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Abstract Evolving complex concepts, such as bioeconomy, cannot be applied without selecting (consciously or unconsciously) some definitions and excluding others. This process of selection may have a considerable impact on how bioeconomy is understood. This paper presents how the concept of bioeconomy took shape in a participatory development project that created foundations for new professional specialisation studies within the Finnish bioeconomy. Written documents (n = 21), produced in different phases of the project, were analysed with qualitative content analysis to find out how bioeconomy was A) understood as an activity, and B) conceptually linked with different global meta-discourses. Bioeconomy was primarily understood as an intensive use of diverse biomasses within a forest cluster, agriculture, the food industry, waste management and the energy sector, whereas many other bioeconomy sectors were marginalised or excluded. The idea that biomasses should be saved was very rare, and the concepts that prioritise some biomass uses over others, such as the cascade principle, were excluded. Bioeconomy itself was understood as a societally and globally influential new way of thinking i.e. as a meta-discourse. Strong associations were also made to nationalistic and statist meta-discourses. Conceptual transformation during the project was most distinct in the sustainable development meta-discourse: sustainability turned from a self-evident characteristic of bioeconomy into a consciously reflected and desirable goal. The results illustrate how a common consensus of bioeconomy is built through exclusion and inclusion in a participatory development project. Project organisers should be conscious about this process and explicitly state how and why some aspects, actors and activities are emphasised while others are downplayed or excluded in their bioeconomy projects. Only then we can create far-reaching policies and considered actions to guide societies toward the desired and defined future. Highlights • Conceptualisation of bioeconomy in a development project was analysed. • Intensive use of biomass was emphasised in the project. • Many bioeconomy sectors and activities were marginalised or excluded. • Some learning in sustainability issues was identified during the project. • Developers should be better aware of the conceptual choices they necessarily make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, various environmental issues associated with plastics have become well documented, spurring a growing volume of research on the barriers, drivers, and solutions related to the development and commercialization of sustainable—bio-based, biodegradable and circular—plastics. However, a systemic perspective that addresses the complex interdependencies across the value chain has so far been missing from the analysis. Based on a qualitative study covering the entire plastics value chain in Finland and Northern Europe, this paper addresses the research gap with two main findings. First, the paper identifies three core conundrums that describe the complex and interrelated nature of technological, operational, economic, and societal factors, which are inhibiting the transition to sustainable plastics at three critical junctures of the value chain. Second, the findings describe four solution mechanisms, which suggest that the value chain actors need to shift (i) from the supply of bulk materials to material solutions; (ii) from firm-centric material development to cross-tier collaboration; (iii) from price competition to competition on sustainability benefits; and (iv) from isolated technologies to infrastructure development. These findings extend our understanding of the systemic challenges for the transition to a sustainable plastics economy and shed new light on the ways in which companies can address the challenges for a system-wide impact. • The environmental problems associated with plastics are well documented. • Transition to sustainable plastics economy requires systemic changes. • Systemic change calls for new types of offerings and value chain roles for actors. • Sustainability values should be leveraged in market competition. • Collaborative infrastructure development is a prerequisite for systemic transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Finnish construction business, innovation management is considered to be difficult. However, cultural transition towards more innovative and creative thinking in construction industry can have vital impact on sustainability nationally and globally. There is an urgent need to examine at a more detailed level innovativeness in the construction companies and especially the manager's abilities to manage innovative organizational culture. It appears that lacks in managing culture and people with difficulties to understand key elements of innovativeness in organizational context seems to be a barrier towards increased innovativeness. The main finding is that the managers in construction industry cannot manage or create culture towards innovativeness. Therefore, there is major sector level lacks in innovativeness that have negative impact on societal change towards sustainability. This paper focus on managing organizational culture to reveal innovativeness in the case company that is vital for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the asymmetric and long-run effect of energy productivity on the quality of the environment in Finland. Finland, as one of the Nordic countries, is a major contributor to the global drive to achieve decarbonization by 2050. In effect, this study seeks to contribute to the strides by querying the extent to which shocks in energy productivity make or mar the sustainability of the Finland environment from 1990:Q1 to 2019:Q4. The other impacts of financial development, economic growth, and trade openness are considered in the model estimated by using the novel hidden panel cointegration and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) methodology. The results reveal a significant asymmetric equilibrium cointegration relationship among the variables over long-run time horizons; energy productivity utilization enhances the quality of the environment in Finland over the long run while trade openness, financial development, and economic growth contribute to environmental degradation in Finland in the long term. In particular, a 1% positive and negative fluctuation in energy productivity lowers carbon emissions by 1.79442% and 0.84799% in the long term. Whereas 1% change in trade openness, financial development, and economic growth trigger CO 2 emissions (CO 2 E) by 1.15298%, 0.271365%, and 2.93402% in Finland's economies. The results of the frequency domain causality model corroborate the NARDL results. On the basis of these empirical findings, this study suggests that policymakers in Finland should consider the asymmetric behavior among these variables in setting their trade, environmental, growth, and energy policies. [Display omitted] • The effect of energy productivity on environmental degradation in Finland is examined. • Nonlinear ARDL, Fourier ADL cointegration and frequnecy domain causality tests are employed. • Energy productivity leads to lower environmental degradation in Finland. • Energy productivity causes environmental sustainability at different frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new household-level methodology for transition towards sustainability. The methodology includes measuring the resource use of households on a micro level, testing relevant measures towards a one-planet resource use, and developing mainstreaming options in co-operation with households and providers of services, products, and infrastructures. We use the MIPS ( Material Input Per unit of Service ) method to calculate the use of natural resources and concentrate on the material footprint as an aggregated indicator for the overall use of material resources. With HST ( Household-level Sustainability Transition ) methodology, we extend the material footprint methodology from just measuring household resource use to developing visions, conducting experiments, as well as learning and upscaling, all of which contribute to the whole Transition-Enabling Cycle . Results from the first application of the HST methodology on five households in Jyväskylä, Finland, show that it is possible to achieve a significantly more sustainable level of consumption by a relatively few changes in everyday living. Achieving a one-planet use of material resources, however, also requires systemic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building certification has gained global prominence in the wake of the recent calls for ensuring the sustainable development of expanding urban areas. This trend rooted in the fact that buildings are among the main sources of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Green certification therefore emerged in response to sustainability concerns throughout the building sector. Nonetheless, the significant costs required by green investments have elicited scholars' attention, in an attempt to determine if the benefits of green certification outweigh its costs. This study uses a proprietary data-set of office building transactions from three major European countries - Finland, France, and Germany - in order to analyze the price premium of green certification over the 2010–2015 period. Considering the increasing demand for certification in the European Union (EU) after 2010, it is expected that green office buildings would sell at higher prices relative to non-green buildings. Empirical tests suggest that office buildings with green certification have a 19 percent higher price relative to non-certified buildings. Further, the study aims to assess whether the premium varies with the location of the green buildings within the urban area. Given the price premium brought by a central location - irrespective of green certification - it is expected that the price premium of green investments would incrementally increase in non-central locations. The distance variable is hand-constructed based on geocoding all properties in the dataset - empirical results indicate that the green certification price premium incrementally increases by 10.5 percent for 1-km distance from the city center. Further tests show that the distance effect becomes insignificant in both (i) large cities and (ii) cities of under 200,000 inhabitants. In these two contingencies, the price premium associated with central locations is reduced - which also diminishes the relevance of the green buildings' location. The empirical results are robust to eliminating 2010 and 2011 from the sample and to employing a propensity score matching approach, aimed at increasing the similarity of the treatment and control groups. This paper adds to the rising literature on the topic of green buildings, as it is the first international study to assess the price impact of green certification as a function of office building location. • Office building transactions from Finland, France and Germany in the 2010–2015 period. • Multiple-country study finds a 19 percent price premium for green certification. • 10.5 percent incremental premium if distance from the city center increases by 1 km. • The distance effect becomes insignificant in large cities. • The distance effect becomes insignificant in cities of under 200,000 inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines the role of a sustainability strategy in the relation between a digital business strategy and financial performance. By classifying two capabilities (managerial capability and operational capability) that are needed to realize a digital business strategy, this study suggests that a sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance but inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. Using a structured survey questionnaire, the data was collected from 280 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which operate in both the service and manufacturing industries in Finland. Four developed hypotheses were tested using the regression analysis to find the relationship between digital business strategy, sustainability strategy and financial performance. The findings suggest that a sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance but inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. • The relations between a digital business strategy, a sustainability strategy and financial performance are studied. • Two capabilities (managerial capability and operational capability) are needed to realize a digital business strategy. • Sustainability strategy facilitates the relation between a digital business strategy and financial performance. • Sustainability strategy serves as a promoter in the relation between managerial capability and financial performance. • Sustainability strategy inhibits the relation between operational capability and financial performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]