Themes driven by sustainable change
Systemic sustainable development requires the engagement of industrial operations through assets, processes, products, and human perspectives. From these, we’ve chosen three centric themes for SEEDForest to advance the development of sustainability:
1. Production chain optimisation
2. Adaptive asset management
3. Future operations and work
Each theme evolves dynamically in close partner cooperation led by KeKe Nyrkki, SEEDForest Sustainability Think Tank.
Themes
Production chain optimisation
We want to create capability to meet the holistic sustainability requirements of the markets, legislations, and finance sector – and go beyond – by optimising operations of the whole value chain online and offline and changing cultures and business models. This creates totally new value for the production chain players.
Adaptive asset management
We want to develop sustainable lifecycle asset management. A key is to build capability for a new kind of a collaboration between actors across the whole asset lifecycle: to be able to share data between actors, operate optimally with the data and utilise it in a new way – for the best of the assets and all actors. This requires new business and operational models. This requires new channels to build trust between partners, and consequently new tools, business and operational models to gain all the benefits to achieve all sustainability targets of the production organisation.
Future operations and work
Industrial work is changing, also with the progress of production models, which, in turn, influences on work roles and processes. At the same time, steps are taken in the path of digitalization. However, the new digital tools should exhibit good user-experience, in providing feeling of control and avoiding frustrations. The new tools should be suitable in view of the aims and challenges involved in the workers’ tasks. Some of the job assignments might totally change due to the new tools. These issues have a huge impact on the willingness to use digital tools, which is the reason why user experience aspects should be integrated into technology development. It is our mission to support the industry in developing new work assignments, tools and processes.
Ongoing projects
With a firm focus on a future of sustainable business, here are some SEEDForest projects that have already begun after 2022.
COACH Human-tech co-agency
COACH creates steps towards human-focused, technologically enabled intelligent industrial work of the future.
Theme
• Future Operations & Work
Target areas
• Future operational concepts, design processes, methods, and training approaches, tech prototypes and demos, anticipated future problems and solutions
Funding and project model
• BF co-research
Participants
• Metsä Board, Valmet Automation, Kemira, Siili Solutions, Lingsoft, VTT, JYU, Turku UAS
Contact for organisations
• Hanna Koskinen, Project Manager, VTT (hanna.koskinen@vtt.fi)
COLIFE – Data economy in collaborative asset lifecycle solutions
COLIFE offers collaborative business and operational models for exploring solid and fair cooperation between asset owners, operators, and required service providers.
Theme
• Adaptive asset lifecycle management
Target areas
• Forest Industry and the OEM’s as well as service providers throughout the life cycle of the industrial system. Data Economy and enhanced collaboration between partners.
Funding and project model
• Co-research, funded by BF and participating companies
Participants
• Metsäliitto Osuuskunta, SAP Finland, Nokia, Core Link, Etteplan, Kiwa Inspecta, Nortal, THTH Ry, VTT, LUT
Project Duration
• 1.5.2024 – 30.4.2026
Project volume
• ~1,3266 M€
Contact for organisations
• Pasi Valkokari / VTT pasi.valkokari@vtt.fi
• Kirsi Kokkonen / LUT kirsi.kokkonen@lut.fi
REFOLUTION Biorefinery of the future
The REFOLUTION project aims to demonstrate the cost-effective production of advanced biofuels for aviation and marine sector via a process that can be implemented in existing European refineries. Advanced biofuels have the potential to save several gigatons of CO2 emission per year. However their development is hampered by several factors: a complex feedstock to be processed, the massive investments needed for each new refinery unit, the lack of certification for market adoption and social acceptance of the biofuel production itself. The REFOLUTION has a designed strategy to tackle these limitations.
Theme
• Replacing fossil fuels with sustainable biofuels
Target areas
• Existing refineries, aviation and marine actors
Funding and project model
• This project has received co-funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement N° 101096780.
Participants
• Four industrial large companies: OMV, NESTE, CEPSA and GRACE.
• Three industrial SMEs working on biomass technologies: BTG, BTG Bioliquids and BTG-neXt.
• Four research centres: SINTEF, VTT, CNRS, and DLR.
• Two universities: the University of Rostock and the University of Groningen.
• One consultancy SME: ETA.
Project Duration
• 1.1.2023 – 31.12.2026
Contact for organisations
• Nina Wessberg / VTT nina.wessberg@vtt.fi
OPTIMI 1 for digital Scope 3 passport
A novel concept for transparent and reliable SCOPE3 emission data collection optimizes production chains to minimize emissions and adds customer value using accurate primary data.
OPTIMI 1 aims to create common sustainability KPIs for the food packaging industry, integrate them with business KPIs, and enable online optimization.
Goals:
- Develop a reliable digital Scope 3 passport.
- Create concepts to support emission-minimizing decisions.
Theme
• Production chain optimisation
Target areas
• Food packaging industry and logistics in forest industry value chain
Funding and project model
• Co-innovation, funded by BF including 3 parallel company projects from Ahola, Paptic and Huhtamäki
Preliminary participants
• Ahola, Paptic, Huhtamäki, Solita, Accenture, Gofore, IOXIO, DataSpace Europe
Project Duration
• 1.1.2024 – 30.6.2026
Project volume
• ~4,322 M€
Contact for organisations
• Riku Salokangas / VTT, riku.salokangas@vtt.fi
• Jutta Nyblom / VTT, jutta.nyblom@vtt.fi
• Marileena Mäkelä / JYU, marileena.t.makela@jyu.fi
Past projects
OPTIMI pre-study
The OPTIMI pre-study project identifies and analyses the maturity level and development needs of the production value chain towards sustainable operations to meet the requirements of future markets.
Theme
• Production chain optimisation
Target areas
• Forest and Chemical industries
Funding and project model
• Funded by Sitra & VTT
Participants
• VTT, Sitra, several company representatives
Contact for organisations
• Päivi Kivikytö-Reponen, Project Manager, VTT (paivi.kivikyto-reponen@vtt.fi)
Projects in preparation
