Honourable Mention
Tervatulli Oy, Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia
The Tervatulli concept, promotion of sustainable development, social entrepreneurship
Tervatulli Oy is the first social enterprise in Finland. It operates in the fields of recycling of electronic waste and mechanical engineering and construction. The common denominator of all its operations is the principle of sustainable development. Its goal is to create permanent jobs for those who are in a difficult employment situation. At the moment, Tervatulli offers permanent jobs to almost fifty people who either are unemployed on a long-term basis or are disabled.
As a forerunner of social entrepreneurship, Tervatulli Oy has created a concept which has served as a model for four other social enterprises concentrating on the re-use of electronic waste (e-waste). The concept covers the establishment of a company, training of employees, engineering and manufacture of machinery and commercial control of operations. The concept has aroused interest also abroad.
The concept and international contacts have been developed in cooperation with an EU-financed Elware Project. For example, it aims at furthering the operating conditions of social enterprises, and the developing of vocational training in the recycling sector for long-term unemployed people, the disabled and immigrants. It also strives at finding the best operating models for social enterprises and tries to build up a both national and European cooperation network among social enterprises specialised in e-waste recycling.
CEFEC, the Confederation of European Firms Employment Initiatives and Cooperatives, elected Tervatulli Oy as the Social Enterprise of the Year 1999. Tervatulli is also a member of the international organisation Rreuse, Re-use and Recycling European Union Social Enterprises.
Contact information:
Managing Director Mauri Korhonen
Korjaamontie 2, FI-90530 Oulu
www.tervatulli.fi
mauri.korhonen@tervatulli.fi
faksti fax +358 (0)8 386 334