Ambassador of Finland to South Africa, Anne Lammila

The Finnish government is working with the South African government to support South African start-ups that are addressing challenges caused by climate change and environmental degradation, said Finland’s Ambassador to South Africa, Anne Lammila.

“Finland invests heavily in innovations domestically and internationally. We see innovation as key in the circular economy,” Lammila said.

The circular economy is one in which products are shared, reused and recycled so that waste is radically reduced and commodities remain in circulation for as long as possible.

Finland, which is a global leader in establishing a circular economy in that it is the first country to have drawn up a national road map to plot its route to a fully circular economy, is putting billions of euros into its economy becoming carbon-neutral by 2035, Lammila said. Soon after that, it plans to run a carbon-negative economy.

The country is also working with African countries to establish an African circular economy alliance, Lammila said.

Finland has already established the World Circular Economy Forum, a platform through which it hopes to speed up the globe's transition to a fair and competitive carbon-neutral circular economy. The forum brings together more than 4 000 business leaders, policymakers and experts from around the world to present the best circular economy solutions.

“We hope that the next World Circular Economy Forum can be in Africa, perhaps South Africa,” Lammila said.