For at least the last six years, Finland has been trying to become one of the world leaders in the field of circular economy, in which upcycling is the trend, bringing the original recycled materials to a higher level of use. In 2016, Finland developed and approved the world's first national roadmap for the transition to a circular economy. The Finnish innovation fund Sitra has been instrumental in the development of this document. Circular economy, recycling and upcycling are crucial topics for Sitra that have a direct link to combating biodiversity loss, climate change and natural resource depletion, as well as to the competitiveness of Finnish companies. Sitra also practically supports companies in implementing circular business models through guidelines and sector-specific recommendations, such as in the manufacturing and chemical industries, and has successfully promoted the topic of the circular economy in education curricula. Sitra has also compiled a list of leading Finnish companies active in the circular economy.

Another major Finnish player in the circular economy is YTP, which brings together Finnish companies operating in environmental industries and focuses in particular on promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, and helping to set up functional cooperation between business and public authorities. YTP members primarily offer practical solutions moving Finland towards a carbon-neutral economy. YTP is a member of the European Waste Management Association FEAD, the European Demolition Association EDA and the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation EURIC. YTP also includes the Finnish Demolition Association, which organizes training courses for member companies in the demolition industry and strives to participate in drafting of relevant legislation impacting recycling and upcycling of demolition waste.

Thanks to clearly directed efforts over the last few years, Finland has managed to become one of the world leaders in the circular economy, but it is such a broad area that there is clearly room for innovative solutions from abroad, including those developed by Czech companies. In addition, Finland is facing difficulties in meeting some of the ambitious goals - an example is the lack of capacity in the recovery and upcycling of construction and demolition waste. The widespread use of waste for energy production in incinerators is facing environmental limits, and it is therefore clear that the circular economy and innovative upcycling practices will continue to grow significantly in Finland.

On 14 December 2022, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Helsinki, in cooperation with the Czech Circular Economy Association and the Finnish Waste Management Association JHY, organised a matchmaking seminar focused on upcycling and the related opportunities for Czech companies and institutions in the Finnish market. Six Czech companies, Czech Circular Economy Association and one company cluster used this unique opportunity and presented to Finnish partners their solutions in the field of upcycling and recycling, A representative of the Faculty of Environment of J. E. Purkyně University focused on the development of cooperation in the field of research and development. Czech companies offered a wide range of expertise and know-how: eco-design and material consulting (Balance is Motion), production of innovative cellulose fiber products (CIUR), thermochemical recycling of plastics (Enress), development and production of eco-lines for the processing of waste into building boards (Lisa Tech), production of materials from fungal mycelium (Myco), production of pallets from plastic waste (Stabilplastik) and cutting-edge technologies for the processing of municipal and industrial waste (WASTen cluster). The event was attended by more than 40 participants in total and, in addition to presentations and networking, approx. 50 B2B meetings took place. The presented Czech solutions had a very positive response from the Finnish partners and hopefully further and long-term partnerships will be developed.