Spinverse supported Mirka to secure 10 M€ in Business Finland funding to develop net carbon negative solutions for industries
Rapid economic growth, urbanization and excessive material usage pose a significant threat of an increasing manufacturing footprint. Mirka, a Finnish manufacturer of surface finishing solutions sees an opportunity to develop new innovative solutions to support the green transition in cooperation with the Finnish industry. Spinverse helped Mirka in the successful funding proposal for this unique project, first of its kind in Finland. Spinverse now starts to build and facilitate the ecosystem together with Mirka.
The aim of the SHAPE project is to create a cross-industrial ecosystem to develop solutions for the remanufacturing and construction industries, contributing to a net carbon negative impact. Business Finland has granted 10 M€ in development funding for the Mirka SHAPE project, as well as reserved 20 M€ to the ecosystem companies surrounding the project.
In the future, Mirka’s surface finishing solutions and the SHAPE ecosystem together aim to decrease the carbon footprint of the European industry by 100 Mt, creating export opportunities worth several billions for the Finnish industry. In total, the investment of Mirka, Business Finland and the Finnish industry in developing net carbon negative solutions will be around 200 M€ during the next five years.
According to Mirka’s CEO Stefan Sjöberg, the remanufacturing business growth is expected to reach 90 B€ in the European Union by 2030. Mirka wants to be part of the growth and shoulder their responsibility and contribute to further develop the circular economy. Thanks to the funding, Mirka can now start the SHAPE project in cooperation with the Finnish industry and the research field. The project creates an excellent opportunity for the whole ecosystem to develop new innovative remanufacturing solutions, create new jobs and strengthen the competitiveness of the Finnish industry in the coming years.
Aiming to enable net carbon negative remanufacturing and construction solutions
In concrete terms, the Mirka SHAPE project will concentrate on four areas:
- Sustainable material solutions in production
Usage of recyclable and bio-based raw materials, e.g. wood-based replacements for plastic. - Repair, reuse and remanufacturing solutions
Extending product lifetime, e.g. through innovative surface finishing solutions. - Boosting circularity
Finding new ways to utilize side products of manufacturing processes, e.g. utilizing waste that is created from surface finishing. - Intelligence throughout value chains
Developing measurement and analytic solutions for product lifecycle management.
Spinverse helped ensure the success of the project proposal and will help build the ecosystem
Mirka is the driver of the project, and the surrounding ecosystem consists of tens of actors from small-scale industries to large corporations, research institutes and universities. The launch event of the project will take place in the spring of 2023.
Spinverse supported Mirka in their successful project proposal process and will now be building and facilitating the SHAPE ecosystem together with Mirka. “The wide experience and professional expertise of the Spinverse team has been elemental in building the ambitious SHAPE ecosystem plan. We look forward to taking the next step in our long-term partnership and make it happen in practice,” says Mirka’s Research and Development Director Mats Sundell.
Principal Consultant, Ecosystem Leader Markku Heino from Spinverse has worked with Mirka for several years on many projects. He states: “Mirka has good track records on systematic R&D with partners and bringing new innovations into use. With the ambitious targets of SHAPE, the company challenges both itself and all potential partners to boost the green transition in the manufacturing industry together and build a solid basis for new sustainable business.”
“Co-operation beyond industry borders is a natural part of Mirka’s corporate culture. We are now happy to invite all companies and research organizations that share our vision to take part in this development project and build up the complete ecosystem,” Sundell concludes.
More information:
Mirka and the Finnish Industry Jointly Invest 200M € in Net Carbon Negative Solutions (Press release 21.12.2022)
Mirka SHAPE website