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Green solutions from Sweden magazine vol.5 2013
1. FROM SWEDEN 2013
GREEN
SOLUTIONS
The man opening doors for Why IKEA invests in cleantech
The Boom: Swedish cleantech on the rise Decides on Sweden’s
future energy What’s happening inside
SPECIAL EDITION FROM THE MAGAZINE MILJÖAKTUELLT, MILJÖAKTUELLT.SE
2. With a sustainable vision 2021
are located at the heart
of Sundsvall Bay and have been sites for timber
and charcoal handling, sawmills, and industries
since the mid-1800s. This area of Sundsvall is
now set to become the greenest district , with a
pro-environment approach.
is to become one of the world’s best
cities for sustainable development. Sundsvall is also planning for an
entirely new logistics solution for heavy goods, as well as a combined
biogas plant that will process organic domestic waste and sludge from
industry and sewage treatment. A fossil fuel-free transport corridor – the
Green Highway from Sundsvall to Trondheim in Norway – has been
established and has achieved changes that others only talk about.
is home to the first
complete house built from cellular glass,
Villa Kim. Villa Kim has minimal
impact on the environment,
according to architect Anders
Nyquist. The whole objective
of the project was to create
a house with low energy
consumption, low annual
costs, easy maintenance,
low useful-life costs, and no
connection to the municipal
sewage or district heating
systems.
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quat asperit, quibuscitia ent aute pre, tet lab int
lat quiamet es dusa non exceptas dolo que non
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in Sundsvall are
home to world-class research and innovation. Business
in Mid Sweden is greatly influenced by the region’s large
and important forest industry and Åkroken Science
Park’s mission is to create a center for world-class
innovation using the forest as a resource. Additionally,
forestry industry research at Mid Sweden University
ranks as some of the best in the world.
have a long history
as international meeting places for industrial development
and business with a focus on the forestry industry. Our
ambition nowadays is to continue to be an excellent host for
sustainable growth development. Sundsvall welcomes you to
an international event to be held in 2014, World CleanTech
Forum. More information to come.
4. 6 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
F
innish energy company For-
tum has launched an open
district heating program in
Stockholm. The idea is that
the company will reuse its
customers’ waste heat, opening up its
own heat production to competition.
In the pilot project, Fortum will buy
waste heat at market prices that are
based on demand, that is to say, on the
outdoor temperature, from customers
like the Östermalm food hall, Zinkens-
damm sports stadium, the grocery
chains Coop, ICA, and Hemköp, the
Bahnhof ISP, the real estate company
Fabege, the Stora Sköndal Foundation,
and a commercial bank. The project
will run during 2013 to assess the
price model and technology. Fortum
hopes to launch a large-scale program
in 2014.
“Waste heat is nothing new. What
is unique about our open district
heating initiative is that it opens up
our own production to competition,”
explains Lena Gunnarsson, Fortum’s
Product Manager for District Heating.
In other words, the program is not
about a traditional purchase of waste
heat from large industries. Instead,
the idea is that all customers, large
and small alike, should be able to sell
small-scale waste heat on a spot
market. “At Fortum, we hope the
project will help us avoid having to
make large investments in the future
that bind up capital in new production
facilities.
If we can buy heat cheaper from
our customers, then, naturally, we’re
happy to do so,” Gunnarsson con-
cludes. For Fortum, open district
heating programs have great poten-
tial. “There is major international
interest, and we have fielded a number
of enquiries from places like South Ko-
rea and the US. So this could really be
a big thing,” she adds.
SORUBIN GAINING GROUND
A
pproximately 90 Swedish
municipal landfills are
required by environ-
mental regulations to
aerate their leachate—either to treat
it before it is sent on to purification
plants or to recipient bodies of water,
or to aerate the water to resolve odors
that could otherwise spread long
distances. Historically, aeration has
been costly because it is energy-inten-
sive.
The Swedish cleantech company
Sorubin, however, is now making
advances with its Vortex Aerator,
which can potentially reduce power
consumption by 90 percent.
A contract was recently signed
with the Swedish municipality of
Hallsberg, and now Sorubin proudly
supplies aeration services to 25
percent of the landfill market.
“Our success comes thanks to a
great product and value for money.
Our customers have discovered that
all they basically have to do is place
the aerator in the water and then let it
do its thing without further ado.
Naturally, we’re very happy to
have succeeded in winning 25 percent
of Sweden’s landfill market. That said,
we’re also thinking about markets
beyond our local municipalities. The
need for aeration is even greater
out there,” says Sorubin CEO Stefan
Sandström.
S
weden ranks at number six
among Europe’s top ten
household waste recyclers.
In 2010 Sweden recycled
465 kg of waste per capita, equaling
49 percent of the total volume of
household waste produced. This is
20 kg increase compared with ten
years ago.
Back then Sweden recycled 442
kg per capita, according to statistics
compiled by the EU’s European
Environment Agency (EEA).
This means that Swedish house-
holds are among the best recyclers
after Austria (63%), Germany (62%),
Belgium (58%), Switzerland (51%)
and the Netherlands (51%). Sweden
has improved its ranking from 2001,
when it placed seventh.
In 2010, on average 35 percent
of household waste was recycled in
Europe, a considerable improvement
over 2001’s figure of 23 percent.
Even so, large amounts of house-
hold waste still end up either in
landfills or as filler material.
According to the EEA, many
European countries appear unable
to achieve the Waste Framework
Directive’s 2020 goal of recycling
50 percent of their municipal solid
waste.
GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 7
5. 8 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 9
S
weden cannot afford to miss
the opportunities created by
the EU’s Energy Efficiency
Directive (EED), according
to the Swedish network
100% Förnybart. According to the
network, more efficient energy use
would not only generate major
environmental benefits, but also
create around 30,000 new jobs in
Sweden.
100% Förnybart hopes that the
Swedish Minister for IT and Energy,
Anna-Karin Hatt, will focus on this in
her upcoming announcement of
Sweden’s strategy for implementing
the EED.
The network proposes that
Sweden harness the job-creating
potential of the EED by mirroring the
EU’s efficiency target, to set higher
targets for energy efficiency for
buildings, to use energy declarations
as an active tool for transitioning
to higher efficiency and to allow
municipalities to set their own,
more stringent energy requirements
through their public procurements.
The network also wants to
encourage new business models,
e.g. by awarding white certificates
(ESC) as incentives for electricity
producers to reduce end-customer
energy consumption, and to encour-
age the private sector to make greater
and more conscious efforts to
conserve energy through energy
management in accordance with
the Swedish Programme for Im-
proving Energy Efficiency in
Energy Intensive Industries
(PFE).
T
he headquarters of
Swedish construction
company Skanska at Väla
Gård in Helsingborg was
awarded more points in its
LEED certification process than any
other European building. The building
received 95 of a possible 100 points,
making it the third most environmen-
tally friendly building in the world, as
defined by the LEED program.
“The building is definitely a
shining example of sustainable
construction. Internally, we refer to
Väla Gård as a deep green building,”
explains Agneta Wannerström,
Development Leader for green
buildings at Skanska.
According to the Business Case for
Green Building report, sustainable
construction can also provide
financial benefits. Wannerström and
Skanska share this conclusion.
“Profitability is something we
discussed at length. We are definitely
seeing a continual downward trend in
the cost of green construction. We
have long placed requirements on our
suppliers, and this is now bearing
fruit. All the products needed for
green construction are available
today. What’s more, they have both
improved and have become cheaper.
At the same time, the cost of the
learning curve for construction
companies has fallen. We have
found solutions that we can re-use
in later projects. Under the right
conditions, today we can build
sustainably without incurring any
additional costs,” Wannerström
concludes.
S
aint-Gobain, the world’s
largest manufacturer of
construction materials,
wants to help its customers
switch to sustainable
construction.
As part of this initiative, the
company has launched the Internet-
based support tool Hållbart byggande
(www.hållbartbyggande.se) in
Sweden.
According to CEO Lars-Erik
Edgarsson, the site will serve as a
useful tool and source of inspiration
for anyone working within green
construction. The website explains
how Saint-Gobain’s construction
materials meet the requirements
for the green building certifications
LEED, BREEAM, and Miljöbygg-
nad.
“Looking at the use of the different
environmental certifications in the
building sector, you see a continual
increase. As a materials manufacturer,
we want to make it easy for our
customers to keep up with green
requirements,” says Edgarsson.
T
he European Court has
begun looking into
Swedish state sub-
sidies to a wind power
park on the autonomous
Finnish island of Åland.
This will set an important
precedent regarding whether
government funds may be paid to
facilities in other countries, accord-
ing to Reuters.
The Åland wind power company,
which is connected to the Swedish
power grid, but not the Finnish grid,
has petitioned Swedish courts,
complaining that it is not entitled to
the same subsidies as Swedish wind
power farms, which results in a
competitive disadvantage.
The European Court is now set to
decide the case.
It is thought that the Court’s
decision will have major ramifications
in the ongoing tug-of-war between
the European Commission, which
wants to share the cost of renewable
energy sources between EU nations,
and parts of the German energy
industry, which believe that such
support breaches antitrust laws.
The court is expected to deli-
berate for at least a year. Its decision
will be binding for Swedish courts.
6. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 11
T
he Swedish Institute of
Agricultural and Environ-
mental Engineering (JTI)
recently began a collabora-
tive project with Russian authorities.
The project aims to export expertise
and experience gained during Swedish
biogas production. JTI has established
a partnership with the Russian
Engineering Academy of Management
and Agribusiness (RIAMA) and the
Russian Energy Agency (REA). The
Swedish Energy Agency is responsible
for financing JTI’s part of the project.
In concrete terms, the project may
involve building and exporting mobile
biogas plants for pilot studies, for
example. It may also open doors to the
Russian market for Swedish technol-
ogy companies and assist them with
networking building.
OF BIOGAS
T
hanks to its new innova-
tion, Arc Aroma Pure,
based in Lund, Sweden,
has succeeded in achiev-
ing production increases of 15 to 28
percent in biogas plants.
The company announced that
the method also opens up the way
for the use of new types of raw mate-
rials, such as seaweed and forest
waste in these plants. Arc Aroma
Pure even goes so far as to claim that
Sweden could become a net exporter
of biogas, thanks to the technique.
The new technique is based on
high-voltage pulses that kill micro-
organisms by destroying cells inside
the waste, which breaks the raw
material down at the cellular level,
releasing nutrients.
The method is currently undergoing
large-scale testing at an industrial
biogas plant in Skåne, southern
Sweden.
Arc Aroma Pure is also arranging
a new share issue prior to listing on
the stock market in order to raise
capital for the commercialization of
its innovation.
W
orking in collaboration
with a number of
research teams,
Professor Yifang Ban of
the Swedish Royal Institute of
Technology (KTH) has succeeded in
developing a technique that maps
urban growth and its environmental
consequences.
The technique incorporates
synthetic aperture radar images,
which are later combined with other
satellite imagery. For example, by
merging a ten-year-old image with a
current image, the technique creates a
third image that directly shows the
changes to the city and how it has
expanded. It can also provide data for
calculating how the city’s growth is
affecting the environment.
“Naturally, there is ongoing
debate about which measurements
should be used to calculate environ-
mental impact. Among others, we use
a measure called ‘loss of ecosystem
services value translated into cash’
when forest and cultivated land is
built on. That loss can be used as a
measure of the impact on the en-
vironment,” says Yifang.
The world’s cities are growing
rapidly. For example, during the
decade spanning 2000 to 2010, New
York City grew by 4.8 percent.
During the same period, Shang-
hai grew by an astounding 65.5
percent. Today, over half of the
world’s population lives in
cities.
7. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
An arena for cleantech companies in Dalarna and Gävleborg
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ADVICE
www.greenbusinessregion.se
NETWORKS AND WORKSHOPS
VISIT PROGRAMS
WORLD
BIOENERGY
2014
www.worldbioenergy.com
World Bioenergy is the
leading trade fair and conference
within the topics of
and large scale applications
and matchmaking.
BUILDS GREEN
The 2012 Swedish Green Data Center
of the Year is in Växjö. The center
belongs to the power company Växjö
Energi and the Wexnet municipal
broadband network company. Data
center supplier Coromatic, which
presents the annual award, described
Växjö Energi’s and Wexnet’s jointly
owned data center as “excellent” from
an environmental engineering
standpoint.
Wexnet’s CTO Lars Wihlborg
explains that the engineering solution
behind the data center is likely
unique. “Our district cooling network
first sends its coolant to a large
shopping center. The remaining
coolant is then returned by way of
the data center. The excess heat
created there is then used to heat the
playing field of a local soccer club.
So, in that way, the cooling energy
is used three times over,” says
Wihlborg.
GREEN
BUILDINGS
ARE GOOD
BUSINESS
T
he headquarters of
Swedish construction
company Skanska at
Väla Gård in Helsing-
borg was awarded more
points in its LEED certification
process than any other European
building. The building received 95
of a possible 100 points, making it
the third most environmentally
friendly building in the world, as
defined by the LEED program.
“The building is definitely a
shining example of sustainable
construction. Internally, we refer to
Väla Gård as a deep green build-
ing,” explains Agneta Wanner-
ström, Development Leader for
green buildings at Skanska.
According to the Business Case
for Green Building report, sustain-
able construction can also provide
financial benefits. Wannerström
and Skanska share this conclusion.
“Profitability is something we
discussed at length. We are
definitely seeing a continual
downward trend in the cost of
green construction. We have long
placed requirements on our
suppliers, and this is now bearing
fruit. All the products needed for
green construction are available
today. What’s more, they have
both improved and have become
cheaper. At the same time, the cost
of the learning curve for construc-
tion companies has fallen. We have
found solutions that we can re-use
in later projects.
Under the right conditions,
today we can build sustainably
without incurring any additio-
nal costs,” Wannerström
concludes.
8. 14 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 15
1._______________________________________SORUBIN.
Sorubin develops energy-efficient aerators for industrial
water treatment, such as for process water, wastewater,
drinking water, and landfill leachate. Sorubin’s customers
include companies in the pulp and paper industry, textile
industry, food industry, metal manufacturing, chemical
industry, and pharmaceutical industry, and public water
and wastewater treatment plants. Sorubin has recently
received widespread publicity and several accolades,
including being named in the Global Top 100 and the
Greentech Top 3 as one of Sweden’s hottest start-ups in
cleantech, and as one of ten finalists for the Stockholm
Cleantech Venture Day Award. “We are extremely proud
of our success. Gaining the trust of an entire industry in
just a few years shows that our customers derive real
benefit from our offering. We’re now preparing for the
next step in our expansion into the vastly larger industries
of municipal and industrial wastewater. As we scale up,
we’re starting to make an impact on a whole new level,”
says Stefan Sandström, CEO of Sorubin.
INNVENTIA.
Innventia is a research and development company that
develops innovations based on raw materials sourced
from forests. Using a science-based approach, Innventia
aims to contribute to increased competitiveness, produc-
tivity, profitability, and innovative ability. The company
contributes expertise along the entire value chain; from
assessing the characteristics of wood raw materials at the
molecular level, to the finished product on the store shelf
and how customers perceive it. One recent Innventia
client is North American pulp and paper company
Domtar, which recently installed a plant for separating
lignin from pulp production at its mill in Plymouth, North
Carolina. The mill is the first commercial-scale plant of its
kind in the world to be based on the LignoBoost technol-
ogy. The lignin is intended for use in a wide range of
industrial applications; either as a bio-based alternative to
oil and other fossil fuels, or as a raw material for produc-
ing other materials, among other things. “Having worked
on this project from its inception makes a day like today—
when production starts in earnest—very special. Many
people have contributed to the research and develop-
ment work that has taken these ideas from concept to
finished product,” says Innventia’s Per Tomani.
Sweden is home to more than 5,000
cleantech companies. Here we intro-
duce 50 of the hottest and single out
five that we think are particularly
interesting right now.
GREEN SOLUTIONS FULL LIST
9. GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 1716 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
Insulation Material. Aerogel AB is a
research and development company
that commercializes a patented
version of the material aerogel in
various applications.
Batteries. Alelion’s main business is to
define, develop, and deliver tailor-
made batteries and power electron-
ics for any type of demanding
product that benefits from the new
battery technology.
________________________Anolytech
Agriculture. Anolytech has developed
a system for disinfecting water,
equipment, facilities, and furnishings
used in the livestock industry and
other types of operations that require
a high level of hygiene.
Biological Treatment. Arc Aroma
Pure’s CEPT system is designed for
the biological treatment and sterili-
zation of pumpable products.
Production Engineering. Arsizio
identifies and streamlines products
from concept to production and
enables reductions in raw material
and energy use during production.
Biological Plant Protection. Binab
develops and manufactures biologi-
cal plant protection that combats
fungal diseases.
Carbon Storage. Biorecro creates
negative emissions through the use
of BECCS. Carbon dioxide is cap-
tured from the atmosphere, extract-
ed, and then stored permanently
thousands of feet below ground.
Water Purification. CBS offers a
unique and highly effective bark
absorbent that removes petroleum
products from water.
Building Material. Cell reinforcement
is a new, unique reinforcement
method for concrete, asphalt, and
other materials. The cell reinforce-
ment offered by Cellfab uses 75
percent less steel than traditional
reinforcement.
Air Filtration. CentriClean Systems
offers solutions for industrial air
cleaning. The technology is based on
traditional cyclonic separation
principles, but is much more efficient.
Bioenergy. Chemrec has developed a
process for producing DME fuel from
black liquor, an energy-rich by-prod-
uct of the pulp industry.
Water Purification. ClimateWell has
developed a technology for storing
solar energy that can then be used
for both heating and cooling.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Chromo-
Genics is a global technical leader in
developing smart window technolo-
gies that save energy and increase
comfort levels in buildings.
Chemistry. Chromafora possesses
expertise in the field of phosphine
chemistry and the use of phosphines
attached to solid particles.
Solar Power. Cleanergy produces and
markets CHP (combined heat and
power) engines based on Stirling
technology for biogas, landfill gas,
and natural gas use.
4.____________________________________
Tomologic has developed a method for reducing waste in
the metal industry by up to 50 percent. At present, large
amounts of waste material are created when any type of
sheet metal is cut. The waste, which often amounts to
30-40 percent of the material, entails a major cost for the
manufacturing industry and also wastes huge amounts of
energy, with negative environmental impact as a result.
“We have managed to solve a major problem for the
manufacturing industry and, in the near future, Tomologic
will set a new industry standard,” explains Josefin Nord-
ström, CFO at Tomologic. Tomologic was the major
winner of the 2012 Nordic Cleantech Open. The company
is now on the verge of global expansion and has begun
negotiations with several investors to raise capital and to
bring in additional expertise and expand networks for the
company. Potential investors are located in Europe, the
US, China, and India. Tomologic already has a number of
pilot customers and, in the coming year, plans to scale up
its operations.
Solelia Greentech is a Swedish company working to
become a leader in solar cell solutions for electric
vehicles. In 2011, the company launched Sweden’s first
solar-based charging station for electric cars. Solar
installations from Solelia Greentech are designed to resist
sun and rain, and occupy only a minimal amount of the
parking lot’s surface area. What’s more, they can follow
the sun during the daytime, so that they are always
positioned at the optimal angle, thereby producing
maximum electricity; that is, up to 30 percent more than
conventional fixed solar cells. The Swedish Association of
Green Motorists has named Solelia Greentech a 2012
“green role model” and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
also named the company its Climate Solver 2012.
“We are very happy and proud of the awards and the
support that the industry is giving our solar chargers. Our
solution makes a real difference and helps make travel by
car sustainable,” says Carolina Johansson, CEO of Solelia
Greentech.
5.___________________ ChromoGenics
develops technologies for smart windows that save energy
and improve comfort inside buildings. ConverLight™—the
company’s electrochromic foil—can be made lighter or
darker by applying a weak electrical current. ChromoGen-
ics has developed a unique roll-to-roll process (R2R), in
which electrochromic material is coated onto plastic foil
instead of being applied to glass. The processes, materials,
and techniques used are backed by the company’s patents
and know-how, which have been accumulated over more
than 20 years. The smart window technology provided by
ChromoGenics’ ConverLight™ product primarily targets
window applications in buildings as its market, which total
four billion square meters of glass annually. ChromoGen-
ics’ solution is both attractive and competitive because the
foil used is a mere 0.4 mm thick. What’s more, it can be cut
into any shape and laminated between glass using the
conventional equipment already owned by customers.
“We have already demonstrated the production of Conver-
Light™ in large volumes during trials of R2R. We are now
discussing benchmark projects with manufacturers of
insulating glass, and we already have several demonstra-
tion units in place with potential end-customers and
end-users,” explains ChromoGenics’ CEO, Thomas
Almesjö.
10. 18 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 19
developed a drying cabinet that uses
a dehumidifier instead of heating.
Lighting Technology. LunaLEC’s
product is a polymer light-emitting
electrochemical cell, also known as
an LEC or LEEC. These are printable,
inexpensive light-emitting devices
for use in displays and lighting
applications.
Solar Panels. Midsummer produces
thin film CIGS solar cells on small
substrates that can be used for
conventional module manufacturing.
Energy Storage. myFC provides a
hydrogen fuel cell power source for
on-demand charging of cell phones
and other low-power portable
electronics away from the grid.
__________________________NeoZeo
Biogas. NeoZeo focuses on technol-
ogy innovations for porous materials
(structuring and modifications) for
different applications, such as gas
separation, gas filtration, water
treatment, and catalytic and medical
applications.
Solar Power. Optistring Technologies
is in the process of developing a
unique power inverter system for
grid-connected solar power installa-
tions.
Analysis Technology. Orexplore aims
to develop portable, easy-to-use, and
extremely accurate equipment for
analyzing the composition of non-
organic materials, primarily minerals.
Water Purification. Primozone
develops ozone generators used for
different industrial water treatment
applications.
Bioenergy. REAC Fuel converts
lignocellulosic biomass in a finan-
cially- and environmentally-sound
process into chemicals and liquid
fuels.
Air Filtration. Reformtech’s reforming
process cracks fuel into elementary
molecules and reformulates it into
hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Bioenergy. Rindi is an energy com-
pany delivering district heating to
end-customers. Rindi builds and
operates facilities for the delivery of
heating, steam, and electricity.
Improving Energy Efficiency. SEEC
offers a solution for heating and
cooling properties that reduces
primary energy consumption. Excess
heat is stored in boreholes and is
used for heating. Alternatively,
cooling energy can also be stored.
_________________________SenSic
Biogas. SenSic is a provider of new
gas sensors for domestic biofuel
heaters and biomass heater plants
Improving Energy Efficiency. Clima-
Check has a method for analyzing
cooling and heating processes, with
the objective of optimizing the
functionality and daily operations of
heat pumps, refrigeration, and air
conditioning equipment and systems.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Climate-
Well delivers energy-efficient com
ponents that are customized and
integrated into an OEM manufac-
turer’s products, so called “design-in”
components.
Wave Energy. CorPower Ocean has
developed an advanced compact
high-efficiency Wave Energy Con-
verter (WEC) inspired by the pump-
ing principles of the human heart.
Recycling. Ekobalans offers sustain-
able solutions in the handling of
nutrient-rich residues such as sewage
sludge, biogas digestate, manure,
and bioenergy ashes.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Entrans’
product FlexiGen converts surplus or
waste heat at low temperatures into
useful energy for electricity, usable
heat, and cooling. FlexiGen utilizes
the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for
operation.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Exibea
has developed a range of solutions
for home energy management that
helps users to take control of their
electricity consumption.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Expektra
provides innovative solutions, contri-
buting to a more efficient energy
system with less environmental
impact.
Improving Energy Efficiency. Eze
system has developed an Internet-
based solution for collecting, analyz-
ing, and visualizing energy consump-
tion and other data.
Smart Electric Grids. Ferroamp
develops power electronics for smart
grid applications related to solar
power, energy storage, EV charging,
and visualization of energy flows.
Solar Panels. HelioCaminus is
developing the EOS solar thermal
collector, which converts sunlight into
heat for tap water and for heating
buildings.
Marine Technology. I-Tech is deve-
loping a marine biocide, Selektope,
to be used in marine paint, which
inhibits growth on ship and boat
hulls.
Cleaning Technology. IBC Robotics’
main product is the IBA solution,
used for cleaning standard contain-
ers. This solution is totally automated
and dry.
Research and Development.
Innventia is a research and develop-
ment company working with innova-
tions based on forest raw materials.
Drying Technology. Knycer has
11. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
that increase combustion efficiency
and reduce unwanted emissions.
Microbiology. Simris Alg grows
microalgae in order to deliver
valuable products for food, animal
feed, and health products.
______________________Sol Voltaics
Solar Power. Sol Voltaics improves the
efficiency of energy capture, genera-
tion, and storage using minuscule
amounts of novel nanomaterials.
Solar Power. Solelia Greentech rents
and sells solar-powered charging
stations so that organizations can pro-
vide charging for electric cars using
completely clean electricity.
Water Purification. Sorubin develops
energy-efficient aerators for industrial
water treatment.
Irrigation Systems. Terrigio manufac-
tures irrigation systems. Its products
use SAVAQ technology to improve
irrigation efficiency and performance.
_______________________Tomologic
Production Engineering.
Tomologic offers a unique opti-
mization system for maximum
efficiency and minimal environmental
impact in industrial sheet metal
cutting.
Wind Power. Triventus Wind Power
takes wind power projects from
concept to value-creating energy
production.
Wave Energy. The Vigor Wave Energy
Converter is based on a floating
hose and uses water and air as
mechanical parts to absorb wave
energy.
__________________Zemissions
Emission controls. Zemission
develops, customizes, and pro-
duces burners for different custo.
mer applications. The technology
is physically scalable to an un-
precedented degree.
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12. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
IT AND ENERGY
INITIATIVES
Sweden has one minister responsible for both IT and energy. This arrange-
ment is intentional and the minister, Anna-Karin Hatt, recognizes that the
two fields are becoming increasingly integrated. Apart from renewable
energy and energy efficiency measures, cleantech exports and research
into alternative energy sources are two more important issues handled
by the ministry.
T
he Swedish energy
minster’s genuine
commitment to environ-
mental issues is obvious
to anyone who knows her.
As an example, Hatt chose to highlight
the effects of climate change when
inaugurating a combined power and
heating plant in Helsingborg in
southern Sweden. On that occasion,
her remarks included the following
statement:
“We are living in critical times. If
the earth’s average temperature were
to rise by more than two degrees
Celsius, it would have dramatic effects
on our society. Here in Sweden, we
would experience longer and wetter
summers with more precipitation. We
would also see tropical storms and
drought in other parts of the world.
We might perhaps also see positive
effects, like larger crop harvests, but
also negative effects like more pest
damage to our forests, increased
water flow, and greater risks of
landslides along our waterways.
Without doubt, parts of the world
would suffer crop failure and famine
more often and epidemics would find
new ways of spreading. We would see
new streams of refugees, geopolitical
tensions, and increased competition
for dwindling natural resources. This
is what climate challenge is all about.”
Her speech at the power plant also
testifies to how seriously Sweden
takes its green energy supply. Gener-
ating heat and electricity simultane-
ously in combined power and heating
plants is a technique that Sweden
began pursuing in earnest during the
1980s and 1990s. Since then, electric-
ity and district heating, which were
initially derived from oil and coal,
have become increasingly greener.
Today, Swedish combined power
and heating is green and is based
almost entirely on biofuels and waste
collected from the forest industry and
on recycling household waste to
produce energy. Moreover, one in two
Swedes now lives in a house heated by
district heating. Forty percent of this
heat comes from combined power and
heating plants, and 13 percent of
Sweden’s electricity is produced in
these modern power plants.
“As the Swedish Energy Minister, I
am very proud that we have come this
far. And I am confident about the
future. Each day, the energy revolu-
tion gains more ground. What’s more,
our energy evolution can also help
others. Because when countries
cooperate and when new discoveries
spread, in time it can create a real
revolution,” Hatt told the audience at
the inauguration.
Anna-Karin Hatt
Minister for Informa-
tion Technology and
Energy Ministry of
Enterprise and
Energy.
13. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
One of Hatt’s secretaries of state,
Daniel Johansson, points out that
Sweden took up the environmental
cause early on by expanding its
district heating and electricity
resources, and that this know-how
can now be exported. He also points
out that this expansion has been
achieved in close cooperation with the
Swedish people.
“Often, these solutions have been
worked out at the municipal level,
resulting in good, comprehensive
solutions that can be applied in other
countries. We’ve now integrated this
into our strategy, which includes
demonstrating Swedish solutions
within our ‘Symbio City’ concept,” he
explains.
Meanwhile, energy derived from
waste is an important aspect of the
Swedish energy system and will
continue to be so. “In all likelihood,
waste will continue to play a major
role. We have combined heating and
power plants that provide much of our
energy and heat from waste incinera-
tion. In this regard we’re ahead of
many other countries, where it’s still
common practice to dump waste in
landfills.”
The state secretary also empha-
sizes other forms of waste manage-
ment: “Even more exciting is the role
that waste and residual products can
play in the development of new fuels,
such as biogas made from household
waste that powers municipal buses
and trucks. I believe this role will
increase in the future,” he says.
One important issue on Anna-
Karin Hatt’s agenda is how to increase
cleantech exports. A strategy has
been put in place for the period 2011
to 2014 and under this strategy, all
Swedish ministries and authorities
dealing with exports and technologi-
cal development are to cooperate.
This includes the Ministry of Environ-
ment, the Ministry of Enterprise,
Energy and Communications, and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together
with agencies like the Swedish Agency
for Economic and Regional Growth,
the Swedish Governmental Agency for
Innovation Systems (Vinnova),
Business Sweden, the Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency, the
Swedish Energy Agency, and the
Center for Environmental Technology
(Centec).
In addition to cooperation
between different cleantech stake-
holders and between government
agencies, Daniel Johansson believes
that the most important part of this
strategy is taking a holistic approach
to the entire value chain.
“It’s not just about different
stakeholders cooperating. In reality,
the strategy involves initiatives that
cover the entire value chain–from
concept and innovation to finding a
market and establishing a product.
The broader initiative also aims to
identify the challenges that compa-
nies face,” Johansson says.
In addition, the state secretary
points out that some of the efforts
have been very concrete and well
timed. “We are now seeing targeted
export ventures aimed at China,
Russia, India, the US, Turkey, and
Brazil,” he adds.
The 400 million Swedish kronor
being spent to help Swedish cleantech
companies enter the world market are
being combined with research into
renewable energy. Anna-Karin Hatt
has described the main purpose of
state-funded energy research as
helping Sweden to achieve its energy
and climate goals. Because new
knowledge and new technology are so
important, energy research is a
natural and integrated part of
Swedish energy policy.
“We’re now investing heavily in
energy research; spending SEK 1.3
billion per year starting this year and
SEK 1.4 billion per year from 2016,”
wrote Hatt in a blog post dated
January 22, 2013.
In the same posting, Hatt also
mentions a company working within
cleantech that combines several of the
factors that she considers to be
important–renewable energy and
export opportunities. The company is
Nlab Solar AB. Nlab Solar develops
solar cells that can be integrated into
14. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
everything from common consumer
products to large buildings.
“This is one of many solutions
that can contribute to both the
domestic and global energy transi-
tion, while also creating important
jobs here in Sweden and welcomed
export revenues.”
Johansson believes that Sweden
compares well internationally when
it comes to transitioning to alterna-
tive energy sources. “We are the best
in Europe and among the best in the
world in terms of the proportion of
renewable energy we use. That’s
good, but we still have considerable
challenges to face, as does the rest of
the world. Not least important in
this transition is rethinking our
transports, an area where we are
still almost entirely dependent on
fossil fuels,” he says.
This view is confirmed by the
International Energy Agency’s (IEA)
Executive Director, Maria van der
Hoeven: “Sweden has achieved more
resource-efficient and sustainable
energy use through investments in
renewable energy, increased energy
efficiency, and more energy research
and innovation. Renewable energy
resources have been expanded in a
cost-effective way. Through Swe-
den’s tradable green certificate
system, the share of renewable
electricity has increased, at a low
cost to the consumer,” she writes in
the IEA’s evaluation of Swedish
energy policy.
The evaluation also specifies how
Sweden has adopted ambitious,
long-term goals for reducing carbon
dioxide emissions and increasing
renewable energy. “We’re now on
track to achieve, or even exceed,
these objectives,” wrote Anna-Karin
Hatt in an article co-authored by
Van der Hoeven.
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15. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
RENEWABLE ENERGY
SwedenCanAchieveFully
RenewableElectricityProduction
We can build a sustainable electricity system in Sweden using solar energy,
biomass, wind, and currently available hydropower. And it could be complet-
ed by 2030, according to a report from the Swedish Wind Energy Associa-
tion (Svensk Vindenergi). The report argues that there are no technical or
economic barriers to transitioning to fully renewable electricity production
in Sweden. Rather, what is lacking is the political will.
‘‘E
ven so, we cannot
ignore the fact that the
first nuclear reactors
are approaching the
end of their life spans. Even if nuclear
power were politically acceptable, it is
highly doubtful that anyone would
want to invest. Recent numbers from
projects in several countries show that
new reactors are becoming increas-
ingly more expensive,” says Annika
Helker Lundström, CEO of the
Swedish Wind Energy Association.
There is excellent potential for
renewable electricity in Sweden.
Merely the wind power projects
already licensed could produce 30
TWh of electricity, which equals about
half of last year’s nuclear power
generation. But a renewable electricity
system presents challenges. It has to
handle both when there are strong
winds and when there is no wind at all.
According to the report, simulations
from the Royal Institute of Technology
show that hydropower can balance the
varying wind conditions for 30 TWh of
wind power.
“New studies also show that hydro-
power produced in 2008 had more
hourly adjustments than would be
required to meet the same variations
caused by 55 TWh of combined wind
power, solar power and electricity
consumption,” explains Helker
Lundström.
So there is good potential for a
renewable electricity system. But it
requires a thoughtful approach to be
done cost-effectively. “The grid needs
to be refurbished and improved and
trading capacity with our neighbors
increased. It requires investing in
‘smart grids’ that enable all consumers
to become more active on the electric-
ity market, while providing new
opportunities to manage the variabil-
ity of renewable electricity,” she says.
According to the report, the
Swedish National Grid’s first move
should be to develop an action plan for
the grid that allows it to meet the
Swedish Parliament’s goal for 30 TWh
of wind power by 2020. “It also
requires in-depth analysis of how we
can best tackle the issues of balancing
power, load leveling, and energy
storage,” says Annika Helker Lund-
ström.
The report also notes that demand
curves in the electricity certificate
system also need adjustment. Previ-
ously, the Swedish Energy Agency
estimated that only just over 11 TWh of
wind power would be built by 2020,
based on the existing goals. “We are
likely to reach that level in 2014. We
then risk a slowdown unless grid
improvements are accelerated and
ambition levels increased,” Helker
Lundström argues.
She also argues that the Swedish
government should press for greater
cooperation with other EU countries.
By allowing other countries to pay for
credit for the relatively cheap renew-
able electricity that can be made in
Sweden, Swedish electricity customers
get a lower electricity price without
having to pay for the grid expansion.
“With a strong investment in
renewable electricity and continued
improvement of the grid, we can build
a sustainable electricity system. This
opens the option of closing ageing
reactors and for a more secure power
supply if new nuclear plants do not
materialize,” says Helker Lundström.
OVER 6000 SWEDISH CLEANTECH COMPANIES are work-
ing hard every day to make a difference and addressing the
climate and sustainable challenges that we are facing.
The strengths come from Sweden’s heritage and changing
climate, with harsh winters, Sweden has long been a model
for energy-saving technologies and environmentally
advanced intellectual knowledge that now is becoming
vital. You will find many success stories and companies in
this magazine.
We can all see that the need for sustainable solutions is
growing, the way we live our daily life and consuming is
just not going to work. We are expected to be over 9 billion
people by 2050. That’s equal to almost 400,000 thousand
new citizens every day, that will need somewhere to live,
food and water. Houses and buildings consume energy, to
produce food you need even more energy and water.
This is the world’s biggest business opportunity.
SWEDISH CLEANTECH COMPANIES have long experience
in building and developing smart sustainable cities and
societies. Symbio City is a concept that Business Sweden
Agency together with companies, regions and partners
that is focusing on building sustainable cities and regions.
Swedish cleantech companies are working together in
projects to become more successful and also with Interna-
tional projects and companies.
The demand from China, India, Russia, Indonesia,
Australia and Brazil are huge, and are some of the fastest
changing and polluting countries including the U.S where
the need for environmentally solutions are most needed
and growing.
THE TREND AND FASTEST GROWING CONTINENT is Africa
with many successful projects in Water, renewable energy,
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17. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
TheManTasked
withOpeningDoors
China, India, and Russia are priority markets for Swedish cleantech
exports and Mats Denninger is the man tasked with coordinating
Sweden’s efforts to open doors in these countries.
“There is no quick fix here. It will take both patience and resources
to succeed,” Denninger explains.
C
limate and environmental
challenges, which are
rightly seen as being the
greatest threat of our time,
also present an opportu-
nity. Major investments are being
made all around the world in areas
such as renewable energy, waste
management, water treatment, and
sustainable urban development. This
development opens up major fields of
opportunity for both Swedish clean-
tech solutions and Swedish industry.
In September 2011, the Swedish
government invested in a strategy to
promote the development and export
of environmental technology, to
provide support to Swedish industry.
The government’s investment of SEK
400 million in the program will
continue until 2014.
China, Russia, and India have been
earmarked as key markets for Swedish
cleantech technology. Mats Denninger,
as High Representative for the
International Environmental Technol-
ogy Cooperation (IMT) at the Govern-
ment Offices of Sweden, has now
reached about the halfway mark in
Sweden’s campaign to increase
cleantech exports to China, Russia,
and India. A large number of activities
and initiatives have been carried out in
these countries since the program
started January 2011.
“We’ve focused on developing our
contacts with public sector clients
such as cities, regions, and municipali-
ties,” says Denninger.
IMT started by reviewing the
markets using criteria related to
administrative capacity and needs.
From there, a number of regions and
cities of interest were identified.
“We’ve collected information on,
communicated with, and visited the
cities and regions of interest to us,”
continues Denninger.
The next step was to match
Swedish companies with the needs of
the targeted cities and regions.
“We discovered, however, that
meeting the demand for large system
orders represents a significant
challenge for Swedish companies”, he
says. “There are, for example, not
many companies in Sweden that can
build and operate a wastewater
treatment plant.”
Another challenge identified by
IMT is the business model used in
Russia and India.
“Funding is often based on
public-private partnerships, which we
have little experience with in Sweden.”
There is, of course, no such
Mats Denninger,
High Representative
for the International
Environmental
Technology Coop-
eration (IMT) at the
Government Offices
of Sweden.
18. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
On September 1, 2011, Sweden’s
cleantech strategy was presented
by the then Minister for Enterprise
and Energy, Maud Olofsson; the
Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling;
and the then Minister for the
Environment, Andreas Carlgren.
The strategy aims to improve
conditions conducive to the
development and export of new
Swedish cleantech solutions in four
different policy areas; business,
trade, the environment, and
development assistance policy. The
government will invest SEK 400
million in cleantech in the period
2011-2014 to fund short- and
long-term initiatives covering
everything from research and
innovation to exports. As part of its
strategy, the government has
decided on some 20 missions to
over 10 state-funded agencies and
organizations. These missions will
help to create better business
conditions for Swedish companies
in selected areas. The missions’
focus will be based on analytical
data and on dialog with stakehold-
ers in the area.
obstacle in China. Needs are also more
diverse there.
“This aspect and the fact that we
have more experience exporting
cleantech to China, means we have
made more progress there,” says
Denninger.
A special office for cleantech
exports, Centec, has been operating in
Beijing since 2008. Similar permanent
offices, albeit smaller in size, are now
also operating in Russia and India.
“I would say that all three markets
have a substantial need for energy
efficiency and waste management
solutions, areas in which Sweden has
significant expertise, particularly
within its municipalities,” says
Denninger.
This link to municipalities also
causes a problem, however.
“Municipalities are good at defining
and procuring functional units and
systems. However, this also means that
we in Sweden lack stakeholders who
can deliver and operate facilities
independently.”
A primary goal of the Swedish
government’s initiative is to increase
exports of Swedish cleantech. Accord-
ing to Denninger, Swedish cleantech
exports to China doubled between
2008 and 2009 to over SEK 2 billion.
Exports have remained at that level
since, however. Cleantech exports to
Russia and India are currently SEK 1
billion and SEK 500 million respec-
tively. The potential is however much
greater. “The key to success is deliver-
ing innovative technology; offering
smart solutions at low prices and
always being ready to take the next step
forward in technological development”.
“Increasing cleantech exports to
these countries is a long-term project.
The perseverance that is needed to
succeed requires high levels of
resources.”
Denninger would like to see more
investors choose to invest in Swedish
cleantech.
“There is a great need for venture
capital and consolidation. Fewer and
stronger stakeholders would be better
equipped to meet the challenges we
face,” he says.
The question, then, is why more
venture capitalists aren’t investing in
cleantech, when everyone seems to
agree that the industry has enormous
potential.
“Unfortunately, the short-term
returns are probably too small at
present,” Denninger concludes.
Almost everybody agrees that the key to a brighter future for the
environment is cooperation. If we can set new standards for how
we solve problems together we can really make a change.
That is exactly what we have been doing for decades in the
Swedish process industry.
Working together to solve common problems. It is proven to
be an effective strategy and we call it the ssg way. But you could
also call it sustainable thinking.
SUSTAINABLE THINKING
IS WORKING TOGETHER
SWEETPOP.SE
19. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN
Waste management solutions are one Swedish cleantech sector that has
achieved both increased exports and international recognition. Waste
management and recycling accounted for nearly one-third, or SEK
12 billion, of Sweden’s total cleantech exports in 2011.
SWEDISH CLEANTECH INDUSTRY
S
wedish waste management is
internationally renowned
thanks to Sweden’s technical and
system solutions, that is, the way
energy is extracted from waste and how
it is used.
“Sweden’s strength is in taking a
holistic approach to environmental
issues; environmental problems are
seen as assets, such as turning food
waste into biogas or waste incineration
that provides district heating,” explains
Tony Clark, former Swedish Embassy
Counselor in China and current Deputy
Director of the International Unit at the
Swedish Ministry of the Environment.
He also points out that Sweden was
very quick to create systems with
exciting cradle-to-grave solutions that
included advanced collaboration from
innovation and research all the way to
practical implementation.
In the Swedish waste management
system, municipalities are responsible
for collecting and recycling all house-
hold waste (except waste that falls under
producer responsibility), particularly
packaging materials, newspapers, and
electrical goods. Households are also
responsible for sorting their own waste
so that it can be recycled correctly.
Today, 99 percent of Swedish household
waste is recycled as either energy or
materials, making Sweden one of the
world’s leaders in waste management.
It is municipalities that have often
driven development in Sweden. By
specifying minimum requirements
during public procurement procedures
and developing expertise and tech-
niques, they have laid the foundation for
the systems and technological solutions
that are now being exported.
Avfall Sverige (the Swedish Waste
Management and Recycling Associa-
tion) brings together the country’s
leading waste management expertise.
“Sweden has the world’s best and
most comprehensive waste manage-
ment systems—that’s a view that is
widely shared even outside the country.
Despite this recognition, Swedish
exports of services, expertise, and
equipment remain small. To address
this problem, Avfall Sverige has
launched a new task force that brings
together stakeholders in Sweden to
achieve a wider adoption of Swedish
expertise and technology,” reveals
Weine Wiqvist, CEO of Avfall Sverige.
Responsibility for collecting and
processing household waste in
Sweden is divided between
municipalities and producers.
Producers are responsible for
packaging and electronic waste.
Recycling expenses incurred by
municipalities are recouped
through waste fees levied on
households, while producers
recoup their costs through
including a fee in the prices of
the products themselves.
Sweden had a total ban on
organic waste in landfills several
years before the EU began
imposing any such limits.
The more than two million tons
of household waste that were
incinerated with energy recovery
in 2010 supplied 820,000 homes
with district heating and pro-
vided 275,000 normal-sized
houses with electricity, thus
replacing large amounts of fossil
fuel. A total of 14.4 GWh of
energy were recovered through
incineration, distributed as 12.6
GWh in heating and 1.8 GWh in
electricity.
The 660 million tons of waste
that was composted in 2010
provided 265,000 MWh of
vehicle biogas and 51,000 MWh
of heat. In addition, 583,000 tons
of bio-fertilizer were produced.
The gas produced replaces over
7,925,000 gallons of gasoline
and is currently the cleanest
vehicle fuel available. In addi-
tion, material from 1.6 million
tons of waste was recycled in
2010. Read more at
www.avfallsverige.se
GROWING FAST
Compared to many other industries, the cleantech industry in Sweden is small.
Even so, it currently employs over 40,000 people and records annual sales of
about SEK 120 billion. Moreover, the industry is experiencing rapid growth,
and its exports are growing faster than those of other Swedish industries.
C
leantech is still a relatively
small part of Swedish
industry, but it is a high
priority for the Swedish
government, and the country’s public
authorities have invested SEK 400
million in a cleantech strategy. In
addition, Swedish municipalities play
an important role and can help
further facilitate the export of
Swedish cleantech innovations and
system solutions.
In 2011 the Swedish environmen-
tal sector exported goods and services
to the value of SEK 38.9 billion,
equivalent to 2.2 percent of the
country’s total exports. This repre-
sented an increase of 6 percent or SEK
2.2 billion over 2010.
Environmental technology
companies are divided into 13
different categories and, in 2011,
companies active within the “recycled
materials” category exported the
most. This category exported goods
and services worth over SEK 13 billion
in 2011, equivalent to one-third of the
sector’s total exports.
Sales in the environmental sector
totaled SEK 241 billion in 2011; an
increase over the previous year of
more than 3 percent, or just under
SEK 8 billion. Between 2003 and
2011, sales in this sector increased
every year except for 2009. The total
increase in sales during this period
was 65 percent.
With the exception of 2010,
exports also increased every year
during the period. The total increase
in exports during the period was 69
percent.
The corresponding figure
for Sweden’s total exports was 58
percent. The Swedish government
and public authorities have a clear
goal: they want exports to increase
substantially, especially to the BRIC
countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and
China).
No. of employees: 69,000
Added value: SEK 60.6 billion
Exports of goods and services:
SEK 38.9 billion
Increase in export value,
2010-2011: 6 percent or
SEK 2.2 billion
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Italy
Belgium
Poland
India
Spain
France
Turkey
Great Britain
Netherlands
USA
China
Finland
Denmark
Norway
Germany 5 711
4 927
2 671
2 343
2 230
2 133
1 625
1 581
1 254
1 249
1 216
1 044
967
817
718
20. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
VENTURE CAPITAL
IKEAInvests
Heavilyin
CleantechVenture capital company IKEA GreenTech AB
is investing heavily in cleantech. The company
has so far invested EUR 12 million in four
companies of a total of EUR 60 million
allocated for investment.
I
KEA GreenTech, a venture
capital company within the
IKEA Group, invested EUR 12
million between 2010 and 2012
in companies working with cleantech
and in a venture capital fund that
invests in cleantech.
The venture capital company’s
mission is primarily to invest in
technology companies that contribute
to greater sustainability, both for the
community in general and within
IKEA’s business activities. IKEA
GreenTech is wholly owned by the
IKEA Group, which means that these
investments not only provide an
injection of money and external
expertise, but also open an opportu-
nity to work with the IKEA furniture
warehouse chain.
All profits are returned to the fund
to create a continuous influx of capital
that can be used to make new invest-
ments.
“Our goal is to make investments
that enable IKEA to offer innovative
new products that help people to live a
more sustainable life at home. After
evaluating interesting ideas from over
700 companies, we selected the
technologies that offer real potential
in this area,” says Christian Ehren-
borg, Managing Director, IKEA
GreenTech.
IKEA GreenTech was founded in
2008 and focuses mostly on the
Nordic countries and Europe. The
company now plans to accelerate the
process of identifying new invest-
ments that will help the IKEA Group
to fulfill its new sustainability
strategy, People & Planet Positive.
“We are selective. We only invest
in products, designs, materials, or
processes that contribute to IKEA’s
commitment to sustainability,” adds
Ehrenborg.
IKEA’s sustainability strategy
includes challenging commitments
that are designed to help millions of
people to save energy and water, and
to reduce their household waste.
Moreover, the strategy also helps to
make IKEA a more sustainable
company. IKEA GreenTech is investi-
gating opportunities throughout
IKEA’s supply chain to support its
strategy.
IKEA business activities in
combination with at least one
other positive effect, normally
cost savings
introduced onto the market
-
ogy, strong IPR and know-how
international potential and a
distinct go-to-market plan
management team
should exist now
business activities
within, typically, 5-7 years, with a
good return on investment
IKEA GreenTech
latest investment is
in DyeCoo Textile
Systems, a Dutch
company that has
developed the first
commercially avail-
able waterless dyeing
technology. ergy.
21. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
VENTURE CAPITAL
IKEA GreenTech AB is a
corporate venture capital
company that makes equity
investments in green technol-
ogy companies. Its mission is
primarily to invest in technolo-
gy-based companies that
improve the sustainability of
IKEA’s business activities. The
company is owned by the
IKEA Group. This ownership
structure gives potential
access to the global and
well-renowned IKEA retail
concept.
Exibea AB (Sweden)
A market-driven company that
produces products for
monitoring and regulating
energy consumption.
I
KEA GreenTech latest
investment is in DyeCoo
Textile Systems, a Dutch
company that has developed
the first commercially available
waterless dyeing technology. Using
recycled carbon dioxide (CO2), the
technology avoids the large
amount of water and chemicals
used in traditional dyeing pro-
cesses.
“DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing
technology is a truly innovative
system that could bring real
environmental and costs benefits
for the textile industry by reducing
water and chemical use. Through
the partnership, IKEA will help to
speed up the development and
availability of the technology,” says
Christian Ehrenborg, Managing
Director, IKEA GreenTech AB.
The investment will support
the delivery of the IKEA Group
Sustainability Strategy, People &
Planet Positive, which includes
challenging commitments for
IKEA to make its products,
operations and supply chain more
sustainable. The significant
potential of the waterless dyeing
process has also been recognised
by the world’s leading apparel and
footwear brand, NIKE, Inc. which
invested in DyeCoo in 2012. Nike’s
strategic partnerships group
worked closely with IKEA
GreenTech throughout the
investment process. The textile
industry is one of the largest
consumers of water and most of
the world’s textile suppliers are
located in Asia. The scale of the
industry’s activity in the region can
put pressure on the availability of
clean water and contribute to
environmental pollution in the
discharges from manufacturing
processes. By removing the need
to use water in the dyeing process
and eliminating the risk of effluent
discharge, a known environmental
hazard, the DyeCoo system could
bring significant benefits to the
region. The first range of machines
developed and manufactured by
DyeCoo are for waterless dyeing of
polyester fabric. As well as helping
to scale the processes for dyeing
polyester, the partnership with
IKEA will speed up the develop-
ment of processes and machines
for dyeing cotton.
Mountain Cleantech Fund II
(Cleantech growth fund in
Germany/Austria/Switzerland)
El-Seed Corp. (LED technology,
Japan)
BoFood AB (Sweden)
This company develops and
produces vegetable-based food
products with a focus on
healthier dietary habits and
reduced environmental impact.
One example of its products is
the ice cream brand Lovice–ice
cream made from soybeans.
Today, soybeans are often used
in animal feed. Using soybeans
as a base means that cows are
no longer needed for ice cream
manufacture, eliminating one
stage in the production
process.
system provides long-term
Give up Bad Construction for Good!
Ecology & Economy in One
use and good interior climate.
FOAMGLAS NORDIC AB
Hällebergsvägen 7, SE-443 60 Stenkullen, Sverige
Tel. +46 (0)302 378 56, Fax +46 (0)302 378 57, E-mail info@foamglas.se
www.foamglas.se / www.koljern.se
Sick houses is the worst nightmare of a house-owner, but with Koljern™-technique you avoid future problems.
Your house will be a healthy and sound dream house with a good indoor environment. The combination of
the technical advantages in the koljern method, and the long-term profits seen out of a lifecycle, perspective
makes winners out of both consultants, contractors and house owners. The first price is non-problem ground
construction in the future. The Koljern™-technology is proved to be energy efficient, damp proof, fireproof,
flexible and durable. The Koljern™-technology can be used as supporting or non-supporting elements, in
small, large and heavy buildings.
(Sweden)
This company works to supply
complete, modular, climate-
friendly energy storage
systems consisting of battery
cells, a mechanical connec-
tion, and their guidance and
control electronics, primarily
based on Li-ion batteries, for
trucks and other applications.
22. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN |
ENVAC
One of Sweden’s true success stories in cleantech
exports is Envac. The company is a world leader
in automated waste management and has 38
offices in 21 countries across Europe, the Middle
East, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
W
hy don’t we suck up
waste with a vacuum
cleaner? It seems that
this question, posed at
the end of the 1950s, would have a
major impact on the waste manage-
ment of the future. Back then, a hospi-
tal in northern Sweden was negotiat-
ing the purchase of a new central
vacuum system, when the discussion
suddenly took a different turn:
“If we can suck all of the dust from
every corner of the hospital using just
one system, why can’t we do the same
thing with waste?” No one had
thought of the idea before, and no one
knew if it was possible. It was. In
1961, Centralsug AB, now Envac,
installed the first vacuum waste
management system in the world in
Sollefteå Hospital, northern Sweden.
The system is still in operation today,
still with many of the original parts
from the early 1960s. Despite many
attempts to convince others of the
value of the technology, it still took
four years after the first installation
before the next contract came in 1965,
when a municipal housing company in
the Sundbyberg area of Stockholm
decided to give the system a try.
Ultimately, the first vacuum
system for household waste in the
world was installed in an entirely
newly built neighborhood. This
system is also still in operation today.
A host of installations in the
Stockholm area soon followed this
first installation in a residential area
in Ör in 1966. During a period
spanning the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,
underground waste transport systems
servicing thousands of apartments
were installed.
Nonetheless, interest in this new
technology was not only growing in
Stockholm, but also abroad. Disney
World in Orlando, Florida, opened in
October 1971. Its aim was to offer
visitors a chance to experience not
only Disney’s own attractions, but
also the latest in technological
development.
One of these technical innovations
was the underground waste system
that Centralsug supplied, and which is
still in operation today.
In spite of this high-profile US
installation, it was primarily markets
in southern Europe and Southeast
Asia that attracted Envac’s interest. In
the mid-1980s, the company began
working the Spanish market. The first
Spanish order finally came in 1988,
when the city of Cartagena in the
southeast ordered an underground
waste transport system for a project
covering 4,000 new homes. Installa-
tion began in 1989 and was completed
Patience–ASuccess
FactorforWorld-leading
WasteCompany
23. 44 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
Munters is an engineering and environmental technology
company that produces products built on the fundamen-
tal relationship between water, air, and energy. The secret
behind its export success is that Munters’ products can
cool without creating moisture-related problems, and
heat without creating too dry a climate. The foundation for
these products is the knowledge that humidity increases
when a building is cooled (as with conventional air
conditioning, for example) which, in most situations,
creates problems with moisture. For this reason, air
conditioning and dehumidification is desirable in warm
climates. On the other hand, heating and humidification
are needed in cold climates.
The Blueair company produces products that clean air of
pollution down to the smallest particle. Its air purifiers are
currently sold in over 50 countries, and the secret behind
its export success is the speed and efficiency with which
its products scrub indoor air. Blueair’s units remove
allergens, asthma triggers, viruses, bacteria, and other
airborne contaminants. At present the company is
expanding rapidly in China, not least of all because of the
smog problem in several major Chinese cities. Today,
Blueair has distributors in over 40 Chinese cities, and the
company saw its Chinese sales double in 2012.
Termoekonomi is a knowledge-based company with a
focus on modern, green energy. According to Termoe-
konomi itself, the company is a world leader in district
cooling and large-scale heat pump systems. District
heating and smart energy solutions for process industries,
power plants, and offices are also among its specialties.
The company’s projects include cooling and heating
solutions for the Olympic village in Beijing, China, and
improving energy efficiency at a biogas plant in South
Korea.
Malmberg is a Swedish cleantech company working in the
fields of biogas, geoenergy, water treatment, drilling, and
environmental management. The company carries out
assignments in both the Swedish and inte rnational
markets. Malmberg is also at the forefront of efforts to
extract energy from water. In the four years between 2006
and 2009, Malmberg has managed to build its first water
purification plant in Russia; its first biogas plant in Ger-
many for injecting gas into the natural gas grid; its first
biogas plant in Austria; supply biogas technology to
China; and create the world’s largest energy storage
facility at Arlanda airport, outside Stockholm. In addition,
Ukrainian authorities have signed a cooperation agree-
ment for water treatment solutions with the Swedish
Water Experience AB company, of which Malmberg is a
part. The aim of the project is to modify wastewater and
drinking water treatment systems in selected Ukrainian
cities to meet European environmental standards.
Purac constructs treatment
plants for water purification and
the treatment of biological
waste all around the world–for
wastewater, drinking water, and
process water. Purac also
constructs plants for biogas
production and gas cleaning.
To date, Purac has completed well over 4,000 contracts in
70 countries worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia.
Its contracting operations combine process, construction,
and contracting expertise using its own and licensed
technologies. Some examples of Purac’s expertise include
methods that make it possible to reduce spatial require-
ments and operating costs by up to 50 percent.
in 1995. This was a very promising
start. However, an order that proved
to be much more important to the
company’s future came when the
Olympic city of Barcelona chose to
install Centralsug’s vacuum system.
The “new Barcelona” would look out
onto the sea. It would be built on the
site of the derelict industrial and
docklands neighborhood along the
coastline. The Olympic village was
just the first phase, but Envac’s
installation in the Olympic village in
Barcelona was so successful that the
City of Barcelona decided that more
vacuum waste management systems
should be built. Ten years later,
Barcelona City included vacuum
systems as a “common utility” in its
master plan for the city’s expansion.
These installations in Barcelona were
quickly also adopted throughout the
rest of Spain. The Spanish market is
now one of Envac’s largest and the
company has offices in several
Spanish cities.
Today, Envac has over 600
installations in more than 30 coun-
tries.
Jonas Törnblom, Director of
Marketing and Communication at
Envac, explains that Spain was an
important market for the company to
establish itself in, but that China is
becoming an increasingly important
market for the simple reason that a lot
of construction is taking place there.
Törnblom reveals that, despite
successful installations in many
countries, it took several years before
exports really took off. He explains
what it was that finally made growth a
reality:
“Growth really took off when cities
around the world were forced to
introduce waste sorting and when
they, at the same time, began to
realize that they no longer had room
to store waste on sidewalks and in
open spaces. Being clean and acces-
sible became progressively more
important in cities’ marketability,”
says Törnblom.
One important reason why exports
have increased is the fact that Envac
has no production facility of its own.
“We buy in all the parts and
assemble and install our systems
on-site. Not being dependent on a
factory has facilitated our geographic
expansion, at the same time as it has
also made the company less vulner-
able to economic fluctuations,” he
explains.
When it comes to Sweden,
Törnblom believes that there is no
shortage of good products and ideas
that can increase cleantech exports–
but that this alone is not enough.
“I think you need to realize that
just because a cleantech solution is
viable in Sweden, doesn’t mean it’s
viable in other countries. Markets
often differ due to strong political
influences. The most important factor
in every product sale is that the
product provides clear customer
benefit,” Törnblom says. “Given that
cleantech sales are so dependent on
political decisions in the form of
regulations, subsidies, and so on,
customer value can often be more
difficult to estimate and predict than
for other types of sales. For example,
how much is clean air and less noise
pollution actually worth in dollars?”
The future looks bright for one of
Sweden’s most successful export
companies in cleantech and its plans
for tomorrow are clearly laid out.
“We’re looking closely at the
prospects our products have in North
America. Developments in the US
economy and housing construction
look promising, which are important
preconditions for sales of Envac’s
products,” Törnblom concludes.
Envac AB is a Swedish company
with more than 50 years’ experi-
ence in automated waste manage-
ment, and is one of Sweden’s
foremost cleantech companies.
Envac invented the vacuum waste
management system that applies
vacuum technology to waste
management in the early 1960s.
Today, Envac’s system is installed
around the world–in neighbor-
hoods, malls, city centers, indus-
trial kitchens, hospitals, and
airports. System construction is
coordinated with the installation of
other infrastructure, such as
electricity, sewage, and water
systems.
Envac is a wholly owned subsidiary
of Stena Adactum AB, a company
within the Stena Sphere.
GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 45
24. Welcome to participate in this year’s edition
of the Summer Academy organized by LSU
and Sida. The debate on what should follow
the Millennium Development Goals when
they expire in 2015 is thoroughly underway.
What we know so far is that sustainability will
play a central role in the new agenda. What
are the youth organizations perspectives on
sustainability and how can we as young pe-
ople come up with solutions for a sustainable
future? If you would like to meet other interes-
ting organizations, exchange ideas and
perspectives and get inspired you should
attend the Summer Academy 2013.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
DATES / 12 – 17 June (arrival on the 12th and
departure on the 17th)
LOCATION / Sida Partnership Forum, Härnösand
COST / Sida Partnership Forum covers room
and board. Participants cover travel costs
TARGET GROUP / Young people and youth
organizations interested in
sustainability work
Young people
solving old
challenges with
new solutionsWWW.LSU.SE/
SUMMERACADEMY
25. 48 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 49
IN SWEDEN
3
The Swedish cleantech industry is growing fast
and many exciting developments are taking place
around the country. From north to south, regional
networks are working to develop the industry.
Their work includes technical visits, marketing,
and matching companies with suitable investors,
always with the same goal–to promote Swedish
cleantech. We get the inside scoop on what’s
happening right now in Sweden’s cleant ech
industry.
26. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 51
C
ommunity developments with
expansion of settlements,
new roads and agricultural
lands and forests have
significantly affected water and
wetland habitats. Wetland acreage has
been drastically reduced, lakes have
been lowered or drained, and many
ditches have been deepened, straight-
ened or piped. This means the water’s
ability to self-purify has been reduced,
leading to a decline in plant and
animal species dependent upon
wetland habitats. In 1995, nine
municipalities in southern Sweden
agreed to work together to improve
the environment by raising water
quality in lakes and streams and
decreasing the efflux of nutrients into
Oresund, the body of water between
Sweden and Denmark. The project
focused on restoring wetlands and
ponds and constructing cultivation-
free buffer zones along watercourses.
In addition to cleaner water, the goal is
also to improve conditions for
biodiversity and recreation.
The project has resulted in the
construction of 148 wetlands with a
total area of 365 hectares.
The inlet /outlet to the wetlands
may be constructed as an open ditch,
pipe, adjustable culvert, or dam. The
use of other technical solutions with
artificial materials is minimized, but in
some cases they are necessary to solve
problems such as leakage, erosion, or
water level regulation. One such
product is the WaReg flow regulator.
The flow regulator ensures that the
ponds and lakes are not overfilled
during periods of high rainfall and
thereby minimizes damage to the
surrounding areas. The device
maintains the balance within the
wetland area and also protects the
wetland areas close to large watershed
areas such as parking lots or other
large, hard surfaces.
In general, wetlands have a positive
effect on biodiversity and nutrient
retention in intense agricultural areas.
Already during the first year after
construction, the number of inverte-
brate animals makes up a large
number of species and individuals.
Plant growth shows the same pattern,
and an average of 32 wetland plants
was found per pond. Consequently,
bird life shows a quick response to the
constructed habitats.
Facts: Sustainable Sweden South-
east is a business network that
assists international clients and
investors to implement business
solutions that support sustainability.
The network link and coordinate
experiences and knowledge on
environmental technology and
sustainability from Swedish trade,
industry and authorities with
research resources from universi-
ties. The network includes south-
eastern Sweden’s leading technol-
ogy companies together with
public organizations and universi-
ties. Wapro is a member of Sustain-
able Sweden Southeast.
Eutrophication of lakes and seas affected by algae blooms, changes in fish stocks, and deteriora-
tion of swimming water quality has become a serious problem in many countries. One reason for
these problems is changes in land use, but a project in southern Sweden is reversing this trend.
‘‘A
s a municipally owned
company we have better
access to public
organisations and we
can offer a neutral arena for collabora-
tion, something that is impossible for
individual enviro-tech SME’s to
achieve, says Project Manager,
Caroline Davidsson.
Caroline Davidsson has worked for
Cleantech Östergötland (CTÖ) since
2009 and one of CTÖ’s main tasks is to
support the regional enviro-tech
companies. The KAM project is about
tearing down barriers between
stakeholders where business opportu-
nities are apparent by leading con-
certed business development efforts
on neutral ground.
– Due to lack of knowledge, both
public and private requests for
proposals (RDPs) unintentionally
exclude the performance and possi-
bilities that many environ-tech SMEs
with the latest solutions can offer, says
Gert Kindgren, CEO of Cleantech
Östergötland.
It is important to raise awareness
about these SMEs among those who
make decisions regarding future
investments within both the public
and the private sector. Moreover,
Cleantech Östergötland’s member
companies (mainly enviro-tech SMEs)
have more to learn about the needs of
these large purchasing organisations
as well as how to structure the
business deals in order to make a
successful close. This is where the
KAM project provides a new type of
arena that successfully closes this gap.
Energifabriken (the Energy
factory), one of CTÖ’s member
companies, has gained from the
project. Their product is the bio-fuel;
RME, which is produced from rape-
seed. Energifabriken’s customers are
both private and public but because of
the relative novelty that their product
represents, RME is often not included
as a possible alternative in public
RFPs.
– David Varverud, part owner of
Energifabriken explains; - the break-
through often comes once the
personal meeting has taken place and
we’ve been given the chance to
disseminate information about the
possibilities available with RME.
Energifabriken is participating in
one of the KAM arenas, ‘fossil-free
fuels’ which is a partnership between
CTÖ and the Regional Energy Office.
The Energy Office provides a course
for municipal officers and politicians
that delivers an overall description of a
wide variety of renewable fuels. In
conjunction with this course CTÖ
holds a creative workshop where
suppliers of renewable fuels and the
course participants can mix and
discuss business models. The idea is
for the participants to address, mainly
obstacles, but also possibilities regard-
ing the further establishment of
renewable fuels in the public sector
and on the market in general.
– The role as a bridge builder at
CTÖ is fundamentally based on trust.
This trust ensures that we as employ-
ees of CTÖ receive information about
both the demand side as well as the
supply side and this is where it is
important to allocate time and
resources in order to turn this
information into concrete business.
Caroline Davidsson concludes; - ‘The
KAM project does just this!’
An ever-present difficulty for small and medium sized Swedish environmental technology compa-
nies is the challenge of reaching and also closing business deals with large enterprises and
public bodies. The purpose of the KAM project, which stands for Creative Business-arenas for
Environmental Technology is to bridge this gap and overcome this challenge.
IS A BRIDGE BUILDER
business-oriented arena in
East Sweden that promotes
collaboration for sustainable
development and regional growth
funded by the municipalities of
more than 100 member compa-
mental Technology
The purpose of the KAM project is
to overcome the challenge that
small and medium sized environ-
mental technology companies
face when pursuing business with
large enterprises and public
GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN | 51
27. | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
GreenTech Visits is a collaboration between Sustainable Business Hub in Malmö, municipalities
and a number of visit objects and companies within the region. The study visits are coordinated
by Sustainable Business Hub.
G
reenTech Visits is a collabo-
ration between Sustainable
Business Hub in Malmö,
municipalities and a
number of visit objects and compa-
nies within the region. The study
visits are coordinated by Sustainable
Business Hub.
The target groups for GreenTech
Visits are politicians, policy makers
and administrators in the public
sector, policy makers and officials in
the private sector, as well as journal-
ists. The study visits focus on sustain-
able urban development, resource
efficiency and cleantech. Among other
places the study visits are located in
Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, cities
that are ranked among the top ten
sustainable cities in Sweden.
The study visit programs can
include visits at reference facilities,
talks about sustainable urban
development, waste management,
energy efficiency and sustainable
healthcare, water and wastewater
management, district heating and
cooling, as well as lectures at universi-
ties.
GreenTech Visits are tailor-made
technical visits for international
delegations. There are a number of
visits; they include biogas, brownfield
regeneration, early processes in
Sustainable Urban Development,
green housing in Malmö, the munici-
pal housing Karlskronahem fossil free
buildings, low-CO2 Heating Skåne,
system solutions for a sustainable
hospital, waste management and the
world´s premier research and
environmental environment in Lund.
Max IV, a world class giant micro-
scope, will be completed in 2015 and
ESS, the globe´s most powerful
neuron source, will start construction
in 2014. The Danish counterpart State
of Green and GreenTech Visits have
together created a service that will
make it possible for delegations to
visit both Sweden and Denmark
during a one day visit. Other partners
are Skåne Regional Council, The
County Administrative Board of Skåne
and municipalities within the Öresund
region.
| GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
GreenTech Visits are financed by
Skåne Regional Council and the
project Energy Öresund with special
finances from City of Copenhagen
and The County Administrative
Board of Skåne. Inquiries about
the study visits and bookings are
handled by Sustainable Business
Hub. The study visits are customized
for international delegations.
Vision2.seFOTO:SandraLeePettersson
28. TRAINING IN
Umeå is home to all the knowledge necessary to understand how Sweden succeeded in
becoming one of the world’s leading countries for sustainability work. International students
rank Umeå University number one in Sweden and number five in the world according to
the International Student Barometer survey.
S
weden’s first study pro-
gramme for Environmental
and Public Health Inspectors
was introduced here in 1977,
and the broad range of knowledge
available within the field of sustain-
ability puts both Umeå and Umeå
University in a unique position. We
will therefore be launching a commis-
sioned course in autumn 2013 to
communicate knowledge about
sustainability to the rest of the world.
This course will run for three days and
will combine theory with problem
resolution and study visits based on
the motto “Seeing is believing”.
Prior to the oil crisis of 1973
Sweden was one of the world’s most
oil-dependent countries. Sustained
efforts over the years to reduce our
dependency on oil have led to Sweden
using mainly alternative energy
sources, with bioenergy now the
single largest source of energy.
Swedish know-how in this area is
incredibly valuable in terms of solving
global climate problems, and delega-
tions from around the world travel to
Sweden to study our success in en-
couraging society to change its ways.
“We want to engage with interna-
tional visitors in a pedagogical way
and to work together to create a
sustainable society. This continuing
urbanisation is revolutionary and we
need to change our approach to
planning cities and ultimately
building them. Within the next 30
years, the UN calculates that an
additional 3.5 billion people will
migrate to cities. The cities are set to
become a key issue in the future,” says
Mikael Öhlund, City Director and CEO
of Kompetensspridning i Umeå AB,
which aims to export Swedish environ-
mental engineering know-how.
Another area in which Sweden
excels is waste management. Today,
waste in Sweden is re-used and
recycled, with considerable amounts
being used for energy recovery
instead of being taken to landfill,
which accounts for just under 2 %.
Elsewhere in the world, with very few
exceptions, landfills are extremely
common. Knowledge of systems is
needed to understand how sustain-
able waste management can be
developed.
“In Umeå we are proud to have a
municipal waste company that is
extremely proficient at waste mas-
nagement. This was confirmed back
in 2011 when we were named the best
municipality in Sweden for sorting
hazardous waste,” says Tomas
Blomqvist, CEO of UMEVA.
“It is important to bear in mind
that it is not always the technical
innovations that will solve environ-
mental issues, but rather planning
and building a sustainable society.
The situation therefore demands
greater education and increased
knowledge if we are to succeed in
creating a society that is sustainable
in the long term,” says Margareta
Alfredsson, Planning Director city of
Umeå.
Facts: Technical Visits is an element
in making Umeå a northern hub for
environmental engineering. This
project is financed by the Swedish
Agency for Economic and Regional
Growth (Tillväxtverket), Umeå
municipality, Umeå Kommun-
företag, Region Västerbotten,
UMEVA, and Umeå Energi.
54 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
Flexible Transportation Solutions
for the Future of Freight
Sundsvall Logistikpark is an investment in growth and the
environment. We are expanding the Port of Sundsvall
with a container port, a combiterminal and areas for
establishing logistics operations.
There is already a rail connection to the Port of Sundsvall, one of
Sweden's largest ports for the forest industry. In addition,
ships leave regularly for Rotterdam, Lübeck, and London.
We have prepared space for storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG),
a back-up fuel to biogas. The LNG terminal is strategically located
as it is linked to three forms of transportation: ship, train and truck.
Areas in direct connection to these and close to the airport create
exciting and sustainable new business opportunities.
Sundsvall Logistikpark offers flexible transportation solutions in
the service of the environment.
www.sundsvalllogistikpark.se www.sundsvallshamn.se
Envac AB, Fleminggatan 7, 112 26 Stockholm, Sweden, Phone +46 8 785 00 10, www.envacgroup.com
Envac’s automated vacuum waste collection system removes waste in residential areas, large-scale
catering establishment as restaurants and airports, city centres and hospitals in over 30 countries.
Instead of being transported by lorries through the city, waste travels by air - underground.
This invisible solution contributes to a better environment on a local and global level.
Envac has developed an international presence with 37 offices across 21 countries in Europe,
North and South America, the middle East, Asia and Australia
Envac - a sustainable contribution to the city environment
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The sustainable waste management for the 21 century
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Envacadvert2012_greensolutions_178x120mm_PRINT.pdf 1 2012-09-26 14:10:31