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Väestönkasvu lisää tarvetta öljykasvien tuotannolle ihmisravinnoksi ja biopolttoaineeksi. Öljynpuristamisesta saatavat sivutuotteet, kuten rouheet ja puristeet sisältävät hyvälaatuista valkuaista eläinten ruokintaan. Camelina (Camelina sativa) ja hamppu (Cannabis sativa) ovat potentiaalisia vaihtoehtoja nautojen valkuaisruokinnassa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää camelina- ja hamppupuristeen vaikutusta in vitro pötsikäymiseen eri karkearehukäsittelyillä. Karkearehuina käytettiin lämpökuivattua nurmi-, puna-apila- ja maissisäilörehua ja väkirehuna ohraa. Kontrollina toimivat rypsipuriste ja käsittelyt, jotka eivät sisältäneet täydennysvalkuaisrehua eli koostuivat ainoastaan karkearehusta ja ohrasta. Kaikkien käsittelyiden karkearehu:väkirehusuhde oli 1:1 kuiva-aineessa. Valkuaislisättömien käsittelyiden raakavalkuaispitoisuudet vaihtelivat 95–140 g/kg ka välillä riippuen käytetyn karkearehun raakavalkuaispitoisuudesta. Valkuaiskäsittelyissä raakavalkuaispitoisuudeksi tuli 170 g/kg ka. Inkubaatiopulloihin punnittiin rehuja yhteensä 3,5 g ka. Käsittelyitä oli 12 kpl ja lisäksi jokaisessa ajossa oli 2 kpl blancoja, joihin ei punnittu rehuja. Ajoja tehtiin neljä. Jokainen ajo kesti 30 h ja näytteitä otettiin 1, 4, 8, 12, 24 ja 30 h kuluttua inkubaation aloituksesta. Näytteistä määritettiin haihtuvat rasvahapot (VFA), ammoniumtyppi ja pH. Analyysituloksista laskettiin haihtuvien rasvahappojen moolisuhteet. Tutkittavista rehuista analysoitiin lisäksi sekundäärinen kuiva-aine, tuhka, tuhkaton neutraalidetergenttikuitu (NDF), raakavalkuainen ja kokonaisrasva. Valkuaisrehuista analysoitiin typpifraktiot (A, B1, B2, B3 ja C). Rypsi-, camelina- ja hamppupuristeen raakavalkuaispitoisuudet olivat 332, 367 ja 286 g/kg ka vastaavasti. Hypoteesin vastaisesti valkuaisrehun lisääminen ei lisännyt VFA:n kokonaismäärää ja ammoniumtypen muodostusta. Hypoteesin mukaisesti valkuaisrehun lähde vaikutti pötsikäymisen voimakkuuteen. Camelina- ja rypsipuristetta sisältävät käsittelyt vastasivat toisiaan VFA:n kokonaismäärässä (P>0,05) hypoteesin mukaisesti. Camelina lisäsi kuitenkin propionihapon kokonaismäärää (P<0,05) ja mooliosuutta (P<0,01) verrattuna rypsiin sekä pienensi voihapon mooliosuutta verrattuna rypsiin (P<0,01). Hamppupuristeella VFA:n kokonaismäärä oli pienempi kuin camelinapuristeella (P<0,05) ja suuntaa antavasti pienempi kuin rypsipuristeella (P=0,063). Hamppupuriste vähensi propionihapon kokonaismäärää ja lisäsi etikkahapon mooliosuutta verrattuna rypsiin (P<0,001 ja P<0,01, vastaavasti) ja camelinaan (P<0,001 ja P<0,01, vastaavasti). Karkearehun lähde vaikutti VFA:n kokonaismääriin ja moolisuhteisiin. Puna-apilasäilörehua sisältävissä käsittelyissä VFA:n kokonaismäärät olivat suuremmat kuin maissisäilörehua sisältävissä käsittelyissä (P<0,05). Puna-apilasäilörehukäsittely lisäsi etikkahapon ja propionihapon kokonaismääriä verrattuna nurmisäilörehukäsittelyihin (P<0,05 ja P<0,01 vastaavasti) ja maissisäilörehukäsittelyihin (P<0,01 ja P<0,05, vastaavasti). Tulosten perusteella camelinapuristeen raakavalkuaispitoisuus oli rypsiä suurempi ja näiden VFA:n kokonaismäärät ja typpifraktiot vastasivat toisiaan. Camelina voisi siis vastata rypsiä nautojen valkuaisruokinnassa, mutta hampun valkuaisarvo on mahdollisesti näitä alhaisempi VFA:n kokonaismäärän ja moolisuhteiden perusteella. Hamppupuristeen suurempi NDF-kuidun määrä voisi selittää camelina- ja rypsipuristekäsittelyitä suuremman etikkahapon mooliosuuden. Karkearehun lähde vaikutti pötsikäymiseen ja puna-apila lisäsi VFA:n kokonaismäärää verrattuna nurmi- ja maissisäilörehuun, jolla voi olla positiivisia vaikutuksia energiansaantiin ja maitotuotokseen.

Nykyään kuluttajat ovat entistä kiinnostuneempia elintarvikkeiden laadusta ja niiden terveellisyydestä. Eläinperäisten tuotteiden koostumukseen voidaan vaikuttaa eläimille syötettävän rehun kautta. Suomessa täydennysvalkuaisrehun omavaraisuusaste on heikko, 20,9 % vuonna 2021, joten siihen kaivataan uusia vaihtoehtoja rypsin ja rapsin rinnalle. Tässä tutkielmassa tutkittiin camelinan ja hampun soveltuvuutta kotieläinten ruokintaan täydennysvalkuaisrehuna, koska niiden siemenet sisältävät runsaasti valkuaista ja rasvaa. Aineiston siemennäytteet kerättiin camelinaa (n=5) ja hamppua (n=20) viljelyttäviltä yrityksiltä (Janakkalan piensiemen ja TransFarm), näytteet olivat kasvukaudelta 2021. Hampusta analysoitavat siemennäytteet valittiin siten, että niissä on mukana sekä suuren sadon (>600 kg/ha) että pienen sadon (<400 kg/ha) näytteitä ja että ne ovat maantieteellisesti mahdollisimman edustavia. Näytteistä analysoitiin peruskoostumus; kuiva-aine, kokonaisrasva, raakavalkuainen, tuhka ja neutraalidetergenttikuitu (NDF). Lisäksi haitta-aineista analysoitiin glukosinolaatit camelinasta ja trypsiini-inhibiittorit camelinasta ja hampusta. Hampusta kerättiin viljelytietoja kyselyllä, jonka TransFarm oy toteutti sopimusviljelijöilleen kasvukausilla 2021 (n= 61 kpl) ja 2022 (n=59 kpl), vastauksia saatiin yhteensä 120 kpl. Tilastollisia yhteyksiä hampusta selvitettiin SAS-tilasto ohjelmalla ristiintaulukoinnin, varianssianalyysin ja korrelaatioanalyysin avulla. Tilastoanalyyseja ei tehty camelinan koostumuksesta havaintojen pienestä määrästä johtuen. Tulosten mukaan hampun satotasoon vaikuttivat kasvuston korkeus, puintikosteus, taimettuneiden yksilöiden määrä ja tuotantomuoto. Mitä korkeampi kasvusto (P<0,001) ja mitä suurempi puintikosteus (P<0,05), sitä suurempi osuus havainnoista sijoittui suurimpaan satotasoluokkaan (>600 kg/ha). Lisäksi suuntaa-antavasti (P<0,10) taimettuneiden yksilöiden määrän (kpl/m2 ) lisääntyessä suurempi osuus havainnoista sijoittui suurimpaan satotasoluokkaan. Hypoteesin vastaisesti typpilannoitustasolla ja maan fosforiluokalla ei havaittu olevan yhteyttä hampun satotasoon (P>0,10). Luomutuotannossa suurempi osuus havainnoista sijoittui pienimpään satotasoluokkaan (P<0,05) ja suuntaa-antavasti matalampaan kasvuston korkeusluokkaan (P<0,10) kuin tavanomaisessa tuotannossa. Ristiintaulukoinnissa (n=120) ei havaittu yhteyttä tuotantomuodon ja kasvuajan välillä, varianssianalyysissä (n=20) luomutuotannossa oli lyhyempi kasvuaika kuin tavanomaisessa tuotannossa (P<0,05) Kokonaisrasvapitoisuudet olivat camelinan siemenissä 375– 410 g/kg ka, hampun siemenissä rasvapitoisuudet olivat suurempia pienemmän satotason siemenissä, kuin suuremman satotason siemenissä, (P<0,001; 365 vs. 339 g/kg ka). Raakavalkuaispitoisuus camelinan siemenellä oli 267–303 g/kg ka ja hampun siemenellä 275–277 g/kg ka, satotaso ei vaikuttanut hampun raakavalkuaispitoisuuteen (P>0,10). Tuhkapitoisuus oli camelinalla 33,7-40,5 g/kg ka ja hampun siemenellä 56,8-59,3 g/kg ka, satotaso vaikutti suuntaa antavasti hampun tuhkapitoisuuteen (P<0,10) ollen korkeampi pienemmän satotason siemenissä verrattuna suuremman sadon siemeniin (59,3 vs. 56,8 g/kg ka). Camelinan siementen glukosinolaattipitoisuudet olivat 15,7–26,3 mmol/kg ka ja trypsiini-inhibiittoriaktiivisuus (TIA) 15,0- 22,2 mg ka. Hamppunäytteiden TIA-pitoisuudet olivat suuntaa-antavasti korkeammat suuremman sadon siemenissä verrattuna pienemmän sadon siemeniin (P<0,10; 4,29 vs. 4,07 TIA/ mg ka). Tulosten perusteella camelinan ja hampun siementen koostumuksessa esiintyy vaihtelua, johon hampun osalta vaikuttaa satotaso. Hampun satotasoon voidaan vaikuttaa viljelykäytännöin. Camelina ja hamppu soveltuvat siemenen koostumuksen, glukosinolaattipitoisuuden ja trypsiini inhibiittoriaktiivisuuden perusteella täydennysvalkuaisrehuna osaksi kotieläinten ruokintaa

Porkkana on sekä tuotannollisesti että kotitalouksien kulutuksen kannalta merkittävin avomaanvihannes Suomessa. Porkkanan merkittävin tuholainen on porkkanakemppi (Trioza apicalis), jonka havaittiin vuonna 2009 toimivan myös porkkanaa infektoivan Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLs) -bakteerin levittäjänä. Merkittävimmät porkkananviljelyalueet sijaitsevat Lounais-Suomessa, joka on myös erityisen kemppiongelmaista aluetta. Alueella on havaittu myös runsaasti CLs-bakteerin aiheuttamaa voimakkaan punaista värittymisoiretta porkkanan lehdissä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa CLs-bakteeritaudin esiintyvyys Lounais-Suomen porkkanaviljelmillä ja määrittää CLs-positiivisten porkkanoiden osuudet eri oireryhmissä: oireettomat, kempinsyömät ja kempinsyömät värittymisoireiset. Tutkimuksen aikana pyrittiin kehittämään edullinen ja toimintavarma PCR-menetelmä CLs-bakteerin laajamittaiseen diagnostiikkaan soveltuvaksi. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa haluttiin tarkastella porkkanakemppien määrien vaihtelua lähekkäisillä porkkanapelloilla Kanta-Hämeessä. Tämän tutkielman CLs-kartoitus oli osa Maa -ja metsätalousministeriön rahoittamaa hanketta kartoittaa taudin levinneisyys Suomessa. Elintarviketurvallisuusviraston näytteeksi keräämät porkkanakasvit käsiteltiin Helsingin yliopiston kasvipatologian laboratoriossa, jossa näytteistä eristettiin DNA:ta ja tehtiin PCR-testit CLs-bakteerin toteamiseksi. Geelissä elektroforeesilla erotellut PCR-tuotteet kuvattiin UV-valossa ja CLs-positiiviset todennettiin vertaamalla PCR-tuotetta molekyylipainostandardiin ja positiiviseen kontrolliin. Toimintavarmimmaksi PCR-menetelmäksi osoittautui kuumassa lämpötilassa toimiva entsyymi ja lyhyt PCR-ohjelma. Kartoitustulokset osoittivat, että tautia esiintyy Lounais-Suomessa runsaasti, sillä suurin osa värittymisoireisista porkkanoista todettiin CLs-positiivisiksi. Sekä taudin että kemppien määrä osoittautui olevan Lounais-Suomessa suurempi kuin vertailualueilla Itä-Suomessa ja Pohjanmaalla. Kemppien määrissä läheisillä pelloilla havaittiin suurta vaihtelevuutta. Tällä hetkellä ainoa keino torjua CLs-bakteeritautia on keskittyä kemppien torjuntaan. Kemppipopulaatiot ovat kuitenkin tulleet viime vuosina kestävämmiksi yleisesti käytetyille torjunta-aineille, mikä luo uusia leviämismahdollisuuksia myös CLs-bakteerille.

Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) (NWC) swamps are valuable both commercially and ecologically. Unfortunately, many NWC swamps are degraded and information about them is not abundant. Especially there have been no definitive studies about mosses in northern white cedar swamps and how they react to disturbances. Mosses are sensitive to changes in their environment and thus they could be used to assess ecosystem conditions of NWC swamps. The objective of this study was to determine if mosses could be used to asses conditions in NWC swamps and if there are differences between moss communities in disturbed and undisturbed sites. Seventeen sample plots were taken from 12 disturbed and undisturbed sites around upper Michigan and northern Minnesota in the summer of 2012. All mosses occurring on the plots were identified and several associated environmental parameters were measured. The main environmental conditions affecting moss communities were identified with non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS). Multiple response permutation procedures (MRPP) were run to ascertain if there were significant differences in community composition between disturbances. Indicator species analysis was then done to identify species that are related to different types of disturbances. A one-way ANOVA was used to check for significant differences between species richness and moss cover of undisturbed and disturbed sites. Over all sixty-two moss species were identified. The results indicate that there was no significant difference in species richness or moss cover between disturbed and undisturbed sites. However, moss community composition was affected by disturbance and strongly divided by a wetness gradient. Dicranum fuscescens was found to indicate undisturbed conditions. Calliergon cordifolium and Climacium dendroides indicated disturbed sites with wet conditions. Brotherella recurvans and Eurhynchium pulchellum indicated swamps with other disturbances.

In this thesis the changed paradigm of international climate policy from negotiated top-down targets of the Kyoto era to the new, Paris Agreement bottom-up mitigation contributions, NDCs is introduced. NDCs are submitted to the UNFCCC on the basis of what countries consider as their fair share of efforts in line with global warming targets, equity considerations and national circumstances. This means that normative decisions on fairness need to be made when selecting a long-term target required by the Paris Agreement. For this purpose, a framework was developed for considering some of the key issues that emerge in examining long-term climate policy. Different equity measures exist for assessing fairness, of which Equality, Ability to Pay and Historic Responsibility were selected as the ones to consider, since they are the most unambiguous as formulas and are the most prevalent in carbon budget allocation studies. The Paris Agreement temperature targets can be calculated into carbon budgets, of which the most recent IPCC estimation for the 1.5 degree budget was selected and subsequent global emissions subtracted from. To be able to consider all sources and sinks of GHGs, the carbon budgets are applied GHG budgets instead of purely carbon budgets and all emissions and sinks reported in national GHG inventories are included, which are reported in line with IPCC 2006 guidelines. While not a completely accurate utilisation of the carbon budget, this approach is sufficient for examining climate policy ambition. The equity calculations for allocating the GHG budget to countries for the period of 2020-2050 produced an emissions reduction pathway while the land-use sector net sink was kept fixed according to the historical average with an illustrative pathway for required additional emissions removals. These results were presented in graphs, and key figures pointed out, such as the mitigation rate, the year GHG neutrality occurs, what the 2050 end result is as a reduction of emissions compared to 1990, and at what rate emissions removals are required to increase. The goal of suggesting a long-term climate policy target in line with climate science, equity and 1.5 global carbon budget was successful in part; all the set conditions were successfully applied and a calculation alongside a demonstrative graph with specific key targets was produced. However, some of the results were unrealistic for applying to real life conditions, such as the amount of emissions removals required in some cases. Mitigation rates, which were fixed as linear, were very drastic in some cases, which might not be possible in present conditions. Contrary to what initially was set out to discover, GHG neutrality targets to be achieved in the 2030s for most cases transpire as the most significant result. GHG neutrality is however only a milestone toward a long-term target, which based on these case studies is a significantly over 100% emissions reduction target.

Tiivistelmä – Abstrakt – Abstract Over the recent decades Vietnam has implemented extensive reforestation and afforestation programs that have turned the country’s forestry sector’s net carbon balance positive. Smallholder forestry has contributed to this positive trend as individual farmers, households, and cooperatives have regreened degraded lands with fast-growing exotics such as Acacia hybrid. The purpose of the study was to estimate the carbon stocks and sequestration potential of smallholder Acacia hybrid plantations in Thuy Phu, Hue, Vietnam, where the short rotation plantations have been established on the government allocated barren lands. The effect of afforestation on these stocks was studied through quantification of the mean ecosystem carbon and sub-stocks of both acacia holdings and barren lands. Additionally, the impact of stand age and planting density on these stocks was studied. The carbon stocks of Acacia hybrid plantations were quantified using methods of forest inventory and soil sampling. The barren lands results were obtained from sites proxy to the land use prior to afforestation. Allometric equations, modelling, statistical analysis, and root:shoot ratios were used to estimate the mean vegetation stocks. The biomass results were converted to carbon and the soil samples were analyzed in laboratory for the soil organic matter content. The sequestration of short rotation plantation was quantified using estimates of time-averaged carbon stocks and the stock difference-method. The smallholder Acacia hybrid plantations were found to have prominently higher ecosystem carbon stocks than the barren lands due to gains in tree biomass sub-stocks. Afforestation had no statistically significant impact on the soil organic carbon or ground vegetation stocks. The impact of planting density on the carbon stocks was found to be marginal. The mean ecosystem carbon in the plantations of Thuy Phu was 67.27 t C ha-1, including the sub-stocks of aboveground trees 24.38, ground vegetation 0.23 ±0.08, tree roots 5.36, ground vegetation roots 0.18 and soil 37.13±8.17 t C ha-1. The time-averaged ecosystem carbon stock of 5 years rotation was 65.23 t C ha-1. The mean barren land ecosystem carbon was 37.40, including the sub-stocks of aboveground vegetation 0.15 ±0.11 t C ha-1, belowground vegetation 0.12, and soil 37.13±8.17 t C ha-1. The additional stock gain and sequestration was found to be 27.83 t C ha-1, comparable to an uptake of 102.14 t CO2 ha-1.

The most extensive dry forest and woodland formation in sub-Saharan Africa, including Mozambique, is formed by miombo woodlands. Because of their wide distribution, the miombo woodlands carry significance in global carbon cycle. Previous studies have indicated that while the miombo aboveground carbon stocks appear modest in comparison with tropical rainforests, they have a potential to retain high stocks of soil organic carbon. The miombo landscape is nowadays characterized by widespread deforestation and forest degradation, with woodlands being replaced by anthropogenic land uses such as small-scale agriculture and charcoal harvesting. A new land use type spreading in northern Mozambique is formed by industrial forest plantations. The emerging plantations further change the landscape in transition, allegedly affecting the carbon stocks in the process as well. The purpose of this study was to quantify carbon stocks on locally relevant land use classes in Niassa province, northern Mozambique, and evaluate the change of carbon stocks caused by forest plantations. Six major land use classes were identified: dense miombo, open miombo, other woody vegetation, fallow land, eucalypt plantations and pine plantations. A sample plot grid was laid on chosen areas representing each of the classes. Vegetation aboveground carbon stocks (trees, shrubs and herbaceous vegetation) were recorded in the inventory and topsoil (30 cm) was sampled for soil organic carbon content, to be determined in laboratory. Vegetation belowground carbon stocks were calculated based on existing root to shoot ratios. Since plantations were generally juvenile on the study area, their average yield during rotation period was estimated based on growth models to provide comparable results. Forest plantations were found to have carbon stocks of the same order of magnitude as the two miombo land use classes. Open and dense miombo carried mean vegetation aboveground carbon stocks of 27.47 ± 5.77 and 37.65 ± 7.20 Mg ha-1 respectively, and mean total carbon stocks of 67.81 ± 17.09 and 86.81 ± 18.91 Mg ha-1 respectively, which was consistent with pre-existing results. Pine plantations placed in between with a partially modelled total aboveground mean carbon stock of 34.59 Mg ha-1, whereas the corresponding figure for eucalypt plantations was 21.04 Mg ha-1. Dense miombo had the highest mean total carbon stock of all the land use classes, and fallow land the smallest with 42.59 Mg ha-1. Soil organic carbon did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between any of the land use classes. The result was unexpected, and may be explained either by (i) limited time frame since the land use conversions or (ii) soil mineralogical properties buffering carbon stock changes.

In recent years, icosahedral internal membrane-containing single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) phages have been identified. Phages phi18:4 and phi48:2, both infecting Cellulophaga baltica bacteria and isolated from the Baltic Sea, are part of this phage group. Circular ssDNA genomes of these phages are different in length, but they are packed into capsids of uniform size which is unusual among viruses. Initially, the phages were cultivated using their original C. baltica host strains #18 and #48 but during the study, spontaneously induced #18ind virus was observed to originate from the #18 strain and possessed a double-stranded DNA genome. These observations led to an examination of the phage’s host range, ultimately resulting in the use of the #48 strain as a host for both phages. The life cycle strategy of both phages was lytic and efficiently produced viral progeny in the #48 strain. Zymogram analysis was utilized to investigate the presence of peptidoglycan-degrading enzymes in the phage structure, assisting in host cell penetration. Two possible peptidoglycan hydrolyzing enzymes were observed for each phage, although sequence data suggested only one enzyme. The formation of virions was analyzed by exposing the viruses to biochemical conditions. Freezing and thawing, along with guanidine hydrochloride treatment, turned out to separate the lipid membranes and capsid proteins of the virions but require further optimization for a detailed examination of the protein composition of the membrane. This study together with other research findings, clarifies the structure, life cycle, and evolutionary relationship of lipid-containing ssDNA phages in the context of other phages. In the future, phi18:4 and phi48:2 could serve as model systems for further investigations into other discovered Cellulophaga ssDNA phages.

The Finnish forest industries are going through heavy adjustments as especially the western world is moving towards a more digitalized model where the amount of paper and pulp consumed is diminishing. It is obvious that the whole industry is in need for new solutions. These new solutions and innovations can be found from the field of bioenergy. Finland is rich with forest-based raw material which can provide a long-term and local source of energy. In the future this will be of primary importance as the prices of the non-renewable energy sources will climb higher as the deposits of the fossil fuels dry up. The usage of the renewable energy sources are also very important in order to prevent the global climate change and to achieve the goals regulated for Finland in the Kyoto Protocol and the European RES-E directive. This Master’s Thesis takes a look at the current state and the future trends of the Finnish wood pellet industries. The domestic wood-based pellet industries are studied with a concise literature review and a SWOT analysis based on the earlier literature. The analysis is linked to the future expectations and current retailer perspectives with a survey conducted between June and October 2013. The sample consists of 39 low, medium and high sales volume wood pellet manufacturers and retailers whom mostly do only domestic pellet trading business. Most of the strengths of the domestic wood-based pellet industries are related to different kinds of ecological aspects or different kinds of raw material related issues. In the future especially the prices of the raw materials, prices of other energy sources and prices of the end-product will be in a crucial role. Most of the survey participants underlined the significance of the governmental acts concerning the future of the whole business in Finland: a favorable taxing policy and different subsidies can make Finland truly a greener economy but this have not happened yet, much due to the unfavorable domestic politics. According to the survey respondents, in the future the demand of wood-based pellet services, especially tailored and ready-to-use services from maintenance to deliveries are going to increase.

The use of plastics has remarkably increased during the last 50 years. Due to its multi-use possibilities, durability and low cost the use of plastics is expected to double within the next twenty years. Despite the many benefits of plastics, the negative impacts to the environment, such as marine plastic, have raised the public attention and accelerated the demand for legislative action. To respond to these challenges, the European Commission (EC) engaged in developing a set of policies, such as the action plan for circular economy in 2015 which aimed to reduce the use of plastics and to enhance the recycling and reusing of plastics already in circulation. In 2018 the EC introduced a set of revised directives regarding the extended producer responsibility (EPR). I wanted to understand how this revised EPR scheme would be implemented into national legislation, and how it would be confronted by organisations such as ones dealing with wood products. Additionally, I also mapped the potential managerial implications for stakeholders resulting from the implementation of the scheme. I operationalised Primmer's (2011) framework of institutional adaptation which builds on two complementary strands of literature; policy implementation and organisational adaptation. The two focal research questions that derived from the framework were: How did the involved actors recognise and perceive the challenges in 1) implementing and 2) adapting to the extension to the existing EPR scheme in the use of plastic packaging of wood products? The data were collected by conducting seven semi-structured interviews with representatives of stakeholder organisations. The insights were explored and reported from these data via the means of qualitative content analysis. Considering the complexity of policy and the diversity of organisations across Finland – and the European Union, legislators are in a rush to implement the new requirements of the directives into the national legislation. Based on my studies the involved actors recognised the various challenges in the implementation and adaptation processes. There were also expectations that the policy will drive learning and innovation among organisations. Currently, legislation is the major driving factor in the development of plastic recycling and EPR schemes can be a robust legislative tool in attaining the targets, when developed and maintained accordingly.