The sustainability transition requires shared value creation, participative foresight and aligned efforts between firms and their stakeholders. Unfortunately, all of these are often lacking. The study responds to these challenges by asking how the transition could be facilitated by future-oriented collaborative business models. Conducted at the University of Jyväskylä, the study is based on analyses of media and policy sources, interviews and workshops. It will produce a transition framework based on future-oriented collaborative business models, which can be utilized in firms’ management and stakeholder dialogue as well as in the public sector. The study brings stakeholders to the common discussions so that the shared views can be created and studied. It contributes to research on business, foresight and transition.
WP1 Key actors and their discourses, relations and positions
The main goal is to identify key actors and their discourses, interactions and positions in Finnish society and societal discussions on sustainable forests’ utilization, forest-based businesses and related future views.
WP2 Collaborative business models and participative corporate foresight
The main goal is to identify existing collaborative practices and future-oriented elements in company business models, identifying elements which would be of key importance in facilitating the sustainability transition but are currently lacking.
WP3 Desired future views and discussion platforms
The goal is to determine the actors’ views on the desired future visions and pathways for the utilization of forests and FBS development. Moreover, the aim is to study how shared understandings of future alternatives can be built, what type of interactions and setting can facilitate the building of collaborative foresight, and how the collaborative process can formulate individual perceptions.
The first two research articles of the project are now out, as "Actors, discourses and relations in the Finnish newspapers' forest discussion: Enabling or constraining the sustainability transition?" and "Wood-based textile innovations in the Finnish media: A critical discourse analysis" have been published in Forest Policy and Economics (open access)!
During summer and autumn 2025, three scientific publications will be finalized and sent out to review.
The data collection for the BuSuT projection is completed. For WP2, we have interviewed more than 70 actors in the Finnish forest sector on the themes of shared value creation, public forest discussion and participatory forecasting. For WP3, we conducted live and online backcasting workshops with over 30 participants in total.
IFPM4, 2022. Näyhä, A. & Wallius, V. Power relations and strategic actions of Finnish forest-based actors
IFPM4, 2022. Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Wood-based textiles in the Finnish media: A Critical Discourse Analysis
Sustainability Science Days, 2022. Näyhä, A. Future-oriented collaborative business models as facilitators of sustainability: insights from the project aiming for transition framework development
New Business Models Conference, 2022. Näyhä, A. Future-oriented collaborative business models to support the sustainability transition
Metsätieteiden päivä, Helsinki, 2022. Näyhä, A. Diverse understandings on forests presented in the Finnish printed media
Science Talk, Institute of Environmental Systems Sciences, University of Graz, 2023. Näyhä, A. Future-oriented collaborative business models as facilitators of sustainability: insights from the project aiming for transition framework development
(Bio)diversity in forests – Scientific multidisciplinary workshop, Jyväskylä, 2023. Näyhä, A. Keynote: Conflicts and power in Finnish forest discussion – Looking for ways forward
YHYS Colloquium, 2023. Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Public forest discourses in Finland: Conflicts and collaborations
Finnish Geography Days, 2023. Näyhä, A. & Wallius, V. The transformation of Finnish forest-based companies through collaborative business models
IFPM5, 2024. Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Stakeholder views on the future of Finnish forests and their utilization: Implications for policymaking
Summer Seminar of Finnish Economists, 2024. Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Desired forest futures in Finland: Business perspectives
XXVI IUFRO World Congress, 2024. Näyhä, A., Rauter, R. & Wallius, V. Sustainable value creation and collaborative business models in the future forest-based sector
XXVI IUFRO World Congress, 2024. Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Stakeholder views on the future of Finnish forest utilization and new wood-based products
36th IABS Annual Conference, 2025. Näyhä, A., Rauter, R. & Wallius, V. Value co-creation and collaborative business models in the Finnish forest-based sector: means for common good?
10th International Conference on New Business Models NBM2025. Wallius, V., Näyhä, A. & Oittinen, T. Power Relations in Value Co-creation: Insights from the Finnish Forest-Based Sector.
10th International Conference on New Business Models NBM2025. Oittinen, T., Wallius, V. & Näyhä, A. Platforms for Collaborative Value Creation: Findings from the Finnish Forest Sector.
Conference of The Finnish Society for Rural Research and Development, 2025. Näyhä, A. Kestävä ja jaettu metsiin liittyvä arvonluonti tulevaisuuden suomalaisella maaseudulla.
Conference of The Finnish Society for Rural Research and Development, 2025. Oittinen, T., Näyhä, A. & Wallius, V. Metsien uudet roolit maaseudulla: Maaseudun toimijoiden ääni tulevaisuuden metsäkeskustelussa.
