Henrik Ehrnrooth, Chair of Otava’s Board of Directors, has received the prestigious Energy Globe award for his notable international work and creative activities in promoting sustainable development and climate-friendly solutions.

This will be the twentieth Energy Globe World Award. Energy Globe collates and presents projects that have promoted sustainability. The impact, solutions and concrete action taken are all key factors in the projects. The award can also be given in recognition of an individual’s efforts. It is awarded every year by the Energy Globe Foundation, which actively promotes innovation in sustainability and energy efficiency, and also shares information about these topics. The foundation’s activities are steered by a global jury that is currently chaired by Maneka Gandhi, India’s Minister of Women and Child Development.

Henrik Ehrnrooth is one of the leading promoters of bioeconomy solutions and has actively promoted sustainable development throughout his forty-year career. Henrik began his career at Pöyry forty years ago, spending a long time as both the company’s CEO and Chair of the Board of Directors. He is still a member of the combined ÅF Pöyry Board. He is also one of the founding members of the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC) and has chaired its Board since 2017. CLC’s members are companies, research institutes and cities that are working to become leading facilitators of climate issues in their own fields. During Henrik’s term as Chair, CLC has grown to become Europe’s leading corporate climate network in terms of membership numbers.

“I started my career in the forestry industry forty years ago, back when it was a polluting industrial sector with a bad reputation. Since then, the forestry industry has developed into a cornerstone of the new ‘bioeconomy’, as it produces recyclable and biodegradable products from renewable raw materials. The forestry industry now uses bioenergy and consumes a tenth of the water it did when I started my career. Wastewater is treated biologically, and the clean water is then returned to nature. The forestry industry is planting new forests in many countries. This transformation has also been a profitable business! It’s an example of an industrial revolution that can also help us to beat climate change.”

In March 2019, the magazine Tekniikan Maailma launched its TM Ratkaisu section, which also focuses strongly on research on solutions to prevent climate change. This magazine is published by Otavamedia, which belongs to the Otava Group.

Otava heartily congratulates Henrik on his award!