According to a recent assessment by the World Economic Forum, the most significant global risks over the next ten years will be climate change and biodiversity loss. In order to mitigate these risks, countries have drawn up international agreements and programmes, a number of sectors have started to look for more sustainable forms of production, and citizens have become increasingly interested in environmental issues. Pressure to accelerate the green transition has increased, but changes are slow.
The Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) has taken sustainability transformation its vision.
Sustainability transformation will rapidly steer our society towards operating within the carrying capacity our planet. Syke has restructured its organisation and focused its expertise on finding solutions to key sustainability challenges. At the same time, its visuals and logo have been updated to reflect the core activities.
As a government research institute, the Finnish Environment Institute produces information and services to build a sustainable society and to promote a sustainable lifestyle. It works in close cooperation with Finnish and international parties.
“Promoting sustainability in our society is a statutory task of the Finnish Environment Institute. There is now more demand for our work than ever before. We assume our responsibility in our reformed organisation by seeking solutions through research and information, in cooperation with our partners,” says Leif Schulman, Director General of the Finnish Environment Institute.
“We build hope through research. Research-based knowledge and understanding allow us to take the overall impacts into consideration and be fair while making decisions, even during transformation. Our goal is a good future for everyone,” adds Director General Schulman.
“Justifiable and reliable situational pictures are an essential foundation for societal decision-making. We support such understanding and horizon-scanning with open and accessible data on nature, for example,” says Director General Schulman.
New organisation launched at the beginning of the year
The organisation of the Finnish Environment Institute has been reformed to promote sustainability transformation. At the core of the new organisation are five solutions units that analyse climate change, circular economy, nature, freshwater and seas as well as built environment.
The units seek solutions to build a sustainable society and lifestyle by
- enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation,
- advancing the transition to a sustainable circular economy and bioeconomy,
- promoting well-being through nature-based solutions and preventing biodiversity loss,
- developing new approaches for reaching a good state of the seas and inland waters and achieving sustainable use of water resources, and
- supporting urban regions on their way to becoming pioneers of sustainability.
The new organisation also has cross-cutting units of societal change and quality of information as well as research infrastructure and digital services. The authority tasks of the Finnish Environment Institute are carried out by a separate authority services function.
“While producing high-quality open information is close to our heart, sustainabilitytransformation is not produced by information alone. Supporting societal changeimportantly requires collaborative problem-solving, identification of knowledge and co-learning knowledge,” says Eeva Primmer, Research Director at the Finnish Environment Institute.
The new logo tells a story of our time
“The new logo of the Finnish Environment Institute hints at the motivation for our work in a simple and no-nonsense fashion. It has a strong message about the necessity of a more sustainable lifestyle, the need for fundamental change and our long-term, common mission over the coming decades to fit our life within planetary boundaries,” says Kirsi Norros, Communication Director at the Finnish Environment Institute.
The spherical, stable, natural landscape of the former logo has been replaced with a planet that has been tilted on its axis to indicate movement, transformation and the need for balance. Satellite images of the Earth have influenced the colour palette of the graphics.
“Through its research and expertise, the Finnish Environment Institute has an impact on many sectors of society. We emphasise our role as an independent, bold and constructive influencer that offers solutions and hope in the face of threats,” summarises Communication Director Kirsi Norros.
Another visible change is writing the organisation’s abbreviation as recommended by the Institute for the Languages of Finland: Syke. The official name of the organisation, the Finnish Environment Institute, will be used more than just the abbreviation.
The new look will be introduced in stages. Syke’s partner in the brand reform has been KMG Turku.
