NutriTrade reduced nutrient load to the Baltic Sea through cost-effective pilot measures. These included pilot projects, creating a crowdfunding platform for nutrient offset and policy analysis.

Pilot projects

• The Pilots developed new concepts for nutrient reduction and provided new information on the feasibility of the methods and on their cost-efficiency as a nutrient removal measure
• In total, the pilots contributed to the removal of 6 t of phosphorus from the Baltic Sea in 2015-18 and will continue to cut phosphorus loading in the future.
• Pilot Gypsum reduced phosphorus runoff by 50% (1.3-2.3 t in the first 1,5 years).
• Pilot Fish resulted in phosphorus removal of 4,2 t by 2018 and will continue to remove phosphorus in the future, too.
• Pilot Mussel removed 65 kg phosphorus.

 
Pilot measures are being put into practice in other geographical areas and institutionalised:

• Finnish authorities are planning the introduction of gypsum amendment of fields into the public support schemes.
• Up to 3500 hectares will be treated by gypsum in 2018-20 in river Vantaa and Porvoo catchment areas.
• Gypsum treatment will be tested e.g. in Poland. 

 
The Nutribute crowdfunding platform

• A functioning nutrient offset platform for the Baltic Sea available at nutribute.org enables the meeting of project owners and voluntary donors.
• A transparent framework for measuring cost efficiency (€/kg) of nutrient reduction efforts and identifying new innovative reduction methods.
• A mechanism that enables companies, municipalities, associations, private citizens etc. to neutralize their nutrient footprint.
• A sustainable financing mechanism for innovations/measures which reduce nutrients from the Baltic Sea but have not yet become commercially viable or included in institutional financing frameworks

The policy briefs published by Pilot Gypsum recommend large-scale use of gypsum amendment in Finland and consider it also elsewhere in the Baltic Sea region. The Policy Briefs have been utilized by HELCOM as well as the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and the Finnish Ministry of the Agriculture and Forestry in planning a support scheme for the measure.