Projects on Sustainability Law

Our research projects on sustainability law cover topics such as the resilience of legal systems, Finnish land use and cities, among others. Based on our legal expertise, we work in multidisciplinary teams on the following research:

Value From the Carbon Market for the Next Land Use of Peat Production Areas (ArvoHiili)

ArvoHiili is investigating the potential for carbon market activities on former peat extraction sites in South Ostrobothnia. It aims to identify the scientific, technical, legal and economic factors necessary to generate value from carbon storage and sequestration through alternative land uses such as paludiculture and peatland creation. The focus is on responding to carbon trading opportunities in a rapidly changing market.

Project duration: 2023 – 2026

Learn more about ArvoHiili here.

The impact of EU chemicals policy and legislation on green transformations in the pharmaceutical sector in the EU (PharGTrans)

Pollution from pharmaceuticals is of increasing concern because of its links to global threats such as antimicrobial resistance that harm the environment and several Sustainable Development Goals. The most effective way to address these risks is through source-based measures, such as greener design and production of pharmaceuticals. The PharGTrans project aims to address these issues by investigating how EU chemicals policy affects pharmaceutical practices and how stakeholders perceive the need for green transformation.

Project duration: 2023 – 2027

Learn more about PharGTrans here.

Resilience of complex legal systems in sustainability transformation (RELIEF)

RELIEF examines how legal systems influence the transformation towards sustainability, with the aim of achieving ambitious climate, biodiversity and environmental goals within this decade, while preserving key values upheld by the EU legal frameworks, such as democratic decision-making, the distribution of power and competitive markets. The project works closely with public authorities, legislative processes, pioneering companies and civil society actors to update policies and clarify the roles of public and private actors in promoting sustainability.

Project duration: 2023 – 2026

Learn more about RELIEF here.

Transformative Cities

The project aims to promote sustainable and respectful lifestyles through zero-emission transport, biodiversity conservation and prioritising human well-being. To achieve this, it uses both active and passive sensing techniques. Active methods include participatory mapping and serious gaming to understand people’s living patterns, while passive sensing includes big data analytics for mobility insights. The project’s findings will be transferred to policy-making to adapt transformative governance methods, with the ultimate goal of supporting carbon neutrality, biodiversity conservation and sustainable urban lifestyles in Finland by 2030.

Project duration: 2023 – 2025

Learn more about Transformative Cities here.

Coherent and cross-compliant ocean governance for delivering the EU Green Deal for European Seas (CrossGov)

CrossGov examines the coherence of multi-level and multi-sectoral marine policies to better address biodiversity loss and protect marine ecosystems in the face of rapid change. It focuses on improving the environmental and social cross-compliance of marine policies in the EU and in case studies in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The project aims to align policies with the objectives of the EU Green Deal, using innovative methods to identify and address gaps, weaknesses and inconsistencies in marine governance.

Project duration: 2022 – 2025

Learn more about CrossGov here.

Completed projects

Regoverning the Existing Hydropower System: Integrating ecological, economic and societal aspects of sustainability, SusHydro (2020–2024)

Enhancing Adaptive Capacity for Sustainable Blue Growth, BlueAdapt

Transforming anatomies of democratic planning: Combining planning-theoretical and legal perspectives on flexible regulation in Finnish land use law, Tranaplan (2020-2024)

The project Collaborative remedies for fragmented societies – facilitating the collaborative turn in environmental decision-making, CORE (2007-2021)

Climate Impacts and Environmental Permit Procedure, ILU (2020–2021)

Water Stewardship 2030 (2020 -2021)