DIKIEKO – Digital Circular Economy Ecosystem

About the project

In DIKIEKO project Kiertokymi.fi virtual platform was conceptualized and piloted which will support circular economy business in Kymenlaakso region / Southeast Finland as part of developing Hyötyvirta business ecosystem.

The virtual platform was tested and developed together with SMEs, taking into account the perspectives of user groups and identifying the business development opportunities of companies that are currently operating or may emerge in the regional digital circular economy. Utilizing business anthropology, SMEs were supported in anticipating behavioral changes in the long term and in their ability to involve public and customers in the development of circular economy culture and, thus, related business.

The DIKIEKO project created a starting point for the further development of the platform onwards from an information platform into an increasingly versatile part of the regional environmental and circular economy business park: Hyötyvirta area, enabling it to develop into a nationally and internationally influential digital circular economy innovation platform. The project identified business opportunities of digital circular economy through identification and rapid experimentation of digital solutions needed by companies to support growth of circular economy business.

Actions in DIKIEKO project, incl. the piloting of the virtual platform, rapid experiments and dialogue, activated participants in digital circular economy ecosystem and supported the active role of SMEs in the region in the development of the digital circular economy ecosystem and as users of the developed platform. The project promoted environmental impact in terms of transition from a linear to circular economy, achievement of low-carbon goals and promoting resource efficiency and digital solutions (including sharing economy and remote work).

The project was funded as part of the European Union’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Challeges in mapping inter-organizational relations in a regional circular economy. (Maunula, M., Kiviranta, J. & Haapanen, A. 2023) In publication: Xamk Beyond: Digitalizations. Eds. Jääskeläinen, P. & Weaver, C. Xamk Research 27. pp. 44-61.