Glossary of Terminology

Planetary boundaries = concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. The latest update not only quantified all boundaries, it also concludes that six of the nine boundaries have been transgressed.

Climate Change =refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. Since 1800’s human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.

Carbon sink = is any system that absorbs more carbon than it emits. The main natural carbon sinks are soil, forests and oceans.

The Paris Agreement= is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris 2015. It entered into November 2016. Its overarching goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

Biodiversity= Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world. Each of these species and organisms work together in ecosystems, like an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. Biodiversity supports everything in nature that we need to survive: food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.

Diversity =   strongly associated with racial diversity but also to gender, language, manners and culture, social roles, sexual orientation, education, skills, income, neurodiversity and countless other domains. Diversity means appreciating differences between people and seen it as richness for the community.

Inclusivity = Inclusion refers to the practice of incorporating all kinds of people, things, or ideas, and treating them all with fairness and equality. Inclusivity and diversity are often paired together as things to promote in responsible communities.

Sustainability transition = require radical changes to how we live and work, especially how we produce and consume. These transitions aim to increase wellbeing for both people and other species, while respecting ecological boundaries and addressing existing injustices linked to environmental degradation and climate change.

Responsibility = being responsible and bearing responsibility. In english responsibility often refers to business context i.e. corporate responsibility  and about the impact an organisation makes on the environment, society, and the economy (ESG). In finnish responsibility as a concept refers to ethical legitimacy of our actions. It is used in a more general manner in ESG framework to refer all the activities that are taken to  support sustainability. (source: Tommi Lehtonen, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship InnoLab, University of Vaasa).

Sustainable development= at its core is an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often competing, needs against an awareness of the environmental, social and economic limitations we face as a society. Living within our environmental limits is one of the central principles of sustainable development. One implication of not doing so is climate change. The focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It’s also about ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating equal opportunity.

The circular economy= is a model of propduction and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value. This is a departure from the traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a take-make-consume-throw away pattern.

Natural resources= any biological, mineral, or aesthetic asset afforded by nature without human intervention that can be used for some form of benefit, whether material (economic) or immaterial. The increasing use of natural resources is estimated to have caused about half of the greenhouse gas emissions and 90 per cent of biodiversity loss and water scarcity. 

Non- renewable resources = resources that will not regenerate on human time-scales. Once they have been depleted they will no longer be available and no more will be made. The most common examples of non-renewable resources are fossil fuels, so-called because most were created by processes that take millions of years. Fossil fuels include crude oil, natural gas, coal and uranium. Other non-renewable resources include metals, lithium and rare-Earth elements (REE’s),

Renewable resources = Perpetually renewable resources are resources that Earth provides somewhat endlessly (the sun, wind, ocean current and geothermal energy). Intermediate renewable resources are only renewable resources if we don’t use them too quickly. They are resources such as freshwater, soil, crops and trees for timber. If we didn’t use them, they would be perpetually renewable, but because they require time (on human time-scales) to regenerate or grow, we can overuse them until they are no longer available

Critical raw materials= raw materials of high importance to the economy and of high risk associated with their supply.

Bioeconomy = is based on the sustainable use of renewable resources. Finland’s forests, fields and waters produce plenty of raw materials and create conditions for services dependent on the natural environment, such as nature tourism. By using bio-based products, we can reduce the volume of substances and materials that have adverse impact on the environment, including fossil fuel, coal and plastic. Bioeconomy utilizes clean technologies that enable the efficient use of natural resources and nutrients, while ensuring biodiversity.

The Antropocene Epoch= is an unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystems.

Wicked problem= is a problem that is particularly difficult to solve. A wicked problem is complicated because it usually involves of a large number of factors and variables. Different values and points of view are often linked to such a problem and they can be characterised as open and changing over time. Wicked problems are unique, which means that solution models cannot be directly transferred from one problem to another. 

A sustainable business strategy = is a business strategy that incorporates economic, environmental, and social factors into an organization’s policies, practices, and processes to create long-term benefits for the organization and its employees while being mindful of conserving and protecting resources. 

Overconsumption =excessive consumption or use of goods and services (energy, land, water or materials) that cause harm or detrimental effects to humans and/or the environment, namely by exceeding the carrying capacity and life supporting systems of the planet and its ecosystems

Decoupling = the process of separating economic growth from associated negative environmental impacts.

recycling = recovery and reprocessing of waste materials for use in new products. The basic phases in recycling are the collection of waste materials, their processing or manufacture into new products, and the purchase of those products, which may then themselves be recycled. 

Recycling rate = proportion of waste generated that is recycled 

Reuse = to use again especially in a different way or after reclaiming or reprocessing

Remake = to make anew or in a different form

side-streams = by-products of industrial processes – raw materials, wastewater, excess heat, sludge or chemicals and substances.

Closed loop = means that recycling of a material can be done indefinitely without degradation of properties. In this case, conversion of the used product back to raw material allows repeated making of the same product over and over again.

Renewable raw material = Resources that have a natural rate of availability and yield a continual flow of services which may be consumed in any time period without endangering future consumption possibilities as long as current use does not exceed net renewal during the period under consideration.

Biological cycle= biodegradable materials are returned to the earth through processes like composting and anaerobic digestion

Technical cycle=  In the technical cycle, products are reused, repaired, remanufactured, and recycled.

Mono-Material = A product that is composed of a single type of material or a product with components that each are made of a single type of material and that can be split apart.

Regenerative design = provides a useful lens for examining the limits of sustainable practice and moving beyond them to identify processes or practices that promote healing, renewal, or restoration of the environment to a better or more original condition through a process of improvement or revitalization of nature.

Responsible design:  Ethical practice in all actions. Pluriversal. Planet- centric -embracing the challenges and needs of all stakeholders. Decolonial, transdiciplinary and optimistic.

Planet-centric design = place earth at the centre of design projects, prioritising its ecosystem and the creation of positive outcomes for the planet. Here the importance of the human changes, as they become another actor in the system, as opposed to the centre of it. Planet-centric design doesn’t only mean de-centering the human, it means exploring the future from not only multiple perspectives, but multi-species perspectives. Moving to planet-centric means we should also be challenging and evolving our understanding and approach to sustainability.

Systemic design = systems are dynamic, constantly evolving and based on relationships between elements. Systemic design uses systemic thinking to consider relationships between elements in our system(for example people, animals, organisations) and how they will continue to function over time. The whole and details are reflected in turns form multiple perspectives and avoiding siloed perpectives. Challenges such as climate change are complex systemic problems. Systemic design is people and planet centric. Systemic design is also regenrative and circular, inclusive, collaborative and connecting.

Eco-efficiency= The conventional way of addressing environmental problems is through focusing on technical solutions for increasing ecological efficiency in production (producing goods and services more efficiently). This srategy reduces resource input and emissions per unit but it does not address overall resource use.

Sufficiency= refers to absolute environmental limits and the focus is on the absolute reduction of consumption, emissions and material use. Sufficiency approaches can also conceptually cover partial or qualitative reductions, or the direct downscaling of production and consumption in those sectors where it is most needed. For example, policies to restrict the use of fossil fuels in energy production that do not reduce the
overall levels of energy use can be considered as sufficiency.

R -strategies = The central element of the
implementation of the CE is the change of the companies’
business models, which they adapt through so-called R-strategies. The R-strategies get their name from the prefix of the Englishlanguage designations of the individual strategies. The prefix “re” originally comes from Latin (meaning “again” or “back”) and stands for “new” or “again”.

Recycling strategy = to reduce the negative impact on the environment that is caused by waste throughout its life-span, from production to disposal, via recycling. This approach means that every item of waste is seen not only as a source of pollution to be reduced, but also as a potential resource to be exploited.

Design for recycling= A product’s environmental impact is greatly influenced by its design. Design for recyclability means that less waste will be sent to landfill or incineration. Instead, the materials can be re-used when manufacturing new products. In this way, recycling reduces the need for extracting virgin raw materials.

Design for disassembly= Working with materials and product design in a manner that allows for material separation once the product is discarded or in need of repair.

Zero waste =To minimise or cancel, through design choices, the generation of waste during the production and use phases. It can be understood as ‘absolute’ Zero-Waste or as Zero-Waste to landfill (ZWtL).

Modularity = Design that is based on a modular approach. Modular products (or systems of products) contain separable parts (modules) that can be replaced or upgraded individually by the user.

Re- use = Re-use of products and materials in their original state or after transformation.

Up cycling = To inject new and higher value to a used, and possibly discarded, product through design. Up-Cycling ensures that resources retain the highest possible value for as long as possible throughout their successive use cycles. It is a prerequisite to a truly circular economy.

Renewable raw material = Resources that have a natural rate of availability and yield a continual flow of services which may be consumed in any time period without endangering future consumption possibilities as long as current use does not exceed net renewal during the period under consideration.

SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)= The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

The European Green deal = Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.

Fit for 55 =  Under the European Climate Law, the EU committed to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The ‘Fit for 55’ package of legislation makes all sectors of the EU’s economy fit to meet this target. It sets the EU on a path to reach its climate targets in a fair, cost-effective and competitive way.

EU circular economy action plan = The European Commission adopted the new circular economy action plan (CEAP) in March 2020. It is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal. The new action plan announces initiatives along the entire life cycle of products. It targets how products are designed, promotes circular economy processes, encourages sustainable consumption, and aims to ensure that waste is prevented and the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible.

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) = EU law requires all large companies and all listed companies (except listed micro-enterprises) to disclose information on what they see as the risks and opportunities arising from social and environmental issues,and on the impact of their activities on people and the environment. This helps investors, civil society organisations, consumers and other stakeholders to evaluate the sustainability performance of companies, as part of the European green deal.

ESG (Environmental, Social, Governmental)= Sustainable finance refers to the process of taking environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions in the financial sector, leading to more long-term investments in sustainable economic activities and projects.

ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards)= will be mandatory for use by companies that are obliged by the Accounting Directive to report certain sustainability information. By requiring the use of common standards, the Accounting Directive, as amended by the CSRD  in 2022, aims to ensure that companies across the EU report comparable and reliable sustainability information. 

Double materiality = the ESRS take a “double materiality” perspective – that is to say, they oblige companies to report both on their impacts on people and the environment, and on how social and environmental issues create financial risks and opportunities for the company.

VSRS  (Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standards)=
to be applied by non-listed small and medium-sized undertakings that fall outside the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive = The aim of this Directive is to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour and to anchor human rights and environmental considerations in companies’ operations and corporate governance. The new rules will ensure that businesses address adverse impacts of their actions, including in their value chains inside and outside Europe.

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) = The proposal establishes a framework to set ecodesign requirements for specific product groups to significantly improve their circularity, energy performance and other environmental sustainability aspects. It will enable the setting of performance and information requirements for almost all categories of physical goods placed on the EU market.

Digital Product Passport (DPP)= will provide information about products’ environmental sustainability. This information will be easily accessible by scanning a data carrier and it will include attributes such as the durability and reparability, the recycled content or the availability of spare parts of a product. It should help consumers and businesses make informed choices when purchasing products, facilitate repairs and recycling and improve transparency about products’ life cycle impacts on the environment. The product passport should also help public authorities to better perform checks and controls.

Greenhouse gases= constitute a group of heat-trapping gases contributing to global warming and climate change.

Carbon footprint =A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.

A Carbon dioxide equivalent= or CO₂ equivalent, abbreviated as CO₂-eq is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.

Carbon intensity= different processes mean the same materials emit vastly different amounts of carbon. This variation is a material’s carbon intensityAccounting for carbon intensity is key to objectively valuing “low carbon” materials to reduce emissions in existing supply chains and deliver decarbonization.

Renewable energy = is energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed. Sunlight and wind, for example, are such sources that are constantly being replenished. Renewable energy sources are plentiful and all around us.

An emission factor =  is a representative value that attempts to relate the quantity of a pollutant released to the atmosphere with an activity associated with the release of that pollutant. 

Carbon handprint = The idea behind the carbon handprint is that the company develops products and services that allow its customers to reduce their carbon footprint. The calculation gives the size of handprint caused by the company’s product: the bigger the handprint, the better. When a customer starts using the product, its own footprint decreases.

The Ecological Footprint = is the only metric that measures how much nature we have and how much nature we use.

Carbon neutral, Net zero carbon = Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. Removing carbon oxide from the atmosphere and then storing it is known as carbon sequestration. In order to achieve net zero emissions, all worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will have to be counterbalanced by carbon sequestration.

Carbon negative = Being carbon negative means that the net effect of the carbon sequestration of a product, company, locality or country is such that it prevents or slows down climate change. In practice, more carbon is removed from the atmosphere than is emitted into it, so that the amount of emissions is negative. The concept is related to climate positivity.

Carbon sequestration = is the storage of carbon dioxide in vegetation such as grasslands or forests, as well as in soils and oceans.

Carbon Capture, Utlisation and Storage CCUS= involves the capture of CO2, generally from large point sources like power generation or industrial facilities that use either fossil fuels or biomass as fuel. If not being used on-site, the captured CO2 is compressed and transported by pipeline, ship, rail or truck to be used in a range of applications, or injected into deep geological formations such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers.

GHG Protocol(Greenhouse Gas Protocol = supplies the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards.

Scope 1 emissions= are greenhouse gases a company puts into the atmosphere with its own property. For instance, when a company burns oil or gas to heat its buildings, these heating fuels create greenhouse gases.

Scope 2 emissions= come from electricity the company buys from the electric grid. These are “indirect” emissions that happen at distant power plants. Still, as with scope 1 emissions, the company is clearly and solely responsible for them: if it used less electricity, there would be less demand for coal, gas and other climate-polluting energy sources.

Scope 3 emissions = include all other indirect sources of greenhouse gases from the company’s operations. These might be connected with the day-to-day running of the company: for instance, if a company’s employees drive to work, the gasoline they burn falls under scope 3. They might be also connected to materials and supplies the company buys.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) = Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an established method to simultaneously quantify multiple environmental impacts arising from the whole value chain including all processes related to the life cycle of a product or a service. It is an important decision-support tool used by policymakers, authorities, business, and research to identify environmental hotspots and aim at relevant actions to mitigate environmental consequences of human activities.

EPD (Environmental product declaration) = With an EPD, manufacturers report comparable, objective and third-party verified data that show the good, the bad and the evil about the environmental performance of their products and services. the environmental performance of the product shall be described from a life cycle perspective by carrying out a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the product. 

PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) = helps to calculate products environmental performance based on reliable, verifiable and comparable information.

OEF (Organisation Environmental Footprint)= helping companies to calculate their environmental performance based on reliable, verifiable and comparable information.It also allows other actors (public administrations, NGOs, business partners, for example) to have access to such information.

Compensation= Compensation (also known as carbon offsetting) is like a voluntary carbon tax that we pay to take responsibility for the choices we make as consumers. Carbon offsetting never justifies causing emissions – it is a way to compensate for emissions that cannot be avoided.