A report and a road map to nutrient cycling published
A report on economic value and opportunities of nutrient cycling for Finland was published in the seminar for decission-makers organized by Sitra, the Lappeenranta University of Technology and Baltic Sea Action Group on September 3rd, 2015.
Important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are wasted In Finland and globally. Circulation economy and nutrient cycling are also closely involved in the government’s strategic program as one of the top projects.
The Government’s program focuses on the promotion of the good ecological status of the Baltic Sea, reducing the amount of nutrient leakages to water bodies and increasing the energy and nutrient self-sufficiency in agriculture.
The reduction of the nutrient loss by cycling the nutrients and reducing nutrient emissions has also a significant economic value. This in the Finnish scale is calculated for the first time in the report by Gaia Consulting and lead by Sitra, the University of Lappeenranta and Baltic Sea Action Group.
The potential of nutrients circulation areas surveyed in the report were fertilizer leasing, substituting imported soya beans with local fava beans, producing feed from removal fishing in the eutrophicated areas, biogasification as a driving for nutrient cycling and the benefit of reducing the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. The estimated value of nutrient cycling based on these fields would be EUR 0.5 billion by 2030 at the latest. The report gives examples of concrete business opportunities that could lead the way into gaining the value estimated.
The report can be found (in Finnish ) here.
