“The most interesting companies in the circular economy” is a list compiled by Sitra to showcase Finland’s most inspiring examples of the circular economy. During the first phase, the list presented the new circular economy business models of 19 Finnish companies; the following phase expanded to include 54 companies throughout 2017. Indeed, Sitra is using the list as a way to challenge Finnish companies to meet the changing needs of the world.
The most interesting examples on the new list have been divided according to different circular economy business models. New types of business models are needed in order to ensure that materials and value stay in circulation for as long as possible with minimal waste. In a circular economy, companies create added value for their products by means of services and smart approaches. The greatest increase in value is generated by, for example, the maintenance, reuse and remanufacturing of equipment.
The list includes such companies as Valtavalo, which sells lighting solutions as opposed to light fixtures; EkoRent, which provides a shared electric vehicle solution for housing communities and companies; and Eko-Expert, which offers a recycling method for surplus building insulation. Finnish-owned Swap.com facilitates the recycling of goods from the United States on its online consignment and thrift store, and tractor manufacturer Valtra offers factory remanufactured gearboxes as an alternative to entirely new ones.
