The award nominees for the Green Transition Business Competition 2026 have been selected – 7 innovative growth-oriented companies stand out

The winner and audience favorite will be awarded at Biocluster Finland’s Green Transition Gala. At the event, the award nominees will pitch their operations to the jury and the audience.

The Green Transition Business Competition highlights growth-oriented companies focused on sustainable development in Finland. The aim of the competition is to offer growth-oriented companies visibility, networks, and opportunities to advance funding and collaboration projects.

At the Green Transition Gala event every award nominee will pitch their business plan to the competition jury and audience. The event gathers stakeholders from different sectors, potential investors and partners together and offers participating companies valuable opportunities to network with other leaders in the field of sustainability.

The winner is selected based on the innovativeness, growth potential and environmental impact of the company’s solution. The winner is selected by the competition jury, which consists of representatives from Business Finland, Finnvera, VTT, the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Aalto University, the University of Oulu, and Taaleri Bioindustry.

Award nominees represent various industries

The Green Transition Business Competition does not have any industry restrictions, which means that companies from different industries will be participating in the competition this year as well. Among others, companies refining side streams from various industry sectors as well as companies working on emission reduction are participating in the competition.

The award nominees selected by the jury in the Green Transition Business Competition 2026 are (in alphabetical order):

Betolar Oyj (Kannonkoski)

Betolar is a circular economy and materials technology company transforming industrial sidestreams into low-carbon, cement-free solutions for mining, metals and construction. Our mission is to cut CO₂ emissions and virgin resource use through innovations like Geoprime, proprietary metal extraction and AI-driven analytics. By developing sustainable value chains and advancing environmentally responsible ecosystems globally, we aim to deliver measurable benefits for industry and society.

Emission-Eye Oy (Espoo)

Emission-Eye Oy is a Finnish climate-tech startup building real-time, verifiable emissions monitoring infrastructure for the transportation industry, with an initial focus on the maritime sector. The company combines onboard IoT data networks, advanced AI-powered analytics, and secure digital infrastructure to help shipping companies measure greenhouse gas emissions more accurately, improve operational efficiency, achieve fuel savings and emissions reductions, and meet tightening environmental regulations.

By replacing estimate-based reporting with direct and trusted data, Emission-Eye supports decarbonization, transparent compliance, and smarter environmental decision-making, while delivering the highest levels of data security, integrity, and transparency through blockchain technology. Its solution is designed to accelerate the green transition in shipping and later expand into other hard-to-abate sectors where reliable emissions data is essential.

Inosence Polyol Oy (Salo)

The Salo-based company Inosence Polyol, founded in 2016, helps concretely reduce the amount of plastic waste, conserve natural resources, and decrease the lifecycle environmental impacts of the insulation and construction industries.

The company has developed an innovation that is transforming a traditionally fossil-based sector and paving the way toward a more sustainable future. During its operations, Inosence has used over 2 million kilograms of waste and recycled plastic in the production of polyol.

NPHarvest (Espoo)

NPHarvest is a Finnish deep-tech start-up that recovers nitrogen and phosphorus from concentrated wastewater. Founded in 2023, following seven years of academic research at Aalto University, NPHarvest has developed the Nutrient Catcher – the world’s first commercially viable system that simultaneously recovers 90 % of nitrogen and phosphorus from nutrient-rich wastewater and sludge streams, reducing opex by up to 86 % through energy and chemical savings, and avoiding 31,500 t of CO2e emissions per unit annually. The system produces fertilizer-grade ammonium salts without relying on natural gas.

By eliminating the need for natural gas in fertilizer synthesis and replacing energy-intensive nitrogen removal, NPHarvest directly decarbonizes two of Europe’s most emission-intensive industrial processes.

Reduciner Oy (Espoo)

Reduciner is a cleantech company developing solutions focused on reducing industrial carbon dioxide emissions.

The company’s technology enables CO₂ reduction using renewable electricity and a bio-based carbon source, converting carbon dioxide into CO-rich synthesis gas. The produced syngas acts as an energy carrier and can be used in combustion-based processes, enabling indirect electrification and the replacement of fossil fuels. It can also serve as a feedstock for synthetic hydrocarbon production, significantly improving the economics of investments and processes compared to direct CO₂ utilization.

The solution is modular and integrates into existing industrial processes, efficiently utilizing by-products and energy. In this way, Reduciner promotes a circular economy, reduces CO₂ emissions, and supports the industrial transition toward a more sustainable, electrified energy system.

Sulapac Oy (Helsinki)

Sulapac Ltd is a Helsinki-based material innovation company bringing solutions to the global plastic crisis. Its pioneering biobased, biodegradable materials enable brands to replace conventional plastic in packaging, consumer goods, and food service applications – without compromising on functionality or aesthetics. With a threefold global impact, our solutions reduce CO₂ emissions, microplastic pollution, and oil dependency.

Scientific expertize, customer centric approach and sustainable growth that results in positive change on a global level are at the core of the company. Sulapac’s customers include globally renown brands and industry leading manufacturers such as CHANEL, Byredo, and Schwan cosmetics.

Volare Oy (Pori)

Volare is a Finnish biotechnology company building a circular refining platform for food industry side streams. Using its proprietary insect-based process, Volare turns side streams into sustainable protein, oil and fertilizer ingredients for aquafeed, pet food and other industries. The company’s solution reduces waste, replaces resource-intensive alternatives and strengthens local protein self-sufficiency.

In 2025, Volare secured €26 million to build its first industrial-scale plant in Pori, Finland, accelerating the transition toward a more circular and environmentally sustainable food system.