CE is one of the priority themes for the region, as stated in the Regional Program, Smart specialisation strategy and the Climate-neutral Helsinki-Uusimaa 2030 Roadmap.

Leading the Circular Hub initiative, the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council is a joint regional authority of 26 municipalities in the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region, as mandated in law. The Council’s tasks include regional land-use planning. In addition, the Council articulates common regional needs, long-term development goals and conditions for sustainable development.

Urban rural predominance

Predominantly urban

Vision and objectives

The pilot set out to build and run a Circular Hub as a regional platform that brings together companies, experts, organisations and municipalities to share ideas, knowledge and networks and create new value chains. It was designed to act as an accelerator for circular solutions, addressing the gap created by a landscape of initiatives that were active but often isolated from one another and lacked an overall coordinating “orchestrator”.

From the outset, the aim was to strengthen and connect existing networks, support small and medium-sized businesses and other actors to make practical progress, and develop pilot projects that can be scaled up, creating real opportunities for greener business activity. The Hub’s early scope covered five priority value chains (construction, food systems, textiles, plastics and electronic waste), with the option to broaden over time.

Implementation journey

The Hub was kick-started in February 2023 and developed through a structured process of mapping, design and implementation, with the roadmap being updated every six months and the final update completed in October 2025. In practice, the work focused on identifying and prioritising stakeholders and projects, building a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities in each value chain, and creating regular points of connection through workshops and events.

Stakeholder engagement was carried mainly by face-to-face events and thematic workshops, designed to put the right people around the table, discuss current challenges and ambitions, and shape a common direction for action. Alongside this, the Hub used targeted communication and participation in wider events to raise awareness and build momentum nationally and internationally.

Over time, the Hub embedded itself in key policy processes, especially through the Green Deal commitments approach and municipal commitments, which helped it move from being a project to becoming a recognised regional “place to be” for circular innovation. By the end of the support period, the Hub was considered to have reached the implementation stage, with a clear intention to consolidate its position and focus more strongly on construction and food as the next most active areas.

Key results

In under three years, the Hub became a central platform for circular innovation in the region, trusted by over 50 companies, and it connected and built trust between more than 1,000 people across researchers, businesses and public actors. It organised more than 20 events and 16 thematic workshops, with 50 companies taking an active role in organising events.

The Hub also produced an evidence base to sharpen priorities and improve decision-making, including Material Flow Analyses focused on construction materials and electronic waste, combined with qualitative insights gathered through meetings and engagement. These efforts helped create a clearer shared picture of needs and bottlenecks in each sector, and they supported the development of follow-on actions (including those linked to EU-funded projects).

Economically, the documents describe emerging impact through stronger networks and collaboration, including support for the development of at least fourteen new operating models and methods and early signs of a growing pipeline of business opportunities as the ecosystem matures.

Deliverables and outputs

What the pilot produced was both a practical activity and tangible outputs. On delivery, it created an ongoing network and meeting structure (events, workshops and matchmaking), built relationships across stakeholder groups, and collaborated actively with regional projects (including involvement in steering groups).

On documented outputs, the pilot generated and shared:

• Material Flow Analysis publications (construction and electronic waste) and related communications that helped prioritise action and inspire wider engagement.
• A project portfolio and supporting publications showcasing concrete cases and progress.
• The three core written outputs that capture the pilot’s story and direction: the solution booklet, the roadmap (a living planning and monitoring document), and the recommendations and next steps guidance.

Vision for the future

Looking forward, the Hub’s next phase is described as one of continuity and consolidation—maintaining its role as the gateway to municipalities and strengthening its place in the ecosystem. The focus is expected to sharpen around circular construction (including a materials bank and landmass coordination) and continued progress in food, while still using the Hub as the wider convening platform.

A repeated message across the documents is that long-term success depends on stable and predictable funding, because reliance on short project cycles creates uncertainty. The longer-term ambition is to secure a model that allows the Hub to keep operating as a lasting regional capability—using EU project funding as a complement, not a substitute, and continuing to convert the network and evidence base into practical pilot projects that can be scaled.

Link to existing circular economy strategy and/or action plan

Circular economy is addressed through two main strategies. The Regional Climate Roadmap has six main ‘spearheads’ with two integrating circular economy goals: sustainable production and consumption; and climate-neutral circular economy.

The recently adopted Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Programme also includes priorities directly relevant to the circular economy. It emphasises resource-smart solutions to consolidate the region’s pioneering role in the transition to circular economy through innovation and skills development, with a specific focus on sectors such as food.  

Leading organisation(s)

• Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council
• EU-Relations Unit
• Circular Economy Unit

Participation in other relevant initiatives

• Regional Innovation Valleys
• Member of the Cities and Regions Advisory Panel for the Hubs for Circularity project
• Baltic Sea Region, such as the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation 
• Helsinki City is one of the 112 Mission Cities under NetZeroCities
• Regional Innovation Valleys
• Member of the Cities and Regions Advisory Panel for the Hubs for Circularity project

(Other) Key Resources

• The material flows of the Finnish national economy and their effects Realised development and circular economy scenarios for 2035 [In Finnish]