Insights

Spinverse’s customer ANDRITZ, an international technology group, is launching a comprehensive research and development programme called BioCircleToZero, which aims to double the value derived from wood without harvesting more trees. Business Finland has granted ANDRITZ EUR 10 million in funding for the BioCircleToZero programme for leading companies. An additional EUR 20 million will be provided by Business Finland to partners contributing to the programme. Spinverse experts supported ANDRITZ in the funding proposal phase with a successful outcome.

As part of BioCircleToZero ecosystem, ANDRITZ will initiate and lead extensive cooperation and R&D efforts with companies, research institutes and universities. This ecosystem is expected to include more than 100 partners in Finland, focusing on increasing resource efficiency in the forest products industry and strengthening its role in the green transition. Over the next five years, the total investments in ecosystem projects, including funding from Business Finland, are expected to exceed EUR 100 million. 

According to CEO Kari Tuominen, ANDRITZ is committed to helping the forest products industry drive the green transition while ensuring its long-term competitiveness. As a leading supplier of technology to the pulp and paper industry with growing expertise in innovative technologies such as Power-to-X for the production of renewable fuels, sustainable textile fibres, and biobased chemicals, ANDRITZ is well positioned to lead this transformation.

Focus on responsible use of limited and valuable forest resources 

Forests play a crucial role for the climate in many ways. As a limited and valuable resource, they must be used as responsibly and efficiently as possible. The BioCircleToZero programme seeks to maximise the efficiency and sustainability of forest utilisation by boosting advanced biorefineries capable of producing a wide range of high-value biocarbon-based products, while minimising waste and emissions.

The programme addresses the development of new wood-based products, the integration of related processes, the optimisation of side stream utilisation and the advancement of zero-waste and zero-emission production processes. Emphasis will be on the role of pulp mills as sources of biogenic carbon dioxide for Power-to-X plants, helping to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors.

Spinverse team of experts supported ANDRITZ during the project proposal phase

Spinverse played a significant role in supporting the BioCircleToZero preparation from the initial concepting phase to the final work plan. The project was managed by Elisabeth Packalén with contributions from experts Pasi Ojala, Jyrki Salmi and Sergei Chekurov from Spinverse. Director of Research and Innovation Mr. Naveen Chenna from ANDRITZ comments on the collaboration with Spinverse: “We were delighted to work with such experienced Spinverse professionals, their valuable inputs solidified our project concepting and proposal management phases.”

Through BioCircleToZero, ANDRITZ and its future ecosystem partners aim together to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and competitive forest products industry, ensuring greater value extraction from each tree while preserving forest resources for future generations.

More information:
ANDRITZ press release 26.3.2025. 
BioCircleToZero website

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Spinverse’s Innovation Project Services offer scalable project management and administration services which support the proactive coordination and collaboration needs of EU projects, ranging from an individual customer project to projects with a large consortium of partners.

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