Lassila & Tikanoja participates in the initiative as one of the leading companies in the bioeconomy and circular economy sector in Finland. The Koli Forum seeks to support the bioeconomy and sustainable use of natural resources, both in Finland and internationally.

The Koli Forum evaluates and challenges the current methods and solutions of natural resource policy. Meanwhile, it looks for new methods and solutions and resolves conflicts, with the aims of steering society forward on the path to sustainable development and improving competitiveness.

For Lassila & Tikanoja, being part of the Koli Forum is an important opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the sustainable use of natural resources. The circular economy plays a key role in developing the resource-awareness of society.

"In the following decades, we will move towards a circular economy, which will mean a turn-around in our ways of using raw materials and products. The bioeconomy and the circular economy will offer plenty of growth opportunities for Finnish companies. L&T already offers material, energy and cost efficiency solutions, which makes it an important operator in the sector," says Jorma Mikkonen, Director, Corporate Relations and Responsibility at Lassila & Tikanoja and member of the Koli Forum Advisory Board.

"The circular economy provides us with a direction for future growth and business development, which is why we want to be an important contributor to it," he continues.

Focus on the Northern bioeconomy

The operations of the Koli Forum centre around the biennial top-level events. The theme of Koli Forum 2015 is Wealth from the Northern Bioeconomy. The event groups together decision-makers and opinion-leaders from around the world to discuss natural resource questions, and the messages of the forum are used for influencing decisions in a number of networks and, for example, the European Union.

The founders of the Koli Forum Association include the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, Finnish Meteorological Institute, University of Eastern Finland, City of Lieksa, Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla), Forestry Development Centre TAPIO, University of Oulu, Regional Council of North Karelia, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

For additional information, please contact:
Jorma Mikkonen, Lassila & Tikanoja plc, Corporate Relations and Responsibility, tel. +358 (0)500 453 454, firstname.lastname@lassila-tikanoja.fi

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