Achieving sustainable growth and jobs is a challenge for Europe as a whole. On the other hand, climate change, urbanisation and resource depletion pose global challenges. 75 % of Europeans currently live in cities and the proportion continues to grow. Cities are therefore increasingly dependent on surrounding areas and environmental ecosystem services. Increasing demand for food, energy and water puts pressure on the environment which may lead to environmental degradation and different sustainability challenges. On a global scale, environmental sustainability has already been found to have been exceeded in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. The bill recently adopted by the European Commission sets very challenging targets for more efficient use of natural resources, e.g. through the recovery of recyclable waste, as the landfilling of recyclable waste is to be banned by 2025. The Reiska project responds to the challenges related to the depletion of natural resources by increasing resource efficiency, expertise and business opportunities in the project area. Projects and studies on resource efficiency have been carried out in the Päijät-Häme region, but their results have not yet been fully exploited. Päijämä-based companies also have potential waste and side streams, the beneficial use of which in the REISKA project is investigated and piloted. The overall objective of the project is to increase SMEs’ resource efficiency know-how through measures and operating models to be developed and piloted. Examples of measures to be taken include mapping and illustrating material flows in industrial areas with the help of a spatial information service, and drawing up an operating model and development plan for the utilisation of textiles and fibres. The part related to the nutrient economy examines the food production systems of the Lahti region in a case-by-case manner and reduces the nutrient, carbon and water footprints. Based on the above calculations, the degrees and efficiency of closed nutrient cycles can be assessed to achieve genuinely closed loops. The project consortium includes Lahti University of Applied Sciences and Lappeenranta University of Technology, environmental engineering, where LAMK acts as manager. The project’s concrete measures and operating and calculation models developed during the project create sustainable business operations and new jobs. Development is carried out using user-driven methods and by using national and international networks in research and product development cooperation. Through the activities of the Reiska project, LAMK’s work-based cleantech-TKI competence and the University of Applied Sciences cooperation are strengthened and rooted in the use of all stakeholders and LAMK’s owner municipalities in the Päijät-Häme region. The project supports the horizontal principles of the Structural Funds programme.