Blogs for inspiration and connections

Internal development strategies to meet the needs of SMEs

Writers: CUT team The aim of the internal strategy process was to strengthen organisational competences in order to create better access to the facilities and competences related to eco-innovation. The internal strategies aimed at improving cooperation with SMEs and developing eco-innovative initiatives. The RDI partners of ECOLABNET project built their own internal development programs according…
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ECOLABNET supports eco-innovation – takeaways from the Open Eco-Innovation event

Writer Miia Lammi, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, Design Centre MUOVA In November 16th 2021, about 140 industrial companies, RDI service providers and intermediary organisations showed their interest in eco-innovation. The online event “Open eco-innovation” exchanged knowledge and experiences and created connections for eco-innovation. The ECOLABNET project manager Miia Lammi at VAMK Design Centre MUOVA…
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The Product-as-a-Service Business Modeling Tool

Author: Martin Storkholm Nielsen, Assistant Professor, VIA University College As I argued in my first blog post, we created the PaaS Business Modeling Tool from the notion that the map is not the territory. We have sought to balance providing structure, guidance and perhaps even answers with embracing the diversity of businesses, who might use…
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Stimulating regional transformation from linear to circular economy

Why is VIA University involved in Interreg Baltic Sea Region Ecolabnet project? By Per Tøffner Knudsen, VIA University “Sustainable Marketing (SM) is principled and predicated on the foci of the triple bottom line. SM decisions should be ethically and ecologically sound and companies should divert profits into people and planet foci to enable implementation. Sustainable…
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Physical confinement impacts cellular phenotypes within living materials

Writer: Anett Toom | University of Tartu This is an extract from a research paper by an additive manufacturing specialist Hans Priks from ECOLABNET’s member the University of Tartu. “Living materials are like hotels for micro-organisms, where different kinds of bacteria, yeasts and seaweed can live, reproduce, eat and produce us something useful. Polymeric structure…
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3D printing as an experience – a story about a service concept

Writer: Miia Lammi, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, Design Centre MUOVAConcept image: Veera Hautala, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, Design Centre MUOVA “You arrive at the airport after an amazing vacation. You were enjoying experiences so much that  you did not buy enough souvenirs, especially for your close ones. Fortunately, you can also shop at…
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ECOLABNET’S EXPANSION GUIDE

Defining step-by-step strategies and procedure for ECOLABNET expansion Process of effective eco-innovation implementation can be challenging for many SME’s. They may be in lack of the competence, recourses or partners needed to boos their eco-innovate ideas. Eco-innovators also face challenges in marketing eco-innovations beyond niche markets due to externalities. And oftentimes SMEs use unstructured and…
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ECOLABNET’S GOVERNANCE MODEL AND ACTION PLAN

GOVERNANCE AND ACTION PLAN: ECOLABNET’S Model for long-term sustainability    Ecolabnet project partners from six Baltic Sea Region (BSR) countries aims to create a network of service providers to support development of eco-innovations among manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SME). Therefore, Ecolabnet governance model and action plan works as a main guide for the long-term…
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Collaborating with experts in eco-innovation

Writer: Miia Lammi, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences ECOLABNET is a network of research, development and innovation organisations, which supports companies in eco-innovation in the Baltic Sea Region. ECOLABNET acts as a transmitter of expertise and facilities to support eco-innovation in industrial small and medium-sized companies. It creates easy access to information and experts in…
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Bio-based Thermoplastics for Additive Manufacturing by Material Extrusion Method

Writers: Rathish Rajan & Simo Huhtanen | Centria | Republished from Centria bulletin Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emergent technology for manufacturing customized products. It is predicted that a large share of final products will be manufactured by AM methods in the future. The proliferation of AM brings emerging environmental problems such as emissions and…
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