In December 2023, a pivotal development took place in the Finnish minerals sector as Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman appointed a steering group to craft a comprehensive national minerals strategy. This strategy was designed to scrutinize the current landscape and explore developmental opportunities within the Finnish minerals sector. Additionally, it aims to ensure the secure supply of raw materials for industry and foster international collaboration.
The core purpose of this strategy is to produce a unified perspective on the present state of the Finnish minerals cluster. It seeks to outline policy objectives, establish main approaches, and introduce essential measures for the cluster’s advancement.
After a collaborative process involving a wide array of experts and stakeholders, the minerals strategy was formed with six main objectives in mind:
- Growth and value added from the minerals sector
- Responsibility in all areas of sustainability
- Skills and RDI as a source of success
- Finland – an influential player and partner in the minerals sector
- Efficient implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act
- Strong raw material supply for industries
To achieve these objectives, the strategy proposes several measures. These include streamlining permit procedures, ensuring comprehensive mapping of Finland’s mineral potential, planning incentives for the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and circular economy solutions, identifying the skills required in the minerals sector, enhancing exports, and integrating Finnish operators in international projects. Additionally, the strategy emphasizes the need to maintain a current understanding of companies’ requirements for mineral raw materials and to improve preparedness for supply chain disruptions.
A long-term commitment is vital to realizing the strategy’s goals, requiring collaboration across governmental terms, between administrative branches, and between the private and public sectors, along with necessary investments.
The strategy’s initiatives align with several key areas of interest to Weeefiner and our stakeholders
Advancing circular economy in the minerals sector: Significant resources will be invested in developing mechanisms, incentives, and regulations to promote the use of secondary raw materials.
Incentivizing best technologies and circular solutions: The strategy emphasizes incentivizing and regulating the adoption of environmental impact-reducing technologies and circular economy models in the mineral sector. Opportunities in water protection technologies and their implementation are highlighted, indicating a promising scope for focusing on sustainable and economically viable mineral sector advancements.
Our commitment to keeping our stakeholders informed
As the national mineral strategy seeks to transform the sector, Weeefiner stands committed to closely monitoring how these strategic directions impact the mining and mineral ecosystem. We pledge to keep our stakeholders informed about relevant developments and opportunities arising from the strategy’s implementation in the coming years.
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Currently the material is available in Finnish only.
https://tem.fi/-/kansallinen-mineraalistrategia-mineraalien-tarve-kasvaa-alati
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/165994