Avaus Sustainability Project

Avaus was a two-year sustainability project funded by the EU and the Ministry of Education and Culture, aimed at developing sustainability within Finland’s audiovisual industry.

The project promoted socially, culturally, economically, and ecologically sustainable and responsible practices with activities directed at the entire industry. Avaus encompasses a broad range of initiatives related to sustainability. The project was based on the sustainable development strategy initiated in 2021 by APFI and its partners.

Join the project’s mailing list to stay updated on training sessions and events! Avaus’ newsletter is in Finnish.

Key Actions

Avaus Sustainability Website

The comprehensive Avaus Sustainability Website was developed to provide essential tools, information and guidelines for the industry. The site will support practical actions related to sustainability and serve as a central resource for responsibility information in the audiovisual field. Some of the content is available also in English and Swedish.

If you have ideas or content suggestions for the website, feel free to get in touch! You can submit content ideas for the Avaus site via this link.

Well-being Study

Conducted by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, this study assessed the well-being of professionals working in independent productions within the audiovisual industry. The report was published in December 2024 (in Finnish).

Kaista Portal

In connection with the Avaus project, the Kaista reporting portal is being developed for the audiovisual industry. Kaista, created by APFI and its partners, is a portal designed to streamline and automate reporting by production companies. Avaus project will explore ways to use Kaista for future industry and sustainability data collection and to support more responsible practices.

Training

Various nationwide training sessions on social and economic responsibility were organized. These training courses will be available for diverse target groups, covering topics like responsible leadership, harassment prevention, and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) themes. All training sessions in the project are free for participants.

Collaboration

Avaus project aims to increase awareness of sustainability and responsibility issues and established a foundation for inclusive dialogue. The project strived to reach a wide range of audiovisual industry players and strengthen collaboration among various organizations and companies.

Project Schedule and Funding

The project began in October 2023 and will continue until September 2025.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted funding for the project through the support for cultural and creative sectors. Funding for Finland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan comes from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), part of the EU’s one-time recovery instrument, Next Generation EU.

The project team: Roosa Tikanoja, Heli Vahvanen-Mölsä, Iisa Arvelin, Jaakko Suomalainen.

On the left side, the flag of the European Union, with 12 yellow stars in a circle on a blue background, and on the right next to the flag the text funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Contact Information

Please feel free to reach out if you would like to learn more or discuss the project’s content and responsibility topics!

For more information and inquiries: