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Sustainability

Enter the city of a sustainable future

We can together turn the tide towards a sustainable future. Finland has pledged that it will achieve the UN Sustainable Development Agenda aims by 2030 — and the ambitions of the City of Espoo are even greater.

Espoo’s strategy states that the city will reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and become carbon neutral already by 2030. With the local Aalto University, VTT, corporations, and startups leading the pioneering work, Espoo’s innovation ecosystem provides the tools to make the city’s sustainability promise a reality.

Espoo’s sustainability strengths

  • Circular economy
  • Digital circular economy & IoT
  • Synthetic biology
  • Energy and batteries
  • Wood
  • Raw materials
  • Nanotechnology

We help you to find the right sustainability business and investment opportunities

By working with Enter Espoo, you get easy access to Espoo’s sustainable growth and innovation ecosystem as well as information on responsible economy business opportunities, companies, and innovation organisations.

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Why should you do sustainability business in Espoo?

The City of Espoo’s role is to build a sustainable future by creating a responsible business environment and providing opportunities for sustainable innovation. The Espoo-based corporations, startups, and innovation players share the city’s vision of environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

  • Circular economy. Espoo aims to increase recycling and close the material loops. For example, renewable biogas is produced in the area, and many local companies have switched to gas-powered vehicles. Meanwhile, material circulation functions efficiently in several sectors ranging from food waste to the mining industry and battery chemicals.
  • Emission-free energy production and smart energy solutions. Espoo and Fortum are completing one of the city’s most significant climate actions. The district heating in Espoo will be carbon neutral in the near future.
  • Smart solutions and technology of the future require a service infrastructure and a seamless digital ecosystem. Both of which are found in Espoo and enabled by companies like Nokia.
  • Espoo and Aalto University work closely together. Espoo is a living lab developed jointly with local schools and companies to be more functional and sustainable.
  • Transportation network. Smart mobility startups are making the city’s transportation network more and more streamlined and diversified.
  • Corporations. Espoo-based corporations are regularly listed in the annual Corporate Knights corporate sustainability rankings. Neste is ranked 24th in the 2022 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations ranking, while Nokia and Kone made the top 50 of the Clean200, a global list of companies that lead the transition to clean energy.
  • Citizen participation. Espoo’s strategy, the Espoo Story, is done together with residents. The city will publish the new strategy in 2021, and 10 000 people responded to the strategy survey — with 2500 responses coming from school children and students.

We invite you to join Espoo’s innovation ecosystem of sustainable growth and innovation!

Facts & figures

It’s the law! Finland established its first forest protection law in 1886. Today, 90% of Finnish forests are PECF-certified.

Did you know? Espoo is the most sustainable city in Europe (Tilburg University/Telos Institute 2016, 2017).

Big numbers: Renewable energy accounts for 40% of Finland’s end-consumption of energy.

A woman and a boy are walking in forest and holding hands.

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Hero image: Marjaana Tasala

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