© Finnish Environment Institute
PlastLIFE is an extensive national cooperation project to promote the circular economy of plastics. The goal is a sustainable circular economy for plastics in Finland by 2035. The seven-year project started in December 2022 and will continue until the end of 2029. It is part of the EU's LIFE Programme and has a total budget of around 20 million euros.
A diverse group of partners led by Finnish Environment Institute are working together to develop means
- to reduce the environmental damage, litter and unnecessary consumption caused by plastics,
- to make the recycling of plastic waste more efficient,
- to replace fossil raw materials and utilise recycled plastics, and
- to develop the analysis and risk assessment of harmful substances contained in plastic waste.
In this way, PlastLIFE is a part of the implementation of Finland's national programme Plastics Roadmap, which aims to achieve a breakthrough in the circular economy of plastics in Finland by 2030.
In addition to Syke and the Ministry of the Environment, the consortium includes Aalto University, the City of Helsinki, the University of Jyväskylä, the Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Kuljetusliike Vaahterinen Oy, the LAB University of Applied Sciences, the University of Lapland, the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), LUT University, Muovipoli Oy, Oy Orthex Finland Ab, the Keep the Archipelago Tidy Association, Plastone Oy, the Finnish Biocycle and Biogas Association, and the University of Turku.
The PlastLIFE project is mainly funded by the EU LIFE Programme. In addition to the self-financing of the partners, funding is received from the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the City of Lappeenranta, Keskitien säätiö, ProAgria Western Finland, Svenska lantbruksproducenternas centralförbund SLC r.f. and several companies: Olvi Oyj, HKScan Finland Oy, Orkla Confectionery&Snacks Ab, DS Smith Finland, RKW Finland, Metsä Board Oyj, Wipak Oy.
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