Press release: Mirka’s new 25M€ investment, first of its kind in the world
Mirka is continuing its journey as a market shaper and leading the whole abrasives industry by building an innovative circular grain manufacturing plant in Jeppo, Finland. The investment will reduce Mirka’s CO2 footprint by approximately 5000 tons and the first circular abrasive products will be launched during 2026.
Business Finland has granted Mirka 5,89 M€ RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility) funding to establish a circular grain manufacturing (CIGMA) plant. The CIGMA plant will utilize waste streams from the industry as well as abrasive waste from both production and end users to process and produce new circular ceramic and abrasive grains.
- Mirka is taking an industry-shaping leap by introducing the first truly circular concept in the global abrasives industry. This is a very ambitious initiative, so the Business Finland support is crucial, and we are very grateful for the funding. The whole investment is estimated to be around 25 M€ and the plant will be the first of its kind in the world, says CEO Stefan Sjöberg.
- Business Finland is very happy to support Mirka’s roadmap as a true forerunner in the circular transition of the abrasives industry. This investment is evidence of the strong development of the manufacturing industry in Finland, says Account & Ecosystem Manager Ulf-Erik Widd at Business Finland.
From a linear to a circular concept
The abrasive manufacturing industry is typically following a linear economy model where the abrasives are seen as mass-produced products with short lifetimes and challenging recycling possibilities. This is a common challenge for the whole abrasives industry where the grains stand for the biggest part of the products’ CO2 footprint.
- The circular grain handling process, developed within our CIGMA project, addresses this challenge by enabling us to move from virgin grains to utilizing used abrasive material as well as side streams currently disposed as landfill, says R&D Director Mats Sundell.
Mirka is committed to advancing circularity and one of Mirka’s sustainability targets is to reach a 70 % circularity rate for its product portfolio by 2035. The CIGMA investment is a significant step towards achieving this goal.
- This is a project that will not only fast track our green transition but also enhance the circularity of the whole abrasives industry. Through this project Mirka will be able to lead the abrasives industry by being the first company to supply fully circular abrasives, says Sjöberg.
Increased local employment
The plant covers 7000 m² and will be built on the Mirka production site in Jeppo. The facility is estimated to be ready for production at the end of 2025.
- We are now making history, as we are introducing a completely new industry to Finland. This is fantastic news also locally, as the investment will bring in EU recovery funding to the region and create more than 50 new jobs, says Sjöberg.
For more information, please contact:
CEO Stefan Sjöberg, tel. +358 20 7602 631
Shortly about Mirka
Mirka Ltd if a Finnish family-owned company located in Jeppo, Finland and part of the KWH Group. Mirka offers a wide range of solutions for surface finishing and precision sanding. Mirka is specialized in total solutions in which the abrasives are supplemented by innovatively designed machines and polishing compounds. The know-how combines hands-on experience, and the innovative solutions are based on customer individual needs. Around 98 % of production is exported to over 100 countries. Mirka employs over 1600 people in 19 subsidiaries around the world. The company’s turnover in 2022 was 392 M€.
Shortly about RRF funding
RRF (Recovery and Resilience Facility) funding is granted to investments that support the targets set in Finland’s Sustainable Growth Program. The aim of the RRF funding is to revive the European economy. RRF funding is a grant and Business Finland is the grant provider in most of the RRF funding applications in Finland.
Shortly about Business Finland
Business Finland is a public organization providing internationalization and funding services to companies, accelerating sustainable growth, and generating prosperity and well-being for the Finnish society. Business Finland helps customer companies grow and succeed globally, develop solutions for the future and renew their business operations boldly. The aim is to promote collaboration between companies and research groups, so that new endeavors can develop into international business ecosystems.