Ihmistieteelliset näkökulmat ja rinnakkaiset tulevaisuuspolut : katsaus metsäsuhdetutkimuksen kenttään

Ihmistieteelliset näkökulmat ovat lisääntyneet metsäsuhteiden tutkimuksessa viime vuosina. Tässä katsausartikkelissa esittelemme lyhyesti yhteiskuntatieteellisten, kulttuurintutkimuksellisten ja muiden ihmistieteellisten lähestymistapojen teoreettisia, käsitteellisiä ja empiirisiä sovelluksia. Ihmistieteelliset lähestymistavat tarjoavat metsiin ja tulevaisuuksiin liittyen näköaloja kestävyyssiirtymään ja tuovat esiin rinnakkaisten tulevaisuuspolkujen kirjon. The article introduces various theoretical, conceptual, and empirical approaches to human-forest relationship (HFR) research, a relatively new and broad field of multidisciplinary approaches to study the interactions and interfaces betw…

Exploring the unknowns : State of the art in qualitative forest-based sector foresight research

The forest-based sector is facing one the greatest transitions in its history in the face of global megatrends. Globalization, sustainability challenges and the ICT sector have put the world in a new light. Whereas some of the recent developments have resulted in challenges for the traditional forest industry, many positive expectations and opportunities are also seen to arise in the form of the transition to a sustainable bio-economy. However, to be able to fully seize the opportunity, the industry has to navigate through contingency where preparedness can have a major impact. Foresight as a strategic approach can help to prepare and sensitize decision-makers to be prepared for the future.…

Practices and perceptions on ecolabels of Finnish companies with circular economy business models

There is a need to better understand the role of ecolabels in the scope of the Circular Economy transition. The aim of this research was to study the perspectives and practices of ecolabel use among Finnish companies with circular economy business models. The survey-based research targeting 214 companies (response rate 18% = n. 39) showed that ecolabels were not commonly used among the sample of companies. (Human) resource constraints were found in this research to partially explain the low uptake of ecolabels. Therefore, the research opens further questions as to alternative benchmarking and communication tools for the environmental performance of companies that see themselves as frontrunn…

Increasing Role of Services : Trends, Drivers and Search for New Perspectives

Increasing role of services is often described as tertiarization of the economy, that is, the increased share of the services sector employment and value added. In business and engineering sciences the same phenomena are investigated at the level of company operations, value networks as well as system innovations and system-level transitions. What was described as a service economy in fifty or twenty years ago, are not the same ideas of a service economy that are investigated today. This chapter provides a broad overview on the increasing role of services: how this phenomenon has been addressed in different fields, including the forestbased sector research. Taking the observation from the r…

Backcasting for desirable futures in Finnish forest-based firms

Purpose In Finland, new forest-based sector (FBS) businesses are seen as important for the transition to the circular bioeconomy. The purpose of this study is to explore the transition of Finnish FBS companies to new business models. The aim is to understand how FBS companies define their ideal future states and related business models for the year 2030. Design/methodology/approach This study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors. In the interviews, the key idea of backcasting was pursued when respondents discussed the desirable future states of their business. Findings The effort to achieve growth of the business and the appea…

"En minä, mutta muut!" : EMMI-ilmiö kestävyysmurroksen esteenä

Ympäristö- ja ilmastokriisien ratkaiseminen vaatii muutoksia kaikkialla yhteiskunnassa, erityisesti tuotannossa, kulutuksessa ja infrastruktuurissa. Tarvittavan kestävyysmurroksen esteinä toimii mm. institutionaalisia, rakenteellisia ja yksilöiden psykologiaan liittyviä tekijöitä. Kestävyysmurroksen edellytys on, että yhteiskunnan eri tasoilla tulisi tapahtua samansuuntaista, synergistä muutosta. Tähän nojaa esimerkiksi transitiotutkimuksen monitasotarkastelu. Kestävyysmurroksen käytännön toteutumisen kannalta oleellinen kysymys on, mille tahoille asetetaan vastuuta ekologisten kriisien ratkaisemisesta. Ympäristöongelmiin liittyvää vastuunsiirtoa itseltä muille havaitaan eri yhteiskunnan ta…

Diffusion of forest biorefineries in Scandinavia and North America

Abstract Biomass-based energy has become a major focus of attention from a variety of directions due to the global challenges of meeting our energy needs. Bioenergy and bio-products are also currently being explored intensively in the forest cluster, as many elements that have in the past guaranteed success have largely disappeared. As the bioenergy and biorefining economies are evolving, there is a need for realistic estimates regarding the factors which affect the diffusion of forest biorefineries. This paper outlines global and national drivers for forest biorefineries in Scandinavia and North America. It explores the financial, political, technological, and ecological and raw-material r…

Stakeholder perceptions of wood-based products in the built environment : a literature review

Current global environmental challenges, such as climate change, set an urge to seek renewable low-emission alternatives to substitute fossil fuel-derived products while transitioning towards circular bioeconomy. Wood has proven to be a versatile renewable material that is able to substitute fossil-based materials. However, the market potential and uptake of wood-based products is also dependent on the preferences of consumers and other stakeholder groups. This paper presents a systematic literature review of studies examining stakeholder perceptions of wood-based products, which also resulted in the identification of research gaps and suggestions for future research directions. The results…

Towards bioeconomy : a three-phase Delphi study on forest biorefinery diffusion in Scandinavia and North America

Practitioners’ Perceptions of Co-Product Allocation Methods in Biorefinery Development—A Case Study of the Austrian Pulp and Paper Industry

The utilization of coproducts is a strategy that can be applied to increase the economic and environmental performance of industrial processes and thus reach an objective targeted in several environmental policies. In multi-output production processes, allocation needs to be performed to assess the products’ environmental and economic performance. It is crucial to choose an adequate allocation method, because this choice has been shown to strongly influence overall outcomes. Consequently, rash choices can lead to poor decision-making. Various ways to apply and combine allocation methods can be found in the academic literature, but it is often difficult to find sufficient guidance on how to …

Elinvoiman ja elonkirjon puolesta : ekologinen jälleenrakennus kunnissa pandemian jälkeen

Planetary well-being

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalizes, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric norma…

Finnish forest-based companies in transition to the circular bioeconomy : drivers, organizational resources and innovations

Abstract Forest-based businesses are the center of the transition to the sustainable and competitive circular bioeconomy in Finland. This study explores the transition of Finnish FBS firms to new business models, with a focus on the organizational resources and capabilities needed for transition. It also identifies the important elements in the business environment and the role of innovations in this process. The study uses thematic interviews with managers from various FBS firms and companies from interfacing sectors, all of which have operations in Finland. Despite the differences between firms, the study finds many common drivers and resources that FBS companies highlight as significant …

Environmental sustainability – aspects and criteria in forest biorefineries

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine what the most significant aspects of environmental sustainability in the forest biorefinery sector are and what kind of criteria should be applied to an evaluation of environmental sustainability in the forest biorefinery context.Design/methodology/approachThe topic is approached by themed interviews in Scandinavia and North America with 23 representatives from the forest and bioproducts sectors. The interviews were examined using the thematic analysis method.FindingsThe study indicates that environmental sustainability may be an important driver for the forest biorefinery business. From the perspective of environmental sustainability, harvesti…

Planetary well-being

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalises, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric norma…

Forest biorefineries – A business opportunity for the Finnish forest cluster

Abstract Bioenergy and biomass-based products offer the greatest new opportunities for diversifying business in the forest cluster. In particular, biorefineries, which can be integrated into the pulp and paper industry, seem to have immense future potential. This article aims to explore the biorefinery concept and related new products and business operations, as well as new business strategies and company models, which are part of the biorefinery value chain. These factors, which contribute to the establishment and success of forest biorefineries, were examined using internet survey responses and compared between Scandinavia, North America and South America. This article looks at the result…

Planetary well-being and sustainable business : A work in progress

Businesses have a significant impact on global environmental and social sustainability. To address the related issues, the concept of sustainable business has been introduced, which refers to the practices that businesses can adopt to minimize their negative economic, environmental, and social impacts. This chapter presents a critical analysis of selected sustainable business concepts and practices using planetary well-being as a conceptual framework. In terms of conceptual approaches, the chapter discusses circular economy (circulation of resources without creating waste), degrowth (shrinking of production and consumption to respect planetary boundaries), and sustainability transition (rad…

Transition in the Finnish forest-based sector: Company perspectives on the bioeconomy, circular economy and sustainability

The forest-based sector is affected by many profound structural changes and the increasing complexity of the business environment due to, for example, the mature markets of many core products and the aims for bio and circular economies and more sustainable societies. In response to the changing business environment, forest-based sector firms need to restructure their business models and develop new products and services. From the Finnish perspective, new forest-based businesses are crucial in the transition to successful and sustainable bio and circular economies. Views on the concepts of bioeconomy, circular economy and sustainability vary according to which parties are involved. Developin…

Biorefineries - future business opportunity for forest cluster : diffusion of forest biorefineries in Scandinavia, North America and South America

Regional sustainability transition through forest-based bioeconomy? Development actors' perspectives on related policies, power, and justice

Forests and forest-based bioeconomy have central roles in the contemporary sustainability transition. However, the transition towards a bioeconomy is loaded with tensions regarding economic growth, ecological integrity, and social justice. These tensions reproduce varying transition discourses. Political actors at the level of the European Union (EU) and nation states take part in the processes creating the discourses and aim to govern the forest bioeconomy-based transition in certain directions viewed as favourable. The transition tensions are strongly felt in regions that are rich with forest resources but poor in terms of economic and political power, called ‘forest peripheries’. In this…

Maaseudun paikka tulevaisuuden kestävässä yhteiskunnassa

Fossiilitalous on yli satavuotisen historiansa aikana vapauttanut ihmiskunnan paikallisten luonnonvarojen kantokyvyn rajoista, mahdollistanut ennennäkemättömän talouden ja hyvinvoinnin kasvun. Samalla kiihdyttänyt keskittymiskehitystä ja kaupungistumista ja synnyttänyt ilmastonmuutoksen. Irtaantuminen fossiilitaloudesta merkitsee valtavaa yhteiskunnallista murrosta, joka jäsentää uudelleen ruoka-, energia- ja yhdyskuntajärjestelmiä. Tässä Maaseudun paikka tulevaisuuden kestävässä yhteiskunnassa -hankkeessa (MAKE) halusimme tarkastella maaseudun roolia tässä suuressa murroksessa. Hankkeessa tuotetut visiot, kestävän yhteiskunnan ilmentymät ja kestävyysmurroksen kipupisteet voivat toimia kesk…