Finland must accelerate efforts towards a circular economy of plastics

The report identifies two major challenges: reducing unnecessary plastic consumption and increasing reuse. Meeting these challenges requires abandoning outdated practices. Reuse and product repair could be integrated into consumers’ everyday lives by developing new services and durable products. So far, measures to curb consumption have been largely voluntary, and evidence of their effectiveness is limited.

“Achieving a circular economy for plastics will not happen simply by increasing recycling; it demands changes in behaviour, policy, and business,” says Helena Dahlbo, PlastLIFE project manager and senior researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute.

Policy efforts should prioritise plastic safety, reducing climate emissions and littering, and supporting solutions with the best overall sustainability. The report also calls for comprehensive indicators to monitor progress and sufficient research funding to ensure decisions are based on scientific evidence.

To tackle littering, more knowledge is needed about the pathways of plastic waste along with better methods for identifying and monitoring litter. Littering remains a significant problem along coastlines, where about 90 percent of beach litter is plastic.

Climate impacts of production and energy recovery, and other environmental impacts remain significant

Although recycling capacity has improved in recent years, recycling remains limited and focuses mainly on plastic packaging. In 2023, the recycling rate for plastic packaging was just 29 percent, leaving Finland far from the EU’s 50 percent target this year.

“Less than half of all plastic waste consists of separately collected packaging, and around 80 percent of plastic waste is used for energy recovery, which causes significant climate impacts. Recycling of non-packaging plastics should urgently be improved,” says Milja Räisänen, researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute.

Bio-based plastics and recycled plastics have been developed as substitutes for fossil-based raw materials, but the transition is slow, and domestic production faces strong competition in international markets.

PlastLIFE project and the Plastics Roadmap for Finland: Building the foundation for change

The PlastLIFE project (2022–2029) aims to achieve a sustainable circular economy for plastics in Finland by implementing the national Plastics Roadmap through the efforts of 17 organisations. The evaluation of the project’s first phase shows that while cooperation networks and the roadmap’s foundation have strengthened, achieving a circular economy for plastics will require broad and continuous efforts. In its second phase (2026–2029), PlastLIFE will focus on strengthening communication with decision-makers and consumers and expanding collaboration with businesses to scale up results.

The newly published report assesses progress towards the main objectives of the Plastics Roadmap for Finland. The roadmap is a strategic initiative and a broad national program led by ministries aiming for a breakthrough in the circular economy for plastics in Finland by 2030. Co-funded by the EU LIFE program and coordinated by the Finnish Environment Institute, PlastLIFE promotes the roadmap’s goals: reducing littering and avoiding unnecessary plastic consumption, improving recycling, and replacing virgin fossil raw materials in production.