Pkt ry has served the residents of the Tampere region since 2011. During that time, the climate crisis, recycling, the circular economy, and resource efficiency have been increasingly prominent in public discussion.
Finland has a strong desire to be, and in many respects is, a pioneer country in the circular economy, and Pkt ry is doing its part in the effort. After all, the association's activities are an important part of the circular economy. Among other things, the association runs three reuse center stores in the Tampere economic area, promoting the reuse of goods.
The association wants to develop its activities in the field of the circular economy, so they took me on – a student at the Finnish Environmental Institute studying for a specialist vocational qualification in the environmental sector and specializing in resource efficiency – under a training agreement in an expert role to carry out a development project together with the rest of Pkt ry's staff. For the development work, the project Tavaravirtaa ja ympäristösäästöjä 2022 was established.
The purpose of the project is to collect and share information and figures about the association's own activities as well as the furniture industry, and to bring circular economy and environmental themes more to the fore in the association's daily activities for both customers and employees. The goal is to create a foundation on which the association can begin to build something new.
The situation before the project was that there was no actual data or figures on the activities. That's why, in the project, we designed a material flow tracking pilot that is continuously being rolled out as part of the association's activities. It tracks the movements of furniture and the quantities of goods from the donor to the store, or to the waste station. The goal is for the association to be aware of the quantities of goods passing through it. This provides concrete information about the usefulness of the association's activities for both people and the environment.
For the planet's resources and the climate crisis, it's important that existing goods – or part of them – remain in their primary intended use for as long as possible, in line with circular economy goals. I have also looked for solutions for how the association could, through its own activities, further increase the volume of product reuse.
In the future, the association also has its sights set on determining the carbon footprint of its own activities. The association wants to be aware of both the negative and positive climate impacts of its activities and, if necessary, redesign its operations. I have done groundwork related to this so that it can be done.
In particular, the association wants to highlight how the customer's carbon handprint (positive climate impacts) grows when they buy products from reuse stores instead of new ones.
There's still work ahead, but Pkt ry has a strong will to develop its activities and offer local residents better solutions in the jungle of the consumer society.