Extractivisms and Alternatives Session at Sustainability Science Days 2021

On Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 from 12.

15 – 14.00 EEST (UTC+3)

EXALT is hosting a session called “Extractivisms and Alternatives” at the Sustainability Science Days organized by and . This session is a robust exploration of renewables, recycling, and new tech developments that could help to address the current forms of destructive and unsustainable extraction of raw materials.

The topic of extractivism is gaining more importance as a new key concept that helps to understand, at a deeper level, the causes of destructive resource extractive projects and overall political economic models built on this extractivist paradigm. There is a growing debate around how to find alternatives to destructive extractive processes, and how to identify and implement alternative ways to provide raw materials and create sustainable livelihoods and production processes. The Extractivisms and Alternatives -session will focus on unsustainable extraction practices and the technological and political solutions that stand as alternatives in the face of extractivism. The session creates opportunities for dialogue and development of common vocabularies across disciplines.

Session conveners

Associate professor , Doctoral Student , Postdoctoral Researcher (University of Helsinki)

Assistant Professor (Aalto University)

Speakers and their presentation titles

  • Circular textile economy: social and environmental synergies or tradeoffs? Anna Härri, Helena Dahlbo, and Jarkko Levänen
  • Critical factors for enhancing the circular economy in waste management, Hanna Salmenperä, Kati Pitkänen, Petrus Kautto and Laura Saikku
  • Reusing mine tailings as cemented paste backfill material (CPB), Soili Solismaa and Tommi Kauppila
  • Saving the Environment by Being Green with Fintech: exploring the contradictions between environmentalism and reality in the case of Ant Forest, Zeng Zhen
  • Exploring Kiertovalu, Tommi Sappinen
  • Why is agroforestry not expanding but industrial monocultures are expanding in Brazil?, Markus Kröger and Ossi Ollinaho

Commentator Ulla Heinonen, Gaia Consulting Oy.