Food, heat, AI and more: Finland’s recipe for a greener future

“Green transition” is often dismissed as a policy buzzword. In practice, it refers to the shift from fossil-based systems to sustainable ones – cutting emissions, reducing waste, and embedding circular practices into everything from food to energy to construction.

But in Finland, it has real traction – anchored in a national goal of carbon neutrality by 2035 and visible in daily life. Researchers track not just carbon but biodiversity footprints, showing how food choices in Helsinki ripple through ecosystems worldwide.

And the business community is moving too: the Finland Chamber of Commerce has launched a Climate Program to help up to 300 SMEs take their first steps in climate action free of charge. For businesses that often cite cost and lack of expertise as barriers, the programme lowers the threshold and turns climate goals into practical steps.

This mix of science, support and entrepreneurial drive shows why Finland consistently ranks among the world’s top five countries in the green transition.

Here are five examples of how Finnish companies are bringing it down from the policy level into everyday life:

1. Food reinvented – Enifer’s fungi protein for a lighter footprint

Could the next big protein source come from fungi? Espoo-based biotech Enifer thinks so, and it’s reviving a forgotten Finnish invention to prove the point.

Founded in 2020, the company is reviving a 1970s Finnish fermentation technology that turns food and agricultural by-products into protein with a far smaller footprint than soy or animal sources.

Backed by 36 million euros in funding, the company plans to open a 3 000-tonne facility in Finland by 2026, initially serving pet food before moving into food ingredients.

Enifer has also cleared a key hurdle in bringing its sustainable protein to the US, achieving self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognised as Safe) status for its fungi-based ingredient PEKILO. The dry, shelf-stable mycoprotein – unlike many wet or frozen alternatives – can be shipped like flour, cutting costs and easing integration into food production lines.

“Achieving self-affirmed GRAS status marks a major milestone in the commercialisation of our PEKILO mycoprotein and its entry into the US market,” said head of food R&D Elisa Arte. “We’re excited to start collaborating with food manufacturers in the US, introducing to the market our ingredient that delivers high levels of digestible protein and dietary fibre, enabling innovation across a broad spectrum of food applications.”

2. Fuel of the future – P2X Solutions brings green hydrogen to Finland

What oil was to the 20th century, hydrogen could be to the 21st. Finland is getting a head start with P2X Solutions, which has opened the country’s first commercial-scale green hydrogen plant in Harjavalta.

With a capacity of 20 MW and 36 million euros in public backing, the site marks a milestone in Finland’s hydrogen economy – and more production units are already on the drawing board.

“Finland is in a great position to become a superpower in clean hydrogen and its derivative fuels. After this moment it is good to continue our pioneering mission to expand hydrogen economy in Finland with further production units,” said Herkko Plit, founder and CEO of P2X Solutions.

“Next, companies should take an active position and start driving the change for the better, while preparing their businesses for the future,” Plit concludes.

The plant is part of a broader 400-million-euro green investment subsidy programme designed to accelerate low-carbon technologies across the country.

Alongside Harjavalta, initiatives include cross-border pipeline plans with Germany, ABB’s H2 Springboard Ecosystem – linking more than 50 organisations to develop hydrogen solutions – and new battery materials production by Easpring Finland New Materials, reinforcing the domestic lithium-ion supply chain.

3. Heat without emissions – Steady Energy’s small modular reactors

In Finland’s capital, a coal plant is being reborn – not to burn, but to heat cleanly. Steady Energy is turning Helsinki’s decommissioned Salmisaari power station into a test site for its small modular reactor (SMR), the LDR-50. Designed to deliver emission-free district heating, the technology aims to phase out coal and gas from one of Europe’s hardest sectors to decarbonise.

Steady Energy has raised 32 million euros to accelerate development, and Finland’s nuclear regulator has already given the design a favourable preliminary safety assessment – an early sign of confidence in its commercial prospects.

“Our mission is to make nuclear simple to provide affordable, emission-free heating without subsidies,” said CEO Tommi Nyman. “The smooth closure demonstrates investors’ trust in Steady Energy’s team and ability to deliver the world’s first commercial nuclear heating reactor by early 2030s.”

4. Digital made sustainable – DataCrunch’s green AI infrastructure

AI needs enormous computing power – and that usually comes with an enormous energy bill. DataCrunch is showing there’s another way.

The Helsinki-based company has raised 55 million euros to scale its AI cloud infrastructure, running data centres in Finland and Iceland entirely on renewables. In Helsinki, the heat those servers generate doesn’t go to waste – it’s piped back into the city’s district heating network.

The company’s ambitions extend further: a planned AI gigafactory in Latvia would house around 100 000 accelerators, also powered by renewable energy, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe.

“European organisations are facing a critical choice: continue depending on foreign cloud providers or invest in local infrastructure that offers true data sovereignty,” said CEO and co-founder Ruben Bryon. “This funding enables us to accelerate our vision of becoming Europe’s first AI cloud hyperscaler, providing enterprises with cutting-edge infrastructure that keeps their data secure, their operations compliant, and their environmental impact minimal.”

5. Buildings reimagined – Aisti’s wood-fibre acoustic tiles

What if the ceilings above us could dampen noise, look good, and help the planet at the same time? That’s the promise of Finnish cleantech startup Aisti, which is reinventing a humble building material with a sustainable twist.

Its Teno ceiling tiles are made using an advanced foam-forming process that transforms renewable wood fibres into lightweight, porous panels. Compared with traditional mineral wool-based products, they perform better acoustically, are easier to recycle, and carry a far smaller environmental footprint.

“With Aisti’s technology, we’re finally introducing a cutting-edge, cost-effective acoustic solution for the construction industry,” said CEO and founder Mikko Paananen. “Playing a pivotal role in modern construction, our tiles set new standards for how advanced, natural materials can enhance both performance and design.”

Aisti raised 29-million-euro Series A funding round at the end of last year to scale production of its sustainable acoustic solutions. With the new capital, the company will build its first factory in Kitee, Finland, expected to produce 2.5 million square metres of its Teno ceiling tiles annually by 2026.