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Distances encourage innovations
Throughout their history Finns have had a natural need to invent solutions in order to develop their living environment. In a sparsely populated and cold country where distances are long, innovativeness has from early times inspired the making of solutions to improve the whole infrastructure and logistics.
As a result of the cold climate, long distances and energy-intensive industry, Finland’s need for energy is great. Improvements have been made to control costs wherever possible. Energy efficiency is at a high level in both companies and transport.
Because of the scarcity of domestic energy sources, the energy production structure has become diversified and, at the same time, a strength of the country. Finland is one of the leading countries in the areas of renewable energy sources, such as bioenergy and combined electricity and heat production. Nuclear power, too, is of vital significance for energy production.
Logistical know-how necessary
Finns are faced with long distances both internally and to foreign markets. For that reason logistics costs are three times those of other EU countries. Emphasis is placed on cost-effectiveness, speed and punctuality.
Efficient logistics are vital for competitiveness. They have inspired the development of know-how and new solutions that are based on utilizing information technology. Finland is also at the forefront in the development of clean fuels.
Good transport connections on land and sea and in the air are vital – all the year round. The roads have to be kept in good condition. Not even when the sea freezes over does transport come to a halt in Finland.
Water and recycling are resources
The basis for the expertise in water management in Finland is also based on nature. The country is well known as the land of thousands of lakes (188,000), where water has always been very important and well managed.
Clean drinking water, fishing, swimming and other purposes for which the waterways are used, both recreat-ional and utilitarian, form the basis for many progressive innovations. Finland is one of the leading countries for treating water and waste water, developing water chemicals and promoting open water swimming.
Recycling in Finland is the best in the world. Producer
liability covers both electrical and electronic equipment,
packaging, newsprint and magazines as well as cars and car
tyres. The bottle return system operates at almost one hundred
per cent efficiency and more waste paper is collected than
anywhere else. Well-organized waste management covers the
whole country.
Published 2006
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