Circular economy
Circular economy
Reliable waste management and resource efficiency are important in a sustainable society.
Waste received from customers
Fortum’s aim is to promote resource efficiency, for example, through its recycling and waste business, and the transition towards a more extensive circular economy. By circular economy, we mean that materials are utilised as efficiently as possible and hazardous materials are removed from circulation. The aim is to make new raw material from waste whenever possible and to keep valuable materials in circulation.
We offer solutions to treat hazardous waste. We take hazardous waste out of circulation in a sustainable manner and we clean the hazardous substances from materials that end up in recycling. At the same time, we produce energy and ensure the safe final disposal of waste.
In 2023, we received a total of 2 million tonnes of waste from our customers, about 1.4 million tonnes of which was non-hazardous waste, with ash accounting for 35% and contaminated soil for 15%. We also received about 716,000 tonnes of hazardous waste from our customers. About 34% of received waste was recovered as materials and 40% was recovered as energy.
Waste and by-products from our energy production
Ash is a by-product generated in the incineration of solid fuels in power and heat production. Gypsum and other desulphurisation products are by-products of flue-gas desulphurisation. Ash and desulphurisation products together account for the majority share of the by-products and waste from our energy production. In 2023, 89% of our own energy production plants’ by-products and waste was recovered.
Radioactive waste
In addition to the standard industrial waste also radioactive waste is generated at the nuclear power plant in Finland, Loviisa which we handle according to the local nuclear energy legislation requirements.
Sustainability report 2023
Learn more about our sustainability performance in 2023.
Sustainability 2023