Finnish HSY impression on the Kick-off event

HSY is represented in the project by Henna Pedersen, Rami Pennanen, and Leena Tuominen. At the project's kick-off event, we had the opportunity to meet and get to know the other project partners and stakeholder representatives for the first time. 

“It was a great pleasure to meet the other members of the project team, with whom we will be collaborating closely to advance the circular economy over the next four years. I was delighted to see how passionate and proficient our project team is across Europe. Throughout the duration of the project, we will undoubtedly have the opportunity to exchange numerous valuable and intriguing practices related to the development of circular economy hubs.”, stated Henna Pedersen, the project manager at HSY. 

During the kick-off meeting in the Netherlands, we had the opportunity to discuss the practical aspects of the project and to hear several interesting presentations related to circular economy hubs and the circular economy.  

The second day was full of interesting content. We not only visited the Brightlands’ Chemelot Campus and Chemelot Industrial Park – Europe's largest chemical industry hub – but also convened for the inaugural meeting of the project steering group. 

The site visit to Chemelot was highly impressive and the Finnish project team was impressed by the significant impact and scale of the facility's operational capacity. One of the key features of Chemelot is commitment to resource efficiency and industrial symbiosis. The way and capacity that companies in the area share and utilize each other’s by-products efficiently was truly remarkable. 

During our visit we also got to discover how the area promotes the circular economy and supports the creation of new businesses. Local innovation centers support the development of new business ideas, from concept to commercialization. This comprehensive support system was very effective as well as innovative. 

“We were surprised by the system and how well companies are supported. It felt like there were real possibilities for companies to develop from an idea into a significant business within the Chemelot ecosystem.”, states Rami Pennanen, project specialist at HSY. 

Overall, the visit provided a great insight into what industrial hubs can be at their best. The project partners gained valuable insights and inspiration for developing and starting their own operations. The Finnish project team felt that the entire visit was very well organized, and we hope to offer our partners a great visit to Finland in the spring of 2025.