Carbon Busters project

In the following all the projects implemented by the international students are described briefly.

1. Mapping sustainable technologies in the region

The project group of international students has been conducting a comprehensive mapping of sustainable technologies for infrastructure development, focusing on identifying and evaluating solutions suitable for residential construction. The aim of the project was to enhance ecological compatibility and reduce carbon footprints. The technologies explored ranged from renewable energy sources and efficient waste management systems to innovative building materials and smart home solutions that promote self-sustainability. This project was significant for the company 100 Thousand Million, as it supports the company´s goal of creating a fully sustainable city using the most advanced technologies available. Additionally, the mapping was of interest to Hiilitalli and can be utilized in future innovation projects.

The result of the project was an inventory for 100 Thousand Million’s city-building infrastructure investment, providing the company with a holistic view of available technologies. Furthermore, the results will guide the decision-making process and enable the incorporation of cutting-edge sustainable solutions in the city's infrastructure development. The project's outcomes may also serve as a foundation for further research and collaboration with technology providers in the field of sustainable infrastructure, to be contracted for their piloting land plot in Chile.

2. Commercialization of urban farming company's beverage products

International students collaborated with the company Ituitu Oy, which is an innovative local food and urban farming company that focuses on energy-efficient and transparent food production. The company operates both as a manufacturer of food and deli products, and as a café entrepreneur. The company develops different indoor growing solutions and grow sprouts and algae varieties.

The project resulted in at least one new beverage product, and a thorough market and product analysis. The company received also a new product portfolio of potential beverage products that canbe added into their product portfolio.

3. Carbon sequestration in wave energy production

The MINNO project group collaborated with the company AW-Energy. The company is a global leader in wave energy technology with the main product WaveRoller® in the commercial development phase. In this project AW-Energy wanted to meet the renewable energy needs of the future, as wave energy is on track to produce 10 % of the global energy demand in upcoming decades.

The company had an additional interest in carbon sequestration from seawater in the wave energy production sites. Therefore, the project group studied the potential of the wave energy production sites for carbon sequestration through such means as mineralization, enhanced weathering and ocean farming.

AW-Energy received a literature review with recommendations for carbon sequestration in the wave energy sites. Further, the students were given a unique opportunity to work with a cutting-edge renewable energy innovation company. They have learned about carbon capture and have been able to familiarize themselves with the technology in practice at the Vantaa test facility.

4. Using 3D-printed coral reefs to boost the biodiversity of WaveRoller® sites

The company’s three main goals of the project were firstly to evaluate impacts of the wave energy sites on the marine biodiversity, and secondly to define the opportunities by using 3D-printed coral reefs to improve marine biodiversity in the sites, and thirdly to estimate the costs and benefits of the restoration of the WaveRoller® sites.

AW-Energy has tested and certified that the technology in use poses no harm to the environment, e.g., the hydraulic fluids are leak-proof. The company has had an interest in improving biodiversity handprint of the marine ecosystem around the wave energy sites. AW-Energy has observed that the WaveRoller® sites tend to become ecosystems themselves, with algae growing on the materials and wildlife living within the structure.

As a result of the project, AW-Energy received a literature review describing how feasible it is to improve biodiversity handprints of the wave energy sites.

5. Loupd – Lifecycle Design of Circular Economy Speakers

The project was conducted for Loupd Oy, a company manufacturing 3D-printed speakers and sound discs. The company focuses on circular economy design, aesthetics, and functional design. Their current product range includes a circular economy speaker with recycled plastic frame and recycled electronics. Loupd Oy aims to be a pioneer in the industry by offering consumers high-quality sound devices aligned with circular economy principles.

Topic 1: Cocoon

A group of three industrial design students explored how to maintain a speaker's value and customer experience indefinitely. They designed a speaker that primarily functions as a sculpture, allowing customers to personalize it according to their preferences. The speaker would have a standard component, with interchangeable decorative elements. The service model proposed collaboration with interior design companies and artists, such as Vallila and Ellinoora. The prototype was cast using cement and Ecoup's Geoblend material, resulting in a fully functional speaker prototype.

Topic 2: CUbEOne

Industrial design student focused on integrating material selection and recycling into the design process, utilizing Ecoup's Geoblend material. The student aimed to design molds that are simple and versatile while developing a fully functional prototype. The project emphasized a sleek and minimalist appearance, along with energy- and resource-efficient manufacturing processes. The final product was a 3D-printed and Geoblend-cast speaker prototype, which partner companies plan to further develop and potentially commercialize.

Topic 3: Kaiku

A single student aimed to design a simple and approachable speaker made from Ecoup's Geoblend material. As the project progressed, the focus shifted more toward optimizing manufacturing techniques and overall resource efficiency. The outcome was a fully functional speaker prototype cast from Geoblend.

Topic 4: Echo

Two international design students and one student from Metropolia tackled the issue of the large amount of electronic waste and the low recycling and repair rates of electronic devices. The team explored whether education could encourage better recycling habits. They interviewed a primary school principal, who expressed strong interest in integrating such topics into educational curricula, though concerns were raised about safety, cost, and quality. In response, the team developed an educational package designed for primary school students, including recycled electronic components, speaker housing materials, and instructional videos for assembly.

Topic 5: EiliE

One student focused on manufacturing methods, materials, size, customizability, ease of use, and sound quality. The student designed a small, modular 3D-printed speaker that customers can personalize by crocheting different covers. The result was a functional prototype and several crocheted cover designs.

Topic 6: Onyx

Another student approached the assignment with a design-first perspective, aiming to create an aesthetically striking speaker that serves as a decorative interior element. The final outcome was a 3D-printed concept prototype.

Topic 7: LOLA

Two students initially aimed to design a speaker based on material-driven design, incorporating biomimetic principles. They sought to create a naturally functioning speaker made from Ecoup's Geoblend material. Although the biomimetic design proved too complex for practical manufacturing, the students shifted their focus to material-driven product design. They emphasized how Geoblend material could be showcased, as its non-homogeneous nature makes each product unique. The final outcome was a speaker blank cast from Geoblend material.

Overall, Loupd received seven (+2) different prototypes and product concepts that can be utilized in their business operations. The students offered diverse perspectives on how to design products based on sustainable development values. The prototypes were showcased at the demo day in the Arabian campus.

11. Sustainability in Poolia’s day to day operations and communications

Poolia is a staffing and recruitment company specialized mainly in’ ’white collar’’ recruitments. Sustainability and responsibility play nowadays a major role in personnel services. Poolia should have its own sustainability values clearly visible.

Poolia has recently carried out a survey on the environmental values of competing companies, which revealed that Poolia has fallen behind. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to highlight Poolia’s fundamental responsibility values and prepare clearer guidelines internally in terms of sustainability and responsibility. The implementation of the values would be monitored and communicated externally.

In this project students needed to familiarize themselves with the greenhushing-phenomenon to understand how to deal with it in the operations of the company.

12. End-of-life (EOL) design of WaveRoller® from the perspective of upcycling

The current WaveRoller® installation is made mostly of steel and concrete, and the devices are being recovered every 5 years for maintenance. The whole operational lifetime of the wave energy site is approximately 20-30 years. The potential for EOL of the WaveRoller® has been investigated in the recent LCAs and design processes.

The company AW Energy had an interest in finding more about upcycling the components of the WaveRoller®. The principle of lessening new material usage and improving circularity processes are essential within the green transition.

The project group of students investigated EOL scenarios for WaveRoller® and identified upcycling opportunities. The company received a final report on improvement suggestions for upcycling.

13. Sustainability-driven communication and marketing

ABL Finland Oy is a company that imports ceramic tiles. It is a family-owned business with over 20 years of experience in its field of industry. ABL Finland was interested in looking beyond carbon accounting in terms of sustainability. The company has already invested in its own solar power plant, increased circularity in the manufacturing process, and invested in recovery of biodiversity through investments in bees and natural meadows.

The purpose of the students´ project work was to carry out a comprehensive mapping of ABL’s sustainability actions, and further, based on the mapping, to draft a plan to highlight sustainability actions in communication. The student group needed to familiarize themselves with the greenhushing phenomenon to be able to address it in ABL’s operations.

Discussions with ABL have revealed customers’ need for more responsible choices, but because the company implements sustainability in a very multifaceted way, its targeted and focused communication often falls short.

As a result, ABL Finland Oy gained a better understanding of the target groups´ motivators. The communication plan and the overall picture (e.g. infographic) created in the project supports in future ABL’s communication, especially towards designers and contractors.

14. New ingredient concept

The local cafeteria in Helsinki, Café Carusel found it important to grow their local food provider network and simultaneously develop a more sustainable way of procuring food products. The food industry in Finland has been evolving and new, innovative and more sustainable ingredients, protein sources enter the market. How to incorporate the newcomers into Café Carusel´s offering and menu.

The project group of students defined criteria for new food ingredients, mapped potential new ingredients and existing supply chains. The students created a new product and service concept based on Café Carusel´s value proposition and potential new ingredients.

As a result, Café Carusel received a comprehensive list of potential new food ingredients, along with details of where to procure them and how to utilize them in the menu offering. Further, Café Carusel, founded out how those align with their value statement and communications.

15. Local food fair –event and business case

Café Carusel considered important to grow their local food provider network and develop a more sustainable way of procuring their food products and ingredients. The creation of a local food fair was found to be an effective strategy for establishing also more combined logistic chains to enable the integration of orders coming from different customers.

As a result, Café Carusel received a business plan for organizing a local food fair in springtime. The business plan includes also a system for a combined logistic chain for food products to be delivered to different customers.

16. Supply chain logistics

Café Carusel found it important to grow their local food provider network and to develop a more sustainable way of procuring their food products and ingredients locally. Major part of local small-scale food producers may provide low quantities of their food products, and therefore the costs of logistics may rise too high. Thus, a more combined logistics chain could serve better small local producers and their customers as well.

As a result, Café Carusel obtained an assessment of the current state of its supply chain with recommendations on how to improve it to a more combined logistics chain.

17. Carbon footprint analysis of the logistics

Café Carusel has been calculating carbon footprint of the operations. The project group of students identified a carbon footprint calculation tool to analyze emissions from procuring food products, and from transportation.

As a result, Café Carusel received a method to calculate carbon footprint of various products in a comparable way. Further, Café Carusel obtained the main communication messages to communicate this to customers.

17. Research and Development of the value chain of reusable products

Spolia Design Oy is a pioneer and leader in circular economy aiming at changing the whole construction sector more circular, and at the same time, to reduce emissions and usage of virgin materials.

The project group of students studied firstly the existing value chains, and the operations (case studies, SWOT among others), and then as an outcome of their studies suggested how to develop these processes.

18. Developing a service environment for a circular economy product

Geomateria is a company producing ceramic composite materials from different side streams. The products of the company are made from recycled raw materials through a production process, in which energy and material consumption is optimized. The production line is mobile, which contributes to less emissions from logistics.

The major problem within the eco-product market is that there are so many options and that the ’eco’ label is difficult to understand. Thus, the following questions needed to be answered:

• How to differentiate?
• How to be competitive?
• How to communicate sustainability topics?
• How to optimize costs, delivery times, visual output?
• How to compare them with other similar products in the market?

As a result, Geomaterial received an analysis of the market competition to optimize the product and to tailor marketing messages to potential customer segments.

19. Life cycle assessment comparison between cutlery materials

Aterin is a Finnish company offering sustainable and multi-use cutlery products in addition to recyclable single-use options.

The available material selection for cutlery products is vast. Currently the new EU SUP Directive aims at controlling the use of bio-based materials in single-use products. Within material innovations, legislation and competition in the market can provide major obstacles for commercialization of products. The Finnish wholesale branches Kesko and SOK have stated that without any LCA analysis, no new cutleries made from bio-based materials would be accepted for commercial sale at their stores, as the environmental impacts tend to vary greatly.

The project group of students studied firstly similar products on the market and made comparisons through estimations of biggest LCA impacts. Finally, as a result, Aterin Oy received recommendations on how to carry out LCAs and how to communicate the results to the Finnish wholesale branches.

20. Degrowth-thinking and new business models

November is a small environmental consultancy company in the sectors of bioeconomy, circular economy and renewable energy.

The project group of students got familiar with the degrowth thinking and theories behind it. They prepared a case study of an existing company based on degrowth values. They had a task to innovate business model which is based on degrowth thinking.

Degrowth means no-growth and it challenges the traditional description of economy and business, which is currently based on continuous growth. At best degrowth is described as a method of most efficient use of resources and energy. Instead of maximizing the material throughput in business performance, degrowth-based business makes value with minimizing the use of material and energy resources.

21. Degrowth-thinking and new business models

The project group of students got familiar with the degrowth thinking and theories behind it. They prepared a case study of an existing company based on degrowth values. They had a task to innovate business model which is based on degrowth thinking.

Degrowth means no-growth and it challenges the traditional description of economy and business, which is currently based on continuous growth. At best degrowth is described as a method of most efficient use of resources and energy. Instead of maximizing the material throughput in business performance, degrowth-based business makes value with minimizing the use of material and energy resources.

22. Hiilitalli Innovation Project Gala - Event Production

Hiilitalli - Carbon Garage has been a project and nowadays a platform for learning and studying at the Metropolia UAS. Physically it is located at the Myyrmäki Campus. Carbon Garage is providing a virtual platform to develop solutions for climate change mitigation and to provide research-based information about sustainability transformation. The key customers of Hiilitalli are students and staff at the Metropolia UAS, as well as SMEs and bigger companies searching for sustainable solutions to their challenges of e.g. green transition, new renewable energy technologies, and carbon sequestration.

Metropolia UAS student planned an event for showcasing all the MINNO and other projects conducted in collaboration with SMEs and Hiilitalli.

23. Hiilitalli Innovation Project Gala – Impact Assessment

Hiilitalli - Carbon Garage has been a project and nowadays a platform for learning and studying at the Metropolia UAS. Physically it is located at the Myyrmäki Campus. Carbon Garage is providing a virtual platform to develop solutions for climate change mitigation and to provide research-based information about sustainability transformation. The key customers of Hiilitalli are students and staff at the Metropolia UAS, as well as SMEs and bigger companies searching for sustainable solutions to their challenges of e.g. green transition, new renewable energy technologies, and carbon sequestration.

Metropolia UAS student evaluated the Hiilitalli event in May 2024 to systemically understand impacts of the event arranged, and to understand the arrangements also from data perspective.

Carbon Busters project has shown that there is a great interest in the approach of Hiilitalli collaboration, being practical with cutting-edge themes and challenges and ending at feasible solutions for the partnering companies.