Scan Magazine | Mini Theme | Visit Lahti
Left: The new LAMK campus is built in a newly renovated furniture factory. Top right: RDI director Kati Manskinen. Bottom right: 'I studied energy and environmental engineering at LAMK, where circular economy was closely related to my studies. After graduation, I was lucky, and I got a job at LAMK as a project worker. It is my dream job as I can work towards a better future for us all,' says Niklas Kaikonen.
Boosting the business with circular economy New solutions aim to boost business and growth through innovation and to combine both environmental and financial goals. By Mari Koskinen | Photos: LAMK
“Limits or lack of natural resources force us to find new solutions,” explains Kati Manskinen, director of research, development and innovation at Lahti University of Applied Sciences (LAMK). “At LAMK, we invest in research to create new innovations to shift us towards a circular economy and a sustainable urban environment.” Manskinen continues: “We have 25 circular economy projects at the moment. The projects have public funding, for example, from Business Finland and the EU.” The local companies also participate in the projects by bringing in their own expertise. LAMK aims to create new business solutions that are not just environmentally friendly, but also economically profitable. “There is significant business potential in circular econ68 | Issue 120 | January 2019
omy – an estimated 2.5 billion euros in Finland,” the director explains.
From innovation to business plan “We work to create new innovations first, and then we build a business case around it,” Manskinen continues. One of the successful projects was a digital mobile application, RESELL. It aims to speed up the recycling of discarded electrical and electronic equipment. “Today, 50 per cent of electrical and electronic waste is not recycled through appropriate channels,” project manager Niklas Kaikonen says about the background of the project. “Basically, it is a mobile app; you take a photo of your old computer and post it in the app. The companies who recycle that type of equipment then contact you directly and come to collect it from your
address.” The app helps the recycling companies increase their material flows and streamline logistics, hence improving profitability. The app is ready to be launched later this year in Finland and after that, throughout Europe.
About Lahti University of Applied Sciences (LAMK): LAMK is a multidisciplinary higher education institution providing degree education both in English and in Finnish. LAMK has four faculties and offers a variety of high-quality bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes: - Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management - Faculty of Technology - Faculty of Social and Health Care - Institute of Design
Web: www.lamk.fi Social media channels: @LAMKfi