Pobi – Porvoo Kilpilahti: the bioindustry park of the future

• The importance of cooperation and the network model: A business-driven development approach and close interaction were the project’s greatest strengths. The involvement of businesses and the creation of the Pobi network and Kilpilahti Forum demonstrated that a shared vision is best achieved through open cooperation.
• A clear vision guides development: The jointly defined vision – Kilpilahti, a world-class industrial circular economy hub – provided guidelines for the long-term development of the area and created a common goal that motivated the actors to continue their cooperation even after the project ended.
• Knowledge base and analytics support decisions: Material and energy balance analysis highlighted concrete circular economy opportunities and strengthened understanding of the potential of industrial symbiosis.
• Ensuring continuity and resourcing: The shared vision created by the project requires long-term coordination and sufficient resources. Continuous cooperation, clear responsibilities, and effective business services are essential for realizing the vision and attracting new investments to Kilpilahti.

• We learned how to build and facilitate extensive networks in which large companies, SMEs, and public actors develop solutions together. Engaging companies, working on a shared vision, and establishing the Pobi network brought new skills to stakeholder cooperation and joint development.
• Expertise in analyzing industrial symbiosis and resource flows was developed when the project mapped material and energy flows.
• More is known about identifying and developing circular economy business models and project ideas.
• The ability to exert strategic influence and communicate information was strengthened. Cooperation with Gaia Consulting and Neste Jacobs deepened understanding of how local initiatives can be developed into internationally attractive investment targets.

The Pobi project laid a strong foundation for new development projects in Kilpilahti and strengthened cooperation between actors in the area. Since the project ended, the Kilpilahti Forum has met a couple of times a year, bringing together officials from the City of Porvoo, companies in Kilpilahti, and other actors. The utilization of waste heat as district heating in the capital region progressed as a preliminary study project by companies after the end of the project, and Posintra received funding for the HUIMA project, which investigated the possibilities of utilizing waste heat.