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The Fiksu arki competition for businesses highlights commercial solutions for improving the ecological sustainability of consumers’ everyday lives. Almost 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions in Finland are generated by our everyday actions: the way we live, the way we move around, the way we eat and the things we buy. The transition to a new model of sustainable consumption in accordance with the principles of the circular economy requires new solutions and innovations.
“Sustainable consumption is becoming the new normal, and consumers want solutions that facilitate sustainable choices in everyday life,” says Sitra’s Project Director on the Resource-wise citizen project, Markus Terho. “This opens up new business opportunities for companies. Smart everyday life is smart business.”
In the living category, prizes were awarded to Green Goal Mining Oy, which offers consultancy in energy efficiency, and to Jaaxx Oy’s Liiteri.net service for the shared use of goods. In the transport category, the prize winners were Tecinspire Oy’s App2Day, a calendar application for the facilitation of carpools, and Shareit Blox Car’s peer-to-peer car-sharing service.
In the food category, solutions rewarded in the development programme included Järki Särki Oy’s fish products made of cyprinids such as roach, and Idealgrain Oy, which produces street food using the mash generated in beer production. Waste-food restaurant Loop also aims to reduce food waste and promote the circular economy.
In the products and services category, prizes were awarded to CosmEthics, a mobile application that works as a barcode reader and provides an analysis of the ingredients of cosmetics products, and the Goodrnt application, which makes the renting of goods flexible. In addition, the Work Ahead service for increasing transparency at work was accepted onto the development programme. The service helps consumers choose products manufactured with respect for human rights.
Fiksu arki (“Smart everyday living”) competition winners:
- Calendar application App2Day for planning carpools.
- CosmEthics mobile application that provides an analysis of the ingredients of cosmetics products, and helps consumers avoid microplastics.
- Goodrnt application, which facilitates the flexible renting of goods.
- Energy-efficiency consultancy offered by Green Goal Mining Oy.
- Idealgrain Oy street food using mash from beer production.
- Järki Särki Oy fish products made of cyprinids such as roach.
- Liiteri.net service for the shared use of goods.
- Loop waste-food restaurant.
- Shareit Blox Car peer-to-peer car-sharing service.
- Work Ahead mobile service, which provides information on the working conditions present in the manufacturing of a product.
Large companies coach the winners in the development programme
The 10 winners of the Fiksu arki competition will have an opportunity to participate in a development programme in which they will be partnered with a large company and will receive support for development, commercialisation and consumer trials, plus development assistance worth 10,000 euros.
“The objective of the programme is to develop competitive products and services that reduce the impact of everyday life on the environment and meet the needs of consumers. The emphasis is on the development and commercialisation of new products and services. This way, new products and services will enter the markets and we will hopefully have more companies with international potential,” says Markus Terho.
In the development programme, the competition winners will have a unique opportunity to develop their sustainable solutions together with the large companies that formed the competition jury. The business partners in the competition jury were Fazer, Gasum, IKEA, the K Group, OP, Paulig, Realia Group, SATO, Tori.fi, Valio, Viking Line and YIT.
“We believe that the best solutions can be found through open co-operation in innovation. In the Fiksu arki development programme, small businesses have an opportunity to develop their customer-oriented approach and understanding of customers through quick experiments. In addition, small businesses at different stages of development will have the chance to learn from each other and exchange experiences across sectoral borders,” Terho says.
“The competition entries were of a high standard, which is why we selected more than one company,” says Sustainability Manager of K Group’s grocery trade division, Timo Jäske, who was one of the jury members. “The K Group will start development co-operation with Järki Särki Oy, as its concept fits in with our responsibility strategy based on the circular economy. Cyprinids such as roach represent a sustainable fish population, and their use effectively reduces eutrophication in lakes. In addition, roach is a tasty and healthy fish.”
The Fiksu arki business competition was open for entries between 23 October and 4 December 2017 and received 87 entries. According to the jury, the wealth of innovative solutions participating in the competition indicates that Finland already has products and services that can help consumers make sustainable choices. The development programme following the competition will promote the spread of these budding solutions.
More information on Fiksu arki competition winners and the development programme can be found on www.sitra.fi/en/projects/smart-everyday-living-competition-companies/.
Press photos from the award ceremony which took place between 4 and 5.30 p.m. on Friday 26 January 2018 can be downloaded from: https://sitra.materialbank.net/NiboWEB/p/scpc/2928028/154272/fi.
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