In order to achieve the goals, set in this Vision, the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania is actively working not only with other Nordic organisations, but also with Lithuanian government institutions. The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania plays a particularly important role here. We are talking to Simonas Gentvilas, the Minister in charge, about joint projects with the Nordic countries and good practices that are on the way to be implement in Lithuania too.
Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of Environment
Revival of timber construction will be encouraged
According to the Minister of Environment, the role of the Nordic countries is particularly important in the debate on the sustainability of enterprises.
„Nordic companies and their capital are mature, they do not pursue short-term profits, but follow a broader and longer-term perspectives. Other than in Eastern Europe, where business is still in its forties only, business practices have a long tradition in the Nordic countries. So lessons can be learned from them when developing long-term business strategies,” says S. Gentvilas.
Another area where Lithuania is currently seeking inspiration from the Nordic countries is related to sustainable construction.
Lithuania is currently reviewing its Fire Protection Regulations to allow greater use of timber in hospitals, schools, hotels, libraries and other public buildings. The Government Program envisages that timber and other organic materials will have to account for 50% of all building materials in all new public buildings by 2024.
Oslo Opera House
„Lithuania and the Nordic countries are in the same geographic climate zone. Our climate is humid, we get a similar amount of sun and we use a lot of energy to heat our buildings. We have long forgotten about timber construction in cities, while it is extremely popular in the Nordic countries. My goal and that of the current government is to return timber to construction, to replace steel and concrete with it. After all, the latter require fossil resources, and their production causes extremely high CO2 emissions,” says the Minister of Environment.
S. Gentvilas adds that the transition to more sustainable construction will only be smooth if there is cooperation between fire standard-setting institutions, architects and the construction industry.
The biggest challenge is textile recycling
A very strong strength of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania is their ability to bring together various specialists to address the challenges of the entire Region. One such challenge today undoubtedly is the collection and recycling of waste, especially textiles.
A recent study of the Nordic-Baltic textile system has also provided various recommendations in this regard.
„Currently, only 1% of textiles are recycled. We therefore have to make our contribution to the durability and high quality of these products. This is in our common interest with that of the Nordic countries. Establishing a common standard for textile products would also contribute to this, which in turn would raise the requirements in other textile-producing countries.
By 2025, textile collection will become mandatory throughout the European Union, but we have already begun the preparatory work. Construction of textile containers has already begun. But recycling the textiles is a huge challenge that needs to be tackled together,” S. Gentvilas is certain.
More practical waste labelling
However, this is not the only contribution of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office to the Baltic Region Waste Management Strategy. Following the good examples of waste labelling in Denmark, the aim is now to standardise waste labelling symbols (pictograms) in all Nordic and Baltic countries.
Danish pictogram project in Lithuania
„Danes are among the leaders in waste management, and their examples are inspiring. The clearer waste sorting system is for the general population, the better it is for the nature. 2022 will be a year of great changes in waste and packaging management in Lithuania, so the Danish pictogram project is very timely,” says the Minister.
In Denmark, a national waste labelling system was set up in 2016. The pictograms are designed to indicate different categories of waste with certain colour codes and symbols, and can be used to indicate not only the waste containers but also the packaging of the products.
