The Winner of The Green Transition Business Competition Has Been Announced

The winner of The Green Transition Business Competition organised by Biocluster Finland was announced on Wednesday, April 26, at The Green Transition Gala.

The winner of The Green Transition Business Competition was Owatec Group Oy. The same company also won the audience vote for the best pitch presentation of the evening.

The competition jury’s reasons for the selection were as follows:

The winning company is already operating on an industrial scale. The service they offer has a clear customer need and they have achieved a competitive advantage in the market. The company has put both the circular economy and the green transition into practice. The selection was based on the jury’s overall evaluation, where the company met all the criteria of the competition with excellent results. The company is innovative, has strong international growth potential and the service it provides is feasible and ecological. The company resolves the issue of purification of by-products and waste water on behalf of its customers.

Jakub Boratynski, the director of Network & Governance at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), congratulated the winner at the event. He found the competition and the main trophy (a clock measuring the time of the green transition) insightful. The jury was represented by Jarno Valkeapää from Business Finland, which promotes the innovation, internationalization and investments of Finnish companies as a public financier.

Anne Sormunen, the project manager of Biocluster Finland, stated that it is important from a national point of view to highlight companies that promote green transition. Companies that bear responsibility for the sustainable development of the environment. Companies that serve as examples that being sustainable and environmentally friendly can give a competitive advantage in the market.

The impressive event was held at the Congress & Exhibition Centre Levi Summit. The organisers received plenty of positive feedback. Therefore, the cluster network and the financiers decided to hold the Green Transition Gala and the business competition annually. The gala will become an interesting way to follow the development and growth of young Finnish green transition companies. It will also help these companies to obtain funding and resources.

Below is a list of all the nominees:

Biominerals Finland Oy

Biominerals Finland Oy is a development company that develops material technology for the energy boiler environment, mainly for fluidised bed boilers. At the heart of the developed technology is the alkaline-earth activation of the fluidised bed material and the obtained ash. As a result of the alkaline-earth activation, virgin natural materials as well as synthetic, highly energy-intensive materials can be replaced. The composition of the resulting bio-ashes can also be changed during the process, so that the ash can be used directly as a fertilizer or, for example, as a raw material for struvite fertilizer, as a soil conditioner or in the remediation of acid sulfate soils. The boiler process becomes more efficient: corrosion phenomena, chemical consumption and fuel costs are reduced while the process itself becomes smoother. kyosti.ruotanen@betker.fi

Hailia Nordic Oy

Hailia Nordic Oy is a food technology startup that launched its operations in the summer of 2021. With their unique production method, the company transforms underutilized wild small fish catches into environmentally friendly, healthy, and delicious food products. These products are versatile and can be used in everyday recipes to replace tuna, Alaskan pollock, and other protein sources that have a heavier ecological footprint.

At the core of Hailia’s business lies a production method that employs modern food technology to utilize small fish that were previously deemed inefficient for use in the food industry. By creating food directly for human consumption rather than feeding the small fish to production animals, Hailia is making smart use of natural resources and producing food with significantly lower emission levels. What is more, fishing small fish helps maintain the condition of local waters by removing excess nutrients that cause eutrophication.

Hailia’s patent-pending method is highly scalable, enabling the establishment of seafood factories in locations where underutilized small fish catches are abundant. This approach allows Hailia to bring this often-overlooked source of protein into better use in the global food system and fulfill their mission. michaela.lindstrom@hailia.fi

Natural Indigo Finland

Natural Indigo Finland is a Finnish natural dye company. We produce natural colours on an industrial scale and reliability of delivery. As a colour source, we use field-grown woad and the by-products of primary, forestry and food industries. We are the industry pioneer in Europe.

info@naturalindigo.fi

Nordic Umami Company Oy

The Nordic Umami Company wants to speed up the world’s transition to vegetarian food and a circular economy. The company develops technology that creates umami, i.e. a meaty and savoury taste, and food products from food industry’s surplus and by-products. kaisa@nordicumami.fi

Owatec Group Oy

Owatec Group is an environmental cleantech company specializing in industrial wastewater and sludge management and efficiently handling & recovering valuable components from side streams. Our mission is to ensure clean water and sufficient raw materials everywhere.

Technologies built-in movable sea containers allow us to find a suitable solution to various water and sludge management challenges by combining different units with different purposes. Automation and remote control optimize chemical consumption and maintenance, which enables running processes even in remote locations. Cost-effective solutions with modular product portfolios minimize the need for infrastructure changes, and the PAAS – model allows our customers to stay focused on their core business.

By having the Circular Economy as a core driver of our business model, we support different industries in their goals towards better environmental impact, which has a markable effect in enhancing our nature’s biodiversity.

Jaakko.pellinen@owatec.fi

Raahen Monivoima Oy

Raahen Monivoima is preparing a project that combines the storing of electricity produced with wind and solar energy, a green hydrogen production plant and a hydrogen storage facility. The novelty value of the project is based on a control system that optimises the set and allows to respond rapidly to the flexible needs of the electrical grid. The project will support Finland’s transition towards a carbon-neutral society. It promotes the development of the hydrogen economy and the green transition of domestic industry, as the end products are intended to be used by industry to replace fossil energy. The project will reduce net carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 28,000 tCO2 per year. The concept could be replicated in other destinations. jan.bankowski@puhuri.fi

Tracegrow Oy

We recycle valuable trace elements from used alkaline batteries and industrial side-products to return these back into industry use. We are responding to the growing market needs for raw materials with circular economy products, that gives mined raw materials a second chance. Our patented Retracer Technology are scalable and offer very low emissions and minimal impact on biodiversity. We are expanding our global outreach, with the goal of becoming a major global player in the circular economy. We want to give our Earth a second chance. eugene.du.toit@tracegrow.com

Wood Forest Finland

Wood Forest Finland Oy is a Cleantech company founded in 2020. Our mission is to make the largest possible carbon handprint, i.e. a positive climate impact. The company produces domestic carbon sequestration through additional afforestation projects and offers services related to carbon sequestration and environmental responsibility for companies, associations and private individuals. antti.kokkonen@woodforest.fi

Woodgrow Oy

Biochar and the nutrients it contains absorb CO2 gases. The nutrients inside the biochar are enough to grow tree seedlings for 4-8 years, depending on the soil type. In the spring, we will also start to experiment with growing food products. jarmo@woodgrow.fi