comparison of two delivery systems. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2014; 69 ():83-90.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSirkka Koskela; Helena Dahlbo; Jáchym Judl; Marja-Riitta Korhonen; Mervi Niininen. 2014. "Reusable plastic crate or recyclable cardboard box? A comparison of two delivery systems." Journal of Cleaner Production 69, no. : 83-90.
A transition towards a low resource economy is unavoidable. This can be concluded from numerous initiatives which have been introduced recently. Methodologies and indicators are required in order to better assess the possibilities and challenges related to a transition towards a low resource economy. One of these is economy-wide material flow analysis (MFA). When MFA is connected to national economics accounts it enables the input-output analysis (IOA) of the economic structures causing material flows. In this study we used IO modelling and total flow analysis to identify industrial sectors with the highest material flows in Finland. The analysis exposed that in Finland most resource consumption is caused by the export industry, of which material intensity is low and does not produce significant value added, whereas the domestic construction sector, with notable resource flows, produces significant value added. A low resource economy requires significant and radical change in socio-technological systems and people’s mindsets. Due to the complexity of society and the diversity of the economy different types of measures are needed in order to achieve the change. We suggest some measures related to regulations, eco-design, material recycling and welfare for production, investments, services and individual consumption, for example. In the future, the transition towards a low resource economy needs radical changes, more innovations, policy support and actions on all societal levels.
Sirkka Koskela; Tuomas Mattila; Riina Antikainen; Ilmo Mäenpää. Identifying Key Sectors and Measures for a Transition towards a Low Resource Economy. Resources 2013, 2, 151 -166.
AMA StyleSirkka Koskela, Tuomas Mattila, Riina Antikainen, Ilmo Mäenpää. Identifying Key Sectors and Measures for a Transition towards a Low Resource Economy. Resources. 2013; 2 (3):151-166.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSirkka Koskela; Tuomas Mattila; Riina Antikainen; Ilmo Mäenpää. 2013. "Identifying Key Sectors and Measures for a Transition towards a Low Resource Economy." Resources 2, no. 3: 151-166.
Kaisa Manninen; Sirkka Koskela; Anni Nuppunen; Jaana Sorvari; Olli Nevalainen; Sari Siitonen. The applicability of the renewable energy directive calculation to assess the sustainability of biogas production. Energy Policy 2013, 56, 549 -557.
AMA StyleKaisa Manninen, Sirkka Koskela, Anni Nuppunen, Jaana Sorvari, Olli Nevalainen, Sari Siitonen. The applicability of the renewable energy directive calculation to assess the sustainability of biogas production. Energy Policy. 2013; 56 ():549-557.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKaisa Manninen; Sirkka Koskela; Anni Nuppunen; Jaana Sorvari; Olli Nevalainen; Sari Siitonen. 2013. "The applicability of the renewable energy directive calculation to assess the sustainability of biogas production." Energy Policy 56, no. : 549-557.
Tuomas Mattila; Sirkka Koskela; Jyri Seppälä; Ilmo Mäenpää. Sensitivity analysis of environmentally extended input–output models as a tool for building scenarios of sustainable development. Ecological Economics 2013, 86, 148 -155.
AMA StyleTuomas Mattila, Sirkka Koskela, Jyri Seppälä, Ilmo Mäenpää. Sensitivity analysis of environmentally extended input–output models as a tool for building scenarios of sustainable development. Ecological Economics. 2013; 86 ():148-155.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTuomas Mattila; Sirkka Koskela; Jyri Seppälä; Ilmo Mäenpää. 2013. "Sensitivity analysis of environmentally extended input–output models as a tool for building scenarios of sustainable development." Ecological Economics 86, no. : 148-155.
Sirkka Koskela; Ilmo Mäenpää; Jyri Seppälä; Tuomas Mattila; Marja-Riitta Korhonen. EE-IO modeling of the environmental impacts of Finnish imports using different data sources. Ecological Economics 2011, 70, 2341 -2349.
AMA StyleSirkka Koskela, Ilmo Mäenpää, Jyri Seppälä, Tuomas Mattila, Marja-Riitta Korhonen. EE-IO modeling of the environmental impacts of Finnish imports using different data sources. Ecological Economics. 2011; 70 (12):2341-2349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSirkka Koskela; Ilmo Mäenpää; Jyri Seppälä; Tuomas Mattila; Marja-Riitta Korhonen. 2011. "EE-IO modeling of the environmental impacts of Finnish imports using different data sources." Ecological Economics 70, no. 12: 2341-2349.
Offshoring of pulpwood production outside Europe is more and more common, which increases transport distances and also changes production technologies, raw material supply and energy production profiles. In this paper, we aim to compare the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of pulp production from Finnish boreal hardwood and from South American eucalyptus. Special emphasis was placed on analysing the contribution of transport to overall climate impacts. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used as the system modelling tool. The impact assessment was limited to climate change. Finnish and South American industrial data were combined with data from LCA databases in the life cycle inventory (LCI). Based on the results, offshoring of pulp production would decrease the global greenhouse gas emissions of pulp production itself. However, transport to Europe outweighs the benefit even if transported by energy efficient ships. In this case study, transportation accounted for 27% of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of South American pulp shipped to Europe. Outsourcing of biomass production offers opportunities for emission reductions. Such a conclusion may be valid if the distances between biomass production and upgrading processes were relatively short. However, this study reveals that the offshoring of biomass production contributes to a significant growth of transport emissions. The trend of offshoring provides challenges for the implementation of emission trading since the responsibility of countries to transoceanic transport is still unclear.
Jachym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Tuomas Mattila; Timo Jouttijärvi. The climate change implications of offshoring Finnish pulp production to South America. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 2011, 16, 878 -885.
AMA StyleJachym Judl, Sirkka Koskela, Tuomas Mattila, Timo Jouttijärvi. The climate change implications of offshoring Finnish pulp production to South America. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 2011; 16 (9):878-885.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJachym Judl; Sirkka Koskela; Tuomas Mattila; Timo Jouttijärvi. 2011. "The climate change implications of offshoring Finnish pulp production to South America." The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 16, no. 9: 878-885.
Estonia is the only country in Europe with significant environmentally intensive oil shale-based energy production. However, the legal obligations of the EU will make substantial changes over the coming years to current electricity production technology. Increasing the use of alternative energy carriers for responding to future requirements has also been in focus. In this study, three different future electricity supply scenarios for Estonia in 2020 are considered and compared to the situation in 2002. They are based on domestic oil shale, imported natural gas, and imported nuclear power. According to the aims of the national energy policy, renewable energy sources were raised to 10% in all scenarios. Using the LCA methodology, the least damaging impact on the environment occurs in the ‘nuclear scenario’, with nuclear energy as the main energy source. The best scenario, however, depends on the weight or acceptance of accidental releases or other impacts not defined in this context. The ‘Oil shale scenario’ would be a slightly more damaging alternative than the ‘Natural gas scenario’ even if new technical solutions will remarkably improve the environmental performance of oil shale electricity production. Land use and waste disposal are crucial issues, particularly for oil shale and nuclear electricity production. However, the depletion of oil shale is not as critical an issue as the depletion of natural gas and uranium. According to the significance analysis of impact categories, climate change is the most significant impact on the environment in the scenarios. Future decisions on the development of the Estonian energy sector are most likely to be based on technological, economical and political aspects. Political aspects are likely to be the most significant. However, this type of study can give additional value to the discussion due to the increasing role of sustainability in energy issues.
Sirkka Koskela; Jyri Seppälä; Ando Lipp; Marja-Riitta Hiltunen; Evelin Põld; Siret Talve. Estonian electricity supply scenarios for 2020 and their environmental performance. Energy Policy 2007, 35, 3571 -3582.
AMA StyleSirkka Koskela, Jyri Seppälä, Ando Lipp, Marja-Riitta Hiltunen, Evelin Põld, Siret Talve. Estonian electricity supply scenarios for 2020 and their environmental performance. Energy Policy. 2007; 35 (7):3571-3582.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSirkka Koskela; Jyri Seppälä; Ando Lipp; Marja-Riitta Hiltunen; Evelin Põld; Siret Talve. 2007. "Estonian electricity supply scenarios for 2020 and their environmental performance." Energy Policy 35, no. 7: 3571-3582.
The concept of eco-efficiency is commonly referred to as a business link to sustainable development. In this article, ecoefficiency is examined at a regional level as an approach to promoting the competitiveness of economic activities in the Finnish Kymenlaakso region and mitigating their harmful impacts on the environment. The aim is to develop appropriate indicators for monitoring changes in the eco-efficiency of the region. A starting point is to produce indicators for the environmental and economic dimensions of regional development and use them for measuring regional eco-efficiency. The environmental impact indicators are based on a life-cycle assessment method, producing different types of environmental impact indicators: pressure indicators (e.g., emissions of CO2), impact category indicators (e.g., CO2 equivalents in the case of climate change), and a total impact indicator (aggregating different impact category indicator results into a single value). Environmental impact indicators based on direct material input, total material input, and total material requirement of the Kymenlaakso region are also assessed. The economic indicators used are the gross domestic product, the value added, and the output of the main economic sectors of Kymenlaakso. In the eco-efficiency assessment, the economic and environmental impact indicators are monitored in the same graph. In a few cases eco-efficiency ratios can also be calculated (the economic indicators are divided by the environmental indicators). Output (= value added + intermediate consumption) is used as an economic indicator related to the environmental impact indicators, which also cover the upstream processes of the region's activities. In the article, we also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using the different environmental impact indicators.
Jyri Seppäläa; Matti Melanen; Ilmo Mäenpää; Sirkka Koskela; Jyrki Tenhunen; Marja-Riitta Hiltunen. How Can the Eco-efficiency of a Region be Measured and Monitored? Journal of Industrial Ecology 2005, 9, 117 -130.
AMA StyleJyri Seppäläa, Matti Melanen, Ilmo Mäenpää, Sirkka Koskela, Jyrki Tenhunen, Marja-Riitta Hiltunen. How Can the Eco-efficiency of a Region be Measured and Monitored? Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2005; 9 (4):117-130.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJyri Seppäläa; Matti Melanen; Ilmo Mäenpää; Sirkka Koskela; Jyrki Tenhunen; Marja-Riitta Hiltunen. 2005. "How Can the Eco-efficiency of a Region be Measured and Monitored?" Journal of Industrial Ecology 9, no. 4: 117-130.
Laura Sokka; Anna Henclik; Malgorzata Góralczyk; Karol Koneczny; Joanna Kulczycka; Jyri Seppälä; Sirkka Koskela. A Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Hard Coal. International Mining Forum 2005, New Technologies in Underground Mining, Safety and Sustainable Development 2005, 13 -24.
AMA StyleLaura Sokka, Anna Henclik, Malgorzata Góralczyk, Karol Koneczny, Joanna Kulczycka, Jyri Seppälä, Sirkka Koskela. A Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Hard Coal. International Mining Forum 2005, New Technologies in Underground Mining, Safety and Sustainable Development. 2005; ():13-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLaura Sokka; Anna Henclik; Malgorzata Góralczyk; Karol Koneczny; Joanna Kulczycka; Jyri Seppälä; Sirkka Koskela. 2005. "A Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Hard Coal." International Mining Forum 2005, New Technologies in Underground Mining, Safety and Sustainable Development , no. : 13-24.