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SPECIAL EDITION FROM THE MAGAZINE MILJÖAKTUELLT, MILJÖAKTUELLT.SE priCe: 20 eUro<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong><br />

<strong>SOLUTIONS</strong><br />

from sweden 2013<br />

SwediSH CleAnteCH<br />

CompAnieS tHAt will<br />

CHAnge tHe world<br />

The man opening doors for Swedish cleantech • Why IKEA invests in cleantech<br />

The Boom: Swedish cleantech on the rise • Anna-Karin Hatt: Decides on Sweden’s<br />

future energy • What’s happening inside Swedish cleantech clusters?


With a sustainable vision 2021<br />

is to become one of the world’s best<br />

cities for sustainable development. Sundsvall is also planning for an<br />

entirely new logistics solution for heavy goods, as well as a combined<br />

biogas plant that will process organic domestic waste and sludge from<br />

industry and sewage treatment. A fossil fuel-free transport corridor – the<br />

Green Highway from Sundsvall to Trondheim in Norway – has been<br />

established and has achieved changes that others only talk about.<br />

<br />

is home to the fi rst<br />

complete house built from cellular glass,<br />

Villa Kim. Villa Kim has minimal<br />

impact on the environment,<br />

according to architect Anders<br />

Nyquist. Th e whole objective<br />

of the project was to create<br />

a house with low energy<br />

consumption, low annual<br />

costs, easy maintenance,<br />

low useful-life costs, and no<br />

connection to the municipal<br />

sewage or district heating<br />

systems.<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

are located at the heart<br />

of Sundsvall Bay and have been sites for timber<br />

and charcoal handling, sawmills, and industries<br />

since the mid-1800s. Th is area of Sundsvall is<br />

now set to become the greenest district , with a<br />

pro-environment approach.


Jörgen Berglund nytt kommunalråd i Sundsvall.<br />

<br />

ernatem faccus, quas re doluptatius, si dolupta<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

cor repro consectatium sum faccus non erferchil<br />

eium dolupta ipitas duciet ium qui volectinis alit<br />

quat asperit, quibuscitia ent aute pre, tet lab int<br />

<br />

lat quiamet es dusa non exceptas dolo que non<br />

cus, enectibus, consequam<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

have a long history<br />

as international meeting places for industrial development<br />

and business with a focus on the forestry industry. Our<br />

ambition nowadays is to continue to be an excellent host for<br />

sustainable growth development. Sundsvall welcomes you to<br />

an international event to be held in 2014, World CleanTech<br />

Forum. More information to come.<br />

<br />

in Sundsvall are<br />

home to world-class research and innovation. Business<br />

in Mid Sweden is greatly infl uenced by the region’s large<br />

and important forest industry and Åkroken Science<br />

Park’s mission is to create a center for world-class<br />

innovation using the forest as a resource. Additionally,<br />

forestry industry research at Mid Sweden University<br />

ranks as some of the best in the world.


editorial Column<br />

Why Sweden?<br />

There is a reason why you’re reading this magazine; a<br />

reason why it exists at all. The Swedish cleantech market<br />

is a world leader–and has been for many years. Sweden is<br />

full of unique system solutions and innovative cleantech<br />

innovations that have been commercialized, integrated<br />

into Swedish society, and then exported to much of the<br />

rest of the world in an exemplary way.<br />

You may wonder how little Sweden can boast being one<br />

of the world’s leading cleantech countries. Here is the<br />

reason: Decades of stringent environmental legislation<br />

and community planning that includes tough environmental<br />

requirements have created an economy where high<br />

levels of environmental and sustainability performance<br />

have become standard. It is this that has contributed to<br />

Sweden’s development of unique innovations and solutions.<br />

sweden and swedish represenTaTives have also<br />

pushed environmental and sustainability agendas internationally<br />

for decades and have managed to raise the status<br />

of these efforts. This has helped to elevate this small<br />

northern European country’s status to one of the world’s<br />

greenest and most sustainable countries.<br />

Although other countries are now also investing<br />

heavily in cleantech, Swedish companies remain at the<br />

forefront in several fields. The purpose of this magazine is<br />

to present trends, identify pivotal advances, and chart<br />

market movements within the cleantech field. For this<br />

reason, we’ve included a unique list of 50 hot Swedish<br />

cleantech companies that have reached different stages in<br />

their cleantech journey. Some may have begun to commercialize,<br />

others are in the process of reaching out to an<br />

international market, and many are likely looking for<br />

venture capital.<br />

i would also like To recommend our interview with<br />

Mats Denninger. Denninger has been appointed by the<br />

Swedish government to open doors for Swedish cleantech<br />

in China, India, and Russia–three of the world’s most<br />

exciting markets. Oh, and don’t miss the magazine’s last<br />

pages, where we provide a run-down of what’s happening<br />

in cleantech throughout Sweden.<br />

mikael salo<br />

Publisher<br />

4 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

HigHligHts<br />

HigHligHts<br />

Vol.5<br />

14<br />

50 Hot CleanteCH<br />

Companies<br />

Sweden is home to more than 5,000<br />

cleantech companies. We introduce<br />

50 of the hottest here, together with<br />

five other companies that are<br />

particularly interesting right now.<br />

22<br />

one minister –<br />

two portfolios<br />

Sweden has one minister responsible<br />

for both IT and energy. This division<br />

of responsibility comes as no<br />

surprise to the minister herself,<br />

Anna-Karin Hatt, who recognizes that<br />

the two fields are becoming increasingly<br />

integrated. Renewable energy,<br />

energy efficiency, cleantech exports,<br />

and research are important fields for<br />

her ministry.


38<br />

iKea inveStS in cleantecH<br />

IKEA’s venture capital company, IKEA<br />

GreenTech AB, is investing heavily in<br />

cleantech. The company has so far<br />

invested EUR 12 million in four<br />

companies, two of which are Swedish.<br />

32<br />

tHe Man wHo openS doorS<br />

China, India, and Russia are priority<br />

markets for Swedish cleantech<br />

exports and Mats Denninger is the<br />

man tasked with coordinating<br />

Sweden’s efforts to open their doors.<br />

“There is no quick fix here. It will take<br />

both patience and resources to<br />

succeed,” Denninger explains.<br />

36<br />

More and More<br />

cleantecH in Sweden<br />

The Swedish cleantech sector turns<br />

over SEK 120 billion every year. So<br />

say the latest statistics from 2011.<br />

But the real story is the sector’s rapid<br />

growth.<br />

42<br />

How we Made our<br />

exportS a SucceSS<br />

One of Sweden’s true success stories<br />

in cleantech exports is Envac. The<br />

company is a world leader in<br />

automated waste management and<br />

has 38 offices in 21 countries.<br />

45<br />

Five SucceSS StorieS<br />

Munters, Blueair, Termoekonomi,<br />

Malmberg, and Purac. We look at five<br />

companies that have achieved<br />

success in export markets.<br />

publisher/chief editor: Mikael Salo, business manager: Ingemar Jansson, editorial production: Dynamo Press AB ,<br />

print: Elanders, contact: IDG, Miljöaktuellt, Karlbergsvägen77, 10678 Stockholm, +4687996249, , Sales: +4684536044,<br />

green.solutions@idg.se, webb: www.greensweden.se, iSSn: 0345-763x information: Green Solutions from Sweden<br />

is a brand within International Data Group, IDG, Sweden and includes a magazine, online industry guide and newsletter.<br />

IDG is the world’s leading technology media, events and research company. Copyright © 2012 International Data Group.<br />

All rights reserved.<br />

48<br />

SwediSH cleantecH<br />

Swedish cleantech is a hive of<br />

activity. We’ve checked out what’s<br />

happening in some of Sweden’s<br />

regional cleantech networks.<br />

50<br />

Flow regulator HelpS<br />

Manage wetlandS<br />

The eutrophication of lakes and seas<br />

affected by algal blooms and<br />

changes in fish stocks has become a<br />

serious problem in many countries.<br />

One reason behind the problem<br />

is changes in land use, but a<br />

project in southern Sweden is now<br />

reversing this trend.<br />

54<br />

training in SuStainabilityplanning<br />

Umeå is home to all the knowledge<br />

necessary to understand how<br />

Sweden succeeded in becoming one<br />

of the world’s leading countries for<br />

sustainability work. International<br />

students rank Umeå University<br />

number one in Sweden and number<br />

five in the world.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 5


in the spotlight<br />

sorubin gaining ground<br />

in landfill Market<br />

Approximately 90 Swedish<br />

municipal landfills are<br />

required by environ-<br />

mental regulations to<br />

aerate their leachate—either to treat<br />

it before it is sent on to purification<br />

plants or to recipient bodies of water,<br />

or to aerate the water to resolve odors<br />

that could otherwise spread long<br />

distances. Historically, aeration has<br />

been costly because it is energy-intensive.<br />

6 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

The Swedish cleantech company<br />

Sorubin, however, is now making<br />

advances with its Vortex Aerator,<br />

which can potentially reduce power<br />

consumption by 90 percent.<br />

A contract was recently signed<br />

with the Swedish municipality of<br />

Hallsberg, and now Sorubin proudly<br />

supplies aeration services to 25<br />

percent of the landfill market.<br />

“Our success comes thanks to a<br />

great product and value for money.<br />

Our customers have discovered that<br />

all they basically have to do is place<br />

the aerator in the water and then let it<br />

do its thing without further ado.<br />

Naturally, we’re very happy to<br />

have succeeded in winning 25 percent<br />

of Sweden’s landfill market. That said,<br />

we’re also thinking about markets<br />

beyond our local municipalities. The<br />

need for aeration is even greater<br />

out there,” says Sorubin CEO Stefan<br />

Sandström.


eea: sweden among<br />

top ten In recyclIng<br />

Sweden ranks at number six<br />

among Europe’s top ten<br />

household waste recyclers.<br />

In 2010 Sweden recycled<br />

465 kg of waste per capita, equaling<br />

49 percent of the total volume of<br />

household waste produced. This is<br />

20 kg increase compared with ten<br />

years ago.<br />

Back then Sweden recycled 442<br />

kg per capita, according to statistics<br />

Fortum opens Its own Heat<br />

productIon to competItIon<br />

Finnish energy company Fortum<br />

has launched an open<br />

district heating program in<br />

Stockholm. The idea is that<br />

the company will reuse its<br />

customers’ waste heat, opening up its<br />

own heat production to competition.<br />

In the pilot project, Fortum will buy<br />

waste heat at market prices that are<br />

based on demand, that is to say, on the<br />

outdoor temperature, from customers<br />

like the Östermalm food hall, Zinkensdamm<br />

sports stadium, the grocery<br />

chains Coop, ICA, and Hemköp, the<br />

Bahnhof ISP, the real estate company<br />

Fabege, the Stora Sköndal Foundation,<br />

compiled by the EU’s European<br />

Environment Agency (EEA).<br />

This means that Swedish households<br />

are among the best recyclers<br />

after Austria (63%), Germany (62%),<br />

Belgium (58%), Switzerland (51%)<br />

and the Netherlands (51%). Sweden<br />

has improved its ranking from 2001,<br />

when it placed seventh.<br />

In 2010, on average 35 percent<br />

of household waste was recycled in<br />

and a commercial bank. The project<br />

will run during 2013 to assess the<br />

price model and technology. Fortum<br />

hopes to launch a large-scale program<br />

in 2014.<br />

“Waste heat is nothing new. What<br />

is unique about our open district<br />

heating initiative is that it opens up<br />

our own production to competition,”<br />

explains Lena Gunnarsson, Fortum’s<br />

Product Manager for District Heating.<br />

In other words, the program is not<br />

about a traditional purchase of waste<br />

heat from large industries. Instead,<br />

the idea is that all customers, large<br />

and small alike, should be able to sell<br />

Europe, a considerable improvement<br />

over 2001’s figure of 23 percent.<br />

Even so, large amounts of household<br />

waste still end up either in<br />

landfills or as filler material.<br />

According to the EEA, many<br />

European countries appear unable<br />

to achieve the Waste Framework<br />

Directive’s 2020 goal of recycling<br />

50 percent of their municipal solid<br />

waste.<br />

small-scale waste heat on a spot<br />

market. “At Fortum, we hope the<br />

project will help us avoid having to<br />

make large investments in the future<br />

that bind up capital in new production<br />

facilities.<br />

If we can buy heat cheaper from<br />

our customers, then, naturally, we’re<br />

happy to do so,” Gunnarsson concludes.<br />

For Fortum, open district<br />

heating programs have great potential.<br />

“There is major international<br />

interest, and we have fielded a number<br />

of enquiries from places like South Korea<br />

and the US. So this could really be<br />

a big thing,” she adds.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 7


in the spotlight<br />

energy Directive can<br />

create 30,000 new Jobs<br />

Sweden cannot afford to miss<br />

the opportunities created by<br />

the EU’s Energy Efficiency<br />

Directive (EED), according<br />

to the Swedish network<br />

100% Förnybart. According to the<br />

network, more efficient energy use<br />

would not only generate major<br />

environmental benefits, but also<br />

create around 30,000 new jobs in<br />

Sweden.<br />

100% Förnybart hopes that the<br />

Swedish Minister for IT and Energy,<br />

Anna-Karin Hatt, will focus on this in<br />

eU coUrt to review<br />

ÅlanD winD power’s case<br />

The European Court has<br />

begun looking into<br />

Swedish state sub-<br />

sidies to a wind power<br />

park on the autonomous<br />

Finnish island of Åland.<br />

This will set an important<br />

precedent regarding whether<br />

government funds may be paid to<br />

facilities in other countries, according<br />

to Reuters.<br />

8 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

her upcoming announcement of<br />

Sweden’s strategy for implementing<br />

the EED.<br />

The network proposes that<br />

Sweden harness the job-creating<br />

potential of the EED by mirroring the<br />

EU’s efficiency target, to set higher<br />

targets for energy efficiency for<br />

buildings, to use energy declarations<br />

as an active tool for transitioning<br />

to higher efficiency and to allow<br />

municipalities to set their own,<br />

more stringent energy requirements<br />

through their public procurements.<br />

The Åland wind power company,<br />

which is connected to the Swedish<br />

power grid, but not the Finnish grid,<br />

has petitioned Swedish courts,<br />

complaining that it is not entitled to<br />

the same subsidies as Swedish wind<br />

power farms, which results in a<br />

competitive dis advantage.<br />

The European Court is now set to<br />

decide the case.<br />

It is thought that the Court’s<br />

The network also wants to<br />

encourage new business models,<br />

e.g. by awarding white certificates<br />

(ESC) as incentives for electricity<br />

producers to reduce end-customer<br />

energy consumption, and to encourage<br />

the private sector to make greater<br />

and more conscious efforts to<br />

conserve energy through energy<br />

management in accordance with<br />

the Swedish Programme for Improving<br />

Energy Efficiency in<br />

Energy Intensive Industries<br />

(PFE).<br />

decision will have major ramifications<br />

in the ongoing tug-of-war between<br />

the European Commission, which<br />

wants to share the cost of renewable<br />

energy sources between EU nations,<br />

and parts of the German energy<br />

industry, which believe that such<br />

support breaches antitrust laws.<br />

The court is expected to deliberate<br />

for at least a year. Its decision<br />

will be binding for Swedish courts.


EuropE’s GrEEnEst BuildinG<br />

The headquarters of<br />

Swedish construction<br />

company Skanska at Väla<br />

Gård in Helsingborg was<br />

awarded more points in its<br />

LEED certification process than any<br />

other European building. The building<br />

received 95 of a possible 100 points,<br />

making it the third most environmentally<br />

friendly building in the world, as<br />

defined by the LEED program.<br />

“The building is definitely a<br />

shining example of sustainable<br />

construction. Internally, we refer to<br />

nEw wEBBasEd support for<br />

sustainaBlE ConstruCtion<br />

Saint-Gobain, the world’s<br />

largest manufacturer of<br />

construction materials,<br />

wants to help its customers<br />

switch to sustainable<br />

construction.<br />

As part of this initiative, the<br />

company has launched the Internetbased<br />

support tool Hållbart byggande<br />

(www.hållbartbyggande.se) in<br />

Sweden.<br />

According to CEO Lars-Erik<br />

Edgarsson, the site will serve as a<br />

useful tool and source of inspiration<br />

Väla Gård as a deep green building,”<br />

explains Agneta Wannerström,<br />

Development Leader for green<br />

buildings at Skanska.<br />

According to the Business Case for<br />

Green Building report, sustainable<br />

construction can also provide<br />

financial benefits. Wannerström and<br />

Skanska share this conclusion.<br />

“Profitability is something we<br />

discussed at length. We are definitely<br />

seeing a continual downward trend in<br />

the cost of green construction. We<br />

have long placed requirements on our<br />

for anyone working within green<br />

construction. The website explains<br />

how Saint-Gobain’s construction<br />

materials meet the requirements<br />

for the green building certifications<br />

LEED, BREEAM, and Miljöbygg-<br />

nad.<br />

“Looking at the use of the different<br />

environmental certifications in the<br />

building sector, you see a continual<br />

increase. As a materials manufacturer,<br />

we want to make it easy for our<br />

customers to keep up with green<br />

requirements,” says Edgarsson.<br />

suppliers, and this is now bearing<br />

fruit. All the products needed for<br />

green construction are available<br />

today. What’s more, they have both<br />

improved and have become cheaper.<br />

At the same time, the cost of the<br />

learning curve for construction<br />

companies has fallen. We have<br />

found solutions that we can re-use<br />

in later projects. Under the right<br />

conditions, today we can build<br />

sustainably without incurring any<br />

additional costs,” Wannerström<br />

concludes.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 9


in thE spOtlight<br />

innOvAtiOn COuld MAkE<br />

swEdEn A nEt ExpOrtEr<br />

Of BiOgAs<br />

Thanks to its new innovation,<br />

Arc Aroma Pure,<br />

based in Lund, Sweden,<br />

has succeeded in achieving<br />

production increases of 15 to 28<br />

percent in biogas plants.<br />

The company announced that<br />

the method also opens up the way<br />

for the use of new types of raw materials,<br />

such as seaweed and forest<br />

AsphAlt with MiniMAl<br />

CO2 EMissiOns<br />

The Swedish Institute of<br />

Agricultural and Environmental<br />

Engineering ( JTI)<br />

recently began a collaborative<br />

project with Russian authorities.<br />

The project aims to export expertise<br />

and experience gained during Swedish<br />

10 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

waste in these plants. Arc Aroma<br />

Pure even goes so far as to claim that<br />

Sweden could become a net exporter<br />

of biogas, thanks to the technique.<br />

The new technique is based on<br />

high-voltage pulses that kill microorganisms<br />

by destroying cells inside<br />

the waste, which breaks the raw<br />

material down at the cellular level,<br />

releasing nutrients.<br />

biogas production. JTI has established<br />

a partnership with the Russian<br />

Engineering Academy of Management<br />

and Agribusiness (RIAMA) and the<br />

Russian Energy Agency (REA). The<br />

Swedish Energy Agency is responsible<br />

for financing JTI’s part of the project.<br />

The method is currently undergoing<br />

large-scale testing at an industrial<br />

biogas plant in Skåne, southern<br />

Sweden.<br />

Arc Aroma Pure is also arranging<br />

a new share issue prior to listing on<br />

the stock market in order to raise<br />

capital for the commercialization of<br />

its innovation.<br />

In concrete terms, the project may<br />

involve building and exporting mobile<br />

biogas plants for pilot studies, for<br />

example. It may also open doors to the<br />

Russian market for Swedish technology<br />

companies and assist them with<br />

networking building.


New TechNique Measures<br />

ciTies’ GrowTh<br />

Working in collaboration<br />

with a number of<br />

research teams,<br />

Professor Yifang Ban of<br />

the Swedish Royal Institute of<br />

Technology (KTH) has succeeded in<br />

developing a technique that maps<br />

urban growth and its environmental<br />

consequences.<br />

The technique incorporates<br />

synthetic aperture radar images,<br />

which are later combined with other<br />

satellite imagery. For example, by<br />

merging a ten-year-old image with a<br />

current image, the technique creates a<br />

third image that directly shows the<br />

changes to the city and how it has<br />

expanded. It can also provide data for<br />

calculating how the city’s growth is<br />

affecting the environment.<br />

“Naturally, there is ongoing<br />

debate about which measurements<br />

should be used to calculate environmental<br />

impact. Among others, we use<br />

a measure called ‘loss of ecosystem<br />

services value translated into cash’<br />

when forest and cultivated land is<br />

built on. That loss can be used as a<br />

measure of the impact on the environment,”<br />

says Yifang.<br />

The world’s cities are growing<br />

rapidly. For example, during the<br />

decade spanning 2000 to 2010, New<br />

York City grew by 4.8 percent.<br />

During the same period, Shang-<br />

hai grew by an astounding 65.5<br />

percent. Today, over half of the<br />

world’s population lives in<br />

cities.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 11


in the spotlight<br />

Växjö energi<br />

Builds green<br />

data Center of<br />

the Year<br />

The 2012 Swedish Green Data Center<br />

of the Year is in Växjö. The center<br />

belongs to the power company Växjö<br />

Energi and the Wexnet municipal<br />

broadband network company. Data<br />

center supplier Coromatic, which<br />

presents the annual award, described<br />

Växjö Energi’s and Wexnet’s jointly<br />

owned data center as “excellent” from<br />

an environmental engineering<br />

standpoint.<br />

Wexnet’s CTO Lars Wihlborg<br />

12 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

explains that the engineering solution<br />

behind the data center is likely<br />

unique. “Our district cooling network<br />

first sends its coolant to a large<br />

shopping center. The remaining<br />

coolant is then returned by way of<br />

the data center. The excess heat<br />

created there is then used to heat the<br />

playing field of a local soccer club.<br />

So, in that way, the cooling energy<br />

is used three times over,” says<br />

Wihlborg.<br />

green<br />

Buildings<br />

are good<br />

Business<br />

The headquarters of<br />

Swedish construction<br />

company Skanska at<br />

Väla Gård in Helsingborg<br />

was awarded more<br />

points in its LEED certification<br />

process than any other European<br />

building. The building received 95<br />

of a possible 100 points, making it<br />

the third most environmentally<br />

friendly building in the world, as<br />

defined by the LEED program.<br />

“The building is definitely a<br />

shining example of sustainable<br />

construction. Internally, we refer to<br />

Väla Gård as a deep green building,”<br />

explains Agneta Wannerström,<br />

Development Leader for<br />

green buildings at Skanska.<br />

According to the Business Case<br />

for Green Building report, sustainable<br />

construction can also provide<br />

financial benefits. Wannerström<br />

and Skanska share this conclusion.<br />

“Profitability is something we<br />

discussed at length. We are<br />

definitely seeing a continual<br />

downward trend in the cost of<br />

green construction. We have long<br />

placed requirements on our<br />

suppliers, and this is now bearing<br />

fruit. All the products needed for<br />

green construction are available<br />

today. What’s more, they have<br />

both improved and have become<br />

cheaper. At the same time, the cost<br />

of the learning curve for construction<br />

companies has fallen. We have<br />

found solutions that we can re-use<br />

in later projects.<br />

Under the right conditions,<br />

today we can build sustainably<br />

without incurring any additio-<br />

nal costs,” Wannerström<br />

concludes.


WORLD<br />

BIOENERGY<br />

2014<br />

www.worldbioenergy.com<br />

An arena for cleantech companies in Dalarna and Gävleborg<br />

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS ADVICE<br />

NETWORKS AND WORKSHOPS<br />

VISIT PROGRAMS<br />

www.greenbusinessregion.se<br />

World Bioenergy is the<br />

leading trade fair and conference<br />

within the topics of<br />

• Forest biomass<br />

• Refi ning of woody biomass<br />

• Pellets<br />

• Combustion technology for medium<br />

and large scale applications<br />

• Combined Heat & Power<br />

Trade fair indoors and outdoors,<br />

international conference, study visits<br />

and matchmaking.<br />

Welcome to contact us for more information!<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 13


the hot list<br />

top f<br />

sweden’s 50 hotest<br />

cleantech companies<br />

green solutions full list<br />

1._______________________________________sorubin.<br />

Sorubin develops energy-efficient aerators for industrial<br />

water treatment, such as for process water, wastewater,<br />

drinking water, and landfill leachate. Sorubin’s customers<br />

include companies in the pulp and paper industry, textile<br />

industry, food industry, metal manufacturing, chemical<br />

industry, and pharmaceutical industry, and public water<br />

and wastewater treatment plants. Sorubin has recently<br />

received widespread publicity and several accolades,<br />

including being named in the Global Top 100 and the<br />

Greentech Top 3 as one of Sweden’s hottest start-ups in<br />

cleantech, and as one of ten finalists for the Stockholm<br />

Cleantech Venture Day Award. “We are extremely proud<br />

of our success. Gaining the trust of an entire industry in<br />

just a few years shows that our customers derive real<br />

benefit from our offering. We’re now preparing for the<br />

next step in our expansion into the vastly larger industries<br />

of municipal and industrial wastewater. As we scale up,<br />

we’re starting to make an impact on a whole new level,”<br />

says Stefan Sandström, CEO of Sorubin.<br />

14 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN


five<br />

ive<br />

Sweden is home to more than 5,000<br />

cleantech companies. Here we introduce<br />

50 of the hottest and single out<br />

five that we think are particularly<br />

interesting right now.<br />

2._______________________________innventia.<br />

Innventia is a research and development company that<br />

develops innovations based on raw materials sourced<br />

from forests. Using a science-based approach, Innventia<br />

aims to contribute to increased competitiveness, productivity,<br />

profitability, and innovative ability. The company<br />

contributes expertise along the entire value chain; from<br />

assessing the characteristics of wood raw materials at the<br />

molecular level, to the finished product on the store shelf<br />

and how customers perceive it. One recent Innventia<br />

client is North American pulp and paper company<br />

Domtar, which recently installed a plant for separating<br />

lignin from pulp production at its mill in Plymouth, North<br />

Carolina. The mill is the first commercial-scale plant of its<br />

kind in the world to be based on the LignoBoost technology.<br />

The lignin is intended for use in a wide range of<br />

industrial applications; either as a bio-based alternative to<br />

oil and other fossil fuels, or as a raw material for producing<br />

other materials, among other things. “Having worked<br />

on this project from its inception makes a day like today—<br />

when production starts in earnest—very special. Many<br />

people have contributed to the research and development<br />

work that has taken these ideas from concept to<br />

finished product,” says Innventia’s Per Tomani.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 15


the hot list<br />

3.___________________________solelia greentech.<br />

Solelia Greentech is a Swedish company working to<br />

become a leader in solar cell solutions for electric<br />

vehicles. In 2011, the company launched Sweden’s first<br />

solar-based charging station for electric cars. Solar<br />

installations from Solelia Greentech are designed to resist<br />

sun and rain, and occupy only a minimal amount of the<br />

parking lot’s surface area. What’s more, they can follow<br />

the sun during the daytime, so that they are always<br />

positioned at the optimal angle, thereby producing<br />

maximum electricity; that is, up to 30 percent more than<br />

conventional fixed solar cells. The Swedish Association of<br />

Green Motorists has named Solelia Greentech a 2012<br />

“green role model” and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)<br />

also named the company its Climate Solver 2012.<br />

“We are very happy and proud of the awards and the<br />

support that the industry is giving our solar chargers. Our<br />

solution makes a real difference and helps make travel by<br />

car sustainable,” says Carolina Johansson, CEO of Solelia<br />

Greentech.<br />

4.____________________________________tomologic.<br />

Tomologic has developed a method for reducing waste in<br />

the metal industry by up to 50 percent. At present, large<br />

amounts of waste material are created when any type of<br />

sheet metal is cut. The waste, which often amounts to<br />

30-40 percent of the material, entails a major cost for the<br />

manufacturing industry and also wastes huge amounts of<br />

energy, with negative environmental impact as a result.<br />

“We have managed to solve a major problem for the<br />

manufacturing industry and, in the near future, Tomologic<br />

will set a new industry standard,” explains Josefin Nordström,<br />

CFO at Tomologic. Tomologic was the major<br />

winner of the 2012 Nordic Cleantech Open. The company<br />

is now on the verge of global expansion and has begun<br />

negotiations with several investors to raise capital and to<br />

bring in additional expertise and expand networks for the<br />

company. Potential investors are located in Europe, the<br />

US, China, and India. Tomologic already has a number of<br />

pilot customers and, in the coming year, plans to scale up<br />

its operations.<br />

16 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

5.___________________chromogenics. ChromoGenics<br />

develops technologies for smart windows that save energy<br />

and improve comfort inside buildings. ConverLight—the<br />

company’s electrochromic foil—can be made lighter or<br />

darker by applying a weak electrical current. ChromoGenics<br />

has developed a unique roll-to-roll process (R2R), in<br />

which electrochromic material is coated onto plastic foil<br />

instead of being applied to glass. The processes, materials,<br />

and techniques used are backed by the company’s patents<br />

and know-how, which have been accumulated over more<br />

than 20 years. The smart window technology provided by<br />

ChromoGenics’ ConverLight product primarily targets<br />

window applications in buildings as its market, which total<br />

four billion square meters of glass annually. ChromoGenics’<br />

solution is both attractive and competitive because the<br />

foil used is a mere 0.4 mm thick. What’s more, it can be cut<br />

into any shape and laminated between glass using the<br />

conventional equipment already owned by customers.<br />

“We have already demonstrated the production of Conver-<br />

Light in large volumes during trials of R2R. We are now<br />

discussing benchmark projects with manufacturers of<br />

insulating glass, and we already have several demonstration<br />

units in place with potential end-customers and<br />

end-users,” explains ChromoGenics’ CEO, Thomas<br />

Almesjö.


________________________Aerogels<br />

Insulation Material. Aerogel AB is a<br />

research and development company<br />

that commercializes a patented<br />

version of the material aerogel in<br />

various applications.<br />

__________________Alelion Batteries<br />

Batteries. Alelion’s main business is to<br />

define, develop, and deliver tailormade<br />

batteries and power electronics<br />

for any type of demanding<br />

product that benefits from the new<br />

battery technology.<br />

________________________Anolytech<br />

Agriculture. Anolytech has developed<br />

a system for disinfecting water,<br />

equipment, facilities, and furnishings<br />

used in the livestock industry and<br />

other types of operations that require<br />

a high level of hygiene.<br />

___________________Arc Aroma Pure<br />

Biological Treatment. Arc Aroma<br />

Pure’s CEPT system is designed for<br />

the biological treatment and sterilization<br />

of pumpable products.<br />

___________________________Arsizio<br />

Production Engineering. Arsizio<br />

identifies and streamlines products<br />

from concept to production and<br />

enables reductions in raw material<br />

and energy use during production.<br />

_____________Binab Bio-Innovation<br />

Biological Plant Protection. Binab<br />

develops and manufactures biologi-<br />

cal plant protection that combats<br />

fungal diseases.<br />

_________________________Biorecro<br />

Carbon Storage. Biorecro creates<br />

negative emissions through the use<br />

of BECCS. Carbon dioxide is captured<br />

from the atmosphere, extracted,<br />

and then stored permanently<br />

thousands of feet below ground.<br />

___________________CBC Sweden<br />

Water Purification. CBS offers a<br />

unique and highly effective bark<br />

absorbent that removes petroleum<br />

products from water.<br />

__________________________Cellfab<br />

Building Material. Cell reinforcement<br />

is a new, unique reinforcement<br />

method for concrete, asphalt, and<br />

other materials. The cell reinforcement<br />

offered by Cellfab uses 75<br />

percent less steel than traditional<br />

reinforcement.<br />

_____________CentriClean Systems<br />

Air Filtration. CentriClean Systems<br />

offers solutions for industrial air<br />

cleaning. The technology is based on<br />

traditional cyclonic separation<br />

principles, but is much more efficient.<br />

_________________________Chemrec<br />

Bioenergy. Chemrec has developed a<br />

process for producing DME fuel from<br />

black liquor, an energy-rich by-product<br />

of the pulp industry.<br />

________________________ChemseQ<br />

Water Purification. ClimateWell has<br />

developed a technology for storing<br />

solar energy that can then be used<br />

for both heating and cooling.<br />

____________________ChromoGenics<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Chromo-<br />

Genics is a global technical leader in<br />

developing smart window technologies<br />

that save energy and increase<br />

comfort levels in buildings.<br />

_____________________Chromafora<br />

Chemistry. Chromafora possesses<br />

expertise in the field of phosphine<br />

chemistry and the use of phosphines<br />

attached to solid particles.<br />

________________________Cleanergy<br />

Solar Power. Cleanergy produces and<br />

markets CHP (combined heat and<br />

power) engines based on Stirling<br />

technology for biogas, landfill gas,<br />

and natural gas use.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 17


tHE HOt lISt<br />

______________ClimaCheck Sweden<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Clima-<br />

Check has a method for analyzing<br />

cooling and heating processes, with<br />

the objective of optimizing the<br />

functionality and daily operations of<br />

heat pumps, refrigeration, and air<br />

conditioning equipment and systems.<br />

______________________ClimateWell<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Climate-<br />

Well delivers energy-efficient com<br />

ponents that are customized and<br />

integrated into an OEM manufacturer’s<br />

products, so called “design-in”<br />

components.<br />

__________________CorPower Ocean<br />

Wave Energy. CorPower Ocean has<br />

developed an advanced compact<br />

high-efficiency Wave Energy Converter<br />

(WEC) inspired by the pumping<br />

principles of the human heart.<br />

18 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

__________________Ekobalans Fenix<br />

Recycling. Ekobalans offers sustainable<br />

solutions in the handling of<br />

nutrient-rich residues such as sewage<br />

sludge, biogas digestate, manure,<br />

and bioenergy ashes.<br />

__________________________Entrans<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Entrans’<br />

product FlexiGen converts surplus or<br />

waste heat at low temperatures into<br />

useful energy for electricity, usable<br />

heat, and cooling. FlexiGen utilizes<br />

the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for<br />

operation.<br />

___________________________Exibea<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Exibea<br />

has developed a range of solutions<br />

for home energy management that<br />

helps users to take control of their<br />

electricity consumption.<br />

_________________________Expektra<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Expektra<br />

provides innovative solutions, contri-<br />

buting to a more efficient energy<br />

system with less environmental<br />

impact.<br />

_______________________eze System<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. Eze<br />

system has developed an Internetbased<br />

solution for collecting, analyz-<br />

ing, and visualizing energy consumption<br />

and other data.<br />

______________Ferroamp Elektronik<br />

Smart Electric Grids. Ferroamp<br />

develops power electronics for smart<br />

grid applications related to solar<br />

power, energy storage, EV charging,<br />

and visualization of energy flows.<br />

____________________HelioCaminus<br />

Solar Panels. HelioCaminus is<br />

developing the EOS solar thermal<br />

collector, which converts sunlight into<br />

heat for tap water and for heating<br />

buildings.<br />

____________________________I-tech<br />

Marine Technology. I-Tech is developing<br />

a marine biocide, Selektope,<br />

to be used in marine paint, which<br />

inhibits growth on ship and boat<br />

hulls.<br />

_____________________IBC Robotics<br />

Cleaning Technology. IBC Robotics’<br />

main product is the IBA solution,<br />

used for cleaning standard containers.<br />

This solution is totally automated<br />

and dry.<br />

________________________Innventia<br />

Research and Development.<br />

Innventia is a research and development<br />

company working with innovations<br />

based on forest raw materials.<br />

__________________________Knycer<br />

Drying Technology. Knycer has


developed a drying cabinet that uses<br />

a dehumidifier instead of heating.<br />

_________________________LunaLEC<br />

Lighting Technology. LunaLEC’s<br />

product is a polymer light-emitting<br />

electrochemical cell, also known as<br />

an LEC or LEEC. These are printable,<br />

inexpensive light-emitting devices<br />

for use in displays and lighting<br />

applications.<br />

______________________Midsummer<br />

Solar Panels. Midsummer produces<br />

thin film CIGS solar cells on small<br />

substrates that can be used for<br />

conventional module manufacturing.<br />

____________________________myFC<br />

Energy Storage. myFC provides a<br />

hydrogen fuel cell power source for<br />

on-demand charging of cell phones<br />

and other low-power portable<br />

electronics away from the grid.<br />

__________________________NeoZeo<br />

Biogas. NeoZeo focuses on technology<br />

innovations for porous materials<br />

(structuring and modifications) for<br />

different applications, such as gas<br />

separation, gas filtration, water<br />

treatment, and catalytic and medical<br />

applications.<br />

__________Optistring Technologies<br />

Solar Power. Optistring Technologies<br />

is in the process of developing a<br />

unique power inverter system for<br />

grid-connected solar power installations.<br />

________________________Orexplore<br />

Analysis Technology. Orexplore aims<br />

to develop portable, easy-to-use, and<br />

extremely accurate equipment for<br />

analyzing the composition of nonorganic<br />

materials, primarily minerals.<br />

______________________Primozone<br />

Water Purification. Primozone<br />

develops ozone generators used for<br />

different industrial water treatment<br />

applications.<br />

________________________REAC Fuel<br />

Bioenergy. REAC Fuel converts<br />

lignocellulosic biomass in a financially-<br />

and environmentally-sound<br />

process into chemicals and liquid<br />

fuels.<br />

______________________Reformtech<br />

Air Filtration. Reformtech’s reforming<br />

process cracks fuel into elementary<br />

molecules and reformulates it into<br />

hydrogen and carbon dioxide.<br />

______________________Rindi Energi<br />

Bioenergy. Rindi is an energy company<br />

delivering district heating to<br />

end-customers. Rindi builds and<br />

operates facilities for the delivery of<br />

heating, steam, and electricity.<br />

____Scandinavien Energy Efficiency<br />

Improving Energy Efficiency. SEEC<br />

offers a solution for heating and<br />

cooling properties that reduces<br />

primary energy consumption. Excess<br />

heat is stored in boreholes and is<br />

used for heating. Alternatively,<br />

cooling energy can also be stored.<br />

_________________________SenSic<br />

Biogas. SenSic is a provider of new<br />

gas sensors for domestic biofuel<br />

heaters and biomass heater plants<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 19


the hot list<br />

that increase combustion efficiency<br />

and reduce unwanted emissions.<br />

_______________________simris AlG<br />

Microbiology. Simris Alg grows<br />

microalgae in order to deliver<br />

valuable products for food, animal<br />

feed, and health products.<br />

______________________sol Voltaics<br />

Solar Power. Sol Voltaics improves the<br />

efficiency of energy capture, generation,<br />

and storage using minuscule<br />

amounts of novel nanomaterials.<br />

_________________solelia Greentech<br />

Solar Power. Solelia Greentech rents<br />

and sells solar-powered charging<br />

stations so that organizations can provide<br />

charging for electric cars using<br />

completely clean electricity.<br />

_________________________sorubin<br />

Water Purification. Sorubin develops<br />

energy-efficient aerators for industrial<br />

water treatment.<br />

__________________________terrigio<br />

Irrigation Systems. Terrigio manufactures<br />

irrigation systems. Its products<br />

use SAVAQ technology to improve<br />

irrigation efficiency and performance.<br />

_______________________tomologic<br />

Production Engineering.<br />

Tomologic offers a unique optimization<br />

system for maximum<br />

20 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

efficiency and minimal environmental<br />

impact in industrial sheet metal<br />

cutting.<br />

____________triventus Wind Power<br />

Wind Power. Triventus Wind Power<br />

takes wind power projects from<br />

concept to value-creating energy<br />

production.<br />

______________Vigor Wave energy<br />

Wave Energy. The Vigor Wave Energy<br />

■ Scandinavian<br />

Energy Efficiency. ■<br />

Converter is based on a floating<br />

hose and uses water and air as<br />

mechanical parts to absorb wave<br />

energy.<br />

__________________Zemissions<br />

Emission controls. Zemission<br />

develops, customizes, and pro-<br />

duces burners for different custo.<br />

mer applications. The technology<br />

is physically scalable to an unprecedented<br />

degree.


Training in sustainable planning Attend our three-day training program:<br />

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Attend our three-day training program and take one step<br />

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Over these three days, you will learn how we have created one of<br />

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municipalities, academia and industry. The goal is understand what is<br />

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You will also meet with consultants and companies that have been<br />

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DAY 1:<br />

• Introduction to the Swedish system.<br />

• Information on the Swedish funding system.<br />

• Study visits to relevant reference objects.<br />

DAY 2:<br />

• Discussions on local problem areas in the participants’<br />

communities.<br />

• Seminars on environmental technology solutions.<br />

• Sustainable energy solutions.<br />

• Study visits to relevant reference objects<br />

DAY 3:<br />

• Talks on the municipality’s and the government’s role<br />

in sustainability efforts.<br />

• Workshops on addressing your local conditions and<br />

opportunities.<br />

• Planning the next step.


anna-karin hatt<br />

■ Anna-Karin Hatt<br />

Minister for Information<br />

Technology and<br />

Energy Ministry of<br />

Enterprise and<br />

Energy. ■<br />

22 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN


Minister<br />

CoMbines<br />

it and energy<br />

in CleanteCh<br />

initiatives<br />

Sweden has one minister responsible for both IT and energy. This arrangement<br />

is intentional and the minister, Anna-Karin Hatt, recognizes that the<br />

two fields are becoming increasingly integrated. Apart from renewable<br />

energy and energy efficiency measures, cleantech exports and research<br />

into alternative energy sources are two more important issues handled<br />

by the ministry.<br />

The Swedish energy<br />

minster’s genuine<br />

commitment to environmental<br />

issues is obvious<br />

to anyone who knows her.<br />

As an example, Hatt chose to highlight<br />

the effects of climate change when<br />

inaugurating a combined power and<br />

heating plant in Helsingborg in<br />

southern Sweden. On that occasion,<br />

her remarks included the following<br />

statement:<br />

“We are living in critical times. If<br />

the earth’s average temperature were<br />

to rise by more than two degrees<br />

Celsius, it would have dramatic effects<br />

on our society. Here in Sweden, we<br />

would experience longer and wetter<br />

summers with more precipitation. We<br />

would also see tropical storms and<br />

drought in other parts of the world.<br />

We might perhaps also see positive<br />

effects, like larger crop harvests, but<br />

also negative effects like more pest<br />

damage to our forests, increased<br />

water flow, and greater risks of<br />

landslides along our waterways.<br />

Without doubt, parts of the world<br />

would suffer crop failure and famine<br />

more often and epidemics would find<br />

new ways of spreading. We would see<br />

new streams of refugees, geopolitical<br />

tensions, and increased competition<br />

for dwindling natural resources. This<br />

is what climate challenge is all about.”<br />

Her speech at the power plant also<br />

testifies to how seriously Sweden<br />

takes its green energy supply. Generating<br />

heat and electricity simultaneously<br />

in combined power and heating<br />

plants is a technique that Sweden<br />

began pursuing in earnest during the<br />

1980s and 1990s. Since then, electricity<br />

and district heating, which were<br />

initially derived from oil and coal,<br />

have become increasingly greener.<br />

Today, Swedish combined power<br />

and heating is green and is based<br />

almost entirely on biofuels and waste<br />

collected from the forest industry and<br />

on recycling household waste to<br />

produce energy. Moreover, one in two<br />

Swedes now lives in a house heated by<br />

district heating. Forty percent of this<br />

heat comes from combined power and<br />

heating plants, and 13 percent of<br />

Sweden’s electricity is produced in<br />

these modern power plants.<br />

“As the Swedish Energy Minister, I<br />

am very proud that we have come this<br />

far. And I am confident about the<br />

future. Each day, the energy revolution<br />

gains more ground. What’s more,<br />

our energy evolution can also help<br />

others. Because when countries<br />

cooperate and when new discoveries<br />

spread, in time it can create a real<br />

revolution,” Hatt told the audience at<br />

the inauguration.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 23


anna-karin hatt<br />

■ “Often, these sOlutiOns have been<br />

wOrked Out at the municipal level,<br />

resulting in gOOd, cOmprehensive<br />

sOlutiOns that can be applied in Other<br />

cOuntries. we’ve nOw integrated this<br />

intO Our strategy, which includes dem-<br />

Onstrating swedish sOlutiOns within<br />

Our ‘symbiO city’ cOncept” ■<br />

One of Hatt’s secretaries of state,<br />

Daniel Johansson, points out that<br />

Sweden took up the environmental<br />

cause early on by expanding its<br />

district heating and electricity<br />

resources, and that this know-how<br />

can now be exported. He also points<br />

out that this expansion has been<br />

achieved in close cooperation with the<br />

Swedish people.<br />

“Often, these solutions have been<br />

worked out at the municipal level,<br />

resulting in good, comprehensive<br />

solutions that can be applied in other<br />

countries. We’ve now integrated this<br />

into our strategy, which includes<br />

demonstrating Swedish solutions<br />

within our ‘Symbio City’ concept,” he<br />

explains.<br />

Meanwhile, energy derived from<br />

waste is an important aspect of the<br />

Swedish energy system and will<br />

continue to be so. “In all likelihood,<br />

waste will continue to play a major<br />

role. We have combined heating and<br />

power plants that provide much of our<br />

energy and heat from waste incineration.<br />

In this regard we’re ahead of<br />

many other countries, where it’s still<br />

common practice to dump waste in<br />

landfills.”<br />

The state secretary also emphasizes<br />

other forms of waste management:<br />

“Even more exciting is the role<br />

that waste and residual products can<br />

play in the development of new fuels,<br />

such as biogas made from household<br />

24 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

waste that powers municipal buses<br />

and trucks. I believe this role will<br />

increase in the future,” he says.<br />

One important issue on Anna-<br />

Karin Hatt’s agenda is how to increase<br />

cleantech exports. A strategy has<br />

been put in place for the period 2011<br />

to 2014 and under this strategy, all<br />

Swedish ministries and authorities<br />

dealing with exports and technological<br />

development are to cooperate.<br />

This includes the Ministry of Environment,<br />

the Ministry of Enterprise,<br />

Energy and Communications, and the<br />

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together<br />

with agencies like the Swedish Agency<br />

for Economic and Regional Growth,<br />

the Swedish Governmental Agency for<br />

Innovation Systems (Vinnova),<br />

Business Sweden, the Swedish<br />

Environmental Protection Agency, the<br />

Swedish Energy Agency, and the<br />

Center for Environmental Technology<br />

(Centec).<br />

In addition to cooperation<br />

between different cleantech stakeholders<br />

and between government<br />

agencies, Daniel Johansson believes<br />

that the most important part of this<br />

strategy is taking a holistic approach<br />

to the entire value chain.<br />

“It’s not just about different<br />

stakeholders cooperating. In reality,<br />

the strategy involves initiatives that<br />

cover the entire value chain–from<br />

concept and innovation to finding a<br />

market and establishing a product.<br />

The broader initiative also aims to<br />

identify the challenges that companies<br />

face,” Johansson says.<br />

In addition, the state secretary<br />

points out that some of the efforts<br />

have been very concrete and well<br />

timed. “We are now seeing targeted<br />

export ventures aimed at China,<br />

Russia, India, the US, Turkey, and<br />

Brazil,” he adds.<br />

The 400 million Swedish kronor<br />

being spent to help Swedish cleantech<br />

companies enter the world market are<br />

being combined with research into<br />

renewable energy. Anna-Karin Hatt<br />

has described the main purpose of<br />

state-funded energy research as<br />

helping Sweden to achieve its energy<br />

and climate goals. Because new<br />

knowledge and new technology are so<br />

important, energy research is a<br />

natural and integrated part of<br />

Swedish energy policy.<br />

“We’re now investing heavily in<br />

energy research; spending SEK 1.3<br />

billion per year starting this year and<br />

SEK 1.4 billion per year from 2016,”<br />

wrote Hatt in a blog post dated<br />

January 22, 2013.<br />

In the same posting, Hatt also<br />

mentions a company working within<br />

cleantech that combines several of the<br />

factors that she considers to be<br />

important–renewable energy and<br />

export opportunities. The company is<br />

Nlab Solar AB. Nlab Solar develops<br />

solar cells that can be integrated into


<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 25


anna-karin hatt<br />

everything from common consumer<br />

products to large buildings.<br />

“This is one of many solutions<br />

that can contribute to both the<br />

domestic and global energy transition,<br />

while also creating important<br />

jobs here in Sweden and welcomed<br />

export revenues.”<br />

Johansson believes that Sweden<br />

compares well internationally when<br />

it comes to transitioning to alternative<br />

energy sources. “We are the best<br />

in Europe and among the best in the<br />

world in terms of the proportion of<br />

renewable energy we use. That’s<br />

good, but we still have considerable<br />

26 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

challenges to face, as does the rest of<br />

the world. Not least important in<br />

this transition is rethinking our<br />

transports, an area where we are<br />

still almost entirely dependent on<br />

fossil fuels,” he says.<br />

This view is confirmed by the<br />

International Energy Agency’s (IEA)<br />

Executive Director, Maria van der<br />

Hoeven: “Sweden has achieved more<br />

resource-efficient and sustainable<br />

energy use through investments in<br />

renewable energy, increased energy<br />

efficiency, and more energy research<br />

and innovation. Renewable energy<br />

resources have been expanded in a<br />

cost-effective way. Through Sweden’s<br />

tradable green certificate<br />

system, the share of renewable<br />

electricity has increased, at a low<br />

cost to the consumer,” she writes in<br />

the IEA’s evaluation of Swedish<br />

energy policy.<br />

The evaluation also specifies how<br />

Sweden has adopted ambitious,<br />

long-term goals for reducing carbon<br />

dioxide emissions and increasing<br />

renewable energy. “We’re now on<br />

track to achieve, or even exceed,<br />

these objectives,” wrote Anna-Karin<br />

Hatt in an article co-authored by<br />

Van der Hoeven.


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enewable energy<br />

We can build a sustainable electricity system in Sweden using solar energy,<br />

biomass, wind, and currently available hydropower. And it could be completed<br />

by 2030, according to a report from the Swedish Wind Energy Association<br />

(Svensk Vindenergi). The report argues that there are no technical or<br />

economic barriers to transitioning to fully renewable electricity production<br />

in Sweden. Rather, what is lacking is the political will.<br />

Sweden Can Achieve Fully<br />

Renewable Electricity Production<br />

‘ ‘ E<br />

ven so, we cannot<br />

ignore the fact that the<br />

first nuclear reactors<br />

are approaching the<br />

end of their life spans. Even if nuclear<br />

power were politically acceptable, it is<br />

highly doubtful that anyone would<br />

want to invest. Recent numbers from<br />

projects in several countries show that<br />

new reactors are becoming increasingly<br />

more expensive,” says Annika<br />

Helker Lundström, CEO of the<br />

Swedish Wind Energy Association.<br />

There is excellent potential for<br />

renewable electricity in Sweden.<br />

Merely the wind power projects<br />

already licensed could produce 30<br />

TWh of electricity, which equals about<br />

half of last year’s nuclear power<br />

generation. But a renewable electricity<br />

system presents challenges. It has to<br />

handle both when there are strong<br />

winds and when there is no wind at all.<br />

According to the report, simulations<br />

from the Royal Institute of Technology<br />

show that hydropower can balance the<br />

varying wind conditions for 30 TWh of<br />

wind power.<br />

“New studies also show that hydropower<br />

produced in 2008 had more<br />

hourly adjustments than would be<br />

required to meet the same variations<br />

caused by 55 TWh of combined wind<br />

power, solar power and electricity<br />

consumption,” explains Helker<br />

Lundström.<br />

So there is good potential for a<br />

renewable electricity system. But it<br />

requires a thoughtful approach to be<br />

done cost-effectively. “The grid needs<br />

28 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

to be refurbished and improved and<br />

trading capacity with our neighbors<br />

increased. It requires investing in<br />

‘smart grids’ that enable all consumers<br />

to become more active on the electricity<br />

market, while providing new<br />

opportunities to manage the variability<br />

of renewable electricity,” she says.<br />

According to the report, the<br />

Swedish National Grid’s first move<br />

should be to develop an action plan for<br />

the grid that allows it to meet the<br />

Swedish Parliament’s goal for 30 TWh<br />

of wind power by 2020. “It also<br />

requires in-depth analysis of how we<br />

can best tackle the issues of balancing<br />

power, load leveling, and energy<br />

storage,” says Annika Helker Lundström.<br />

The report also notes that demand<br />

curves in the electricity certificate<br />

system also need adjustment. Previously,<br />

the Swedish Energy Agency<br />

estimated that only just over 11 TWh of<br />

wind power would be built by 2020,<br />

based on the existing goals. “We are<br />

likely to reach that level in 2014. We<br />

then risk a slowdown unless grid<br />

improvements are accelerated and<br />

ambition levels increased,” Helker<br />

Lundström argues.<br />

She also argues that the Swedish<br />

government should press for greater<br />

cooperation with other EU countries.<br />

By allowing other countries to pay for<br />

credit for the relatively cheap renewable<br />

electricity that can be made in<br />

Sweden, Swedish electricity customers<br />

get a lower electricity price without<br />

having to pay for the grid expansion.<br />

“With a strong investment in<br />

renewable electricity and continued<br />

improvement of the grid, we can build<br />

a sustainable electricity system. This<br />

opens the option of closing ageing<br />

reactors and for a more secure power<br />

supply if new nuclear plants do not<br />

materialize,” says Helker Lundström.


Editorial column: larS linG iS cEo of clEantEch rEGion SolutionS aB<br />

Swedish cleantech<br />

to boost the world<br />

Over 6000 SwediSh cleantech cOmpanieS are work-<br />

ing hard every day to make a difference and addressing the<br />

climate and sustainable challenges that we are facing.<br />

The strengths come from Sweden’s heritage and changing<br />

climate, with harsh winters, Sweden has long been a model<br />

for energy-saving technologies and environmentally<br />

advanced intellectual knowledge that now is becoming<br />

vital. You will find many success stories and companies in<br />

this magazine.<br />

We can all see that the need for sustainable solutions is<br />

growing, the way we live our daily life and consuming is<br />

just not going to work. We are expected to be over 9 billion<br />

people by 2050. That’s equal to almost 400,000 thousand<br />

new citizens every day, that will need somewhere to live,<br />

food and water. Houses and buildings consume energy, to<br />

produce food you need even more energy and water.<br />

This is the world’s biggest business opportunity.<br />

SwediSh cleantech cOmpanieS have long experience<br />

in building and developing smart sustainable cities and<br />

societies. Symbio City is a concept that Business Sweden<br />

Agency together with companies, regions and partners<br />

that is focusing on building sustainable cities and regions.<br />

Swedish cleantech companies are working together in<br />

projects to become more successful and also with International<br />

projects and companies.<br />

The demand from China, India, Russia, Indonesia,<br />

Australia and Brazil are huge, and are some of the fastest<br />

changing and polluting countries including the U.S where<br />

the need for environmentally solutions are most needed<br />

and growing.<br />

the trend and faSteSt grOwing cOntinent is Africa<br />

with many successful projects in Water, renewable energy,<br />

environmental awareness and bioenergy initiatives, with<br />

huge potential.<br />

With over a 3100 billion market 2020, the biggest<br />

business opportunity in the world is there for Swedish and<br />

the worlds cleantech companies!<br />

Go make a difference!<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 29


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mats denninger<br />

32 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

■ Mats Denninger,<br />

High Representative<br />

for the International<br />

Environmental<br />

Technology Cooperation<br />

(IMT) at the<br />

Government Offices<br />

of Sweden. ■


China, India, and Russia are priority markets for Swedish cleantech<br />

exports and Mats Denninger is the man tasked with coordinating<br />

Sweden’s efforts to open doors in these countries.<br />

“There is no quick fix here. It will take both patience and resources<br />

to succeed,” Denninger explains.<br />

The Man Tasked<br />

with Opening Doors<br />

Climate and environmental<br />

challenges, which are<br />

rightly seen as being the<br />

greatest threat of our time,<br />

also present an opportunity.<br />

Major investments are being<br />

made all around the world in areas<br />

such as renewable energy, waste<br />

management, water treatment, and<br />

sustainable urban development. This<br />

development opens up major fields of<br />

opportunity for both Swedish cleantech<br />

solutions and Swedish industry.<br />

In September 2011, the Swedish<br />

government invested in a strategy to<br />

promote the development and export<br />

of environmental technology, to<br />

provide support to Swedish industry.<br />

The government’s investment of SEK<br />

400 million in the program will<br />

continue until 2014.<br />

China, Russia, and India have been<br />

earmarked as key markets for Swedish<br />

cleantech technology. Mats Denninger,<br />

as High Representative for the<br />

International Environmental Technology<br />

Cooperation (IMT) at the Government<br />

Offices of Sweden, has now<br />

reached about the halfway mark in<br />

Sweden’s campaign to increase<br />

cleantech exports to China, Russia,<br />

and India. A large number of activities<br />

and initiatives have been carried out in<br />

these countries since the program<br />

started January 2011.<br />

“We’ve focused on developing our<br />

contacts with public sector clients<br />

such as cities, regions, and municipalities,”<br />

says Denninger.<br />

IMT started by reviewing the<br />

markets using criteria related to<br />

administrative capacity and needs.<br />

From there, a number of regions and<br />

cities of interest were identified.<br />

“We’ve collected information on,<br />

communicated with, and visited the<br />

cities and regions of interest to us,”<br />

continues Denninger.<br />

The next step was to match<br />

Swedish companies with the needs of<br />

the targeted cities and regions.<br />

“We discovered, however, that<br />

meeting the demand for large system<br />

orders represents a significant<br />

challenge for Swedish companies”, he<br />

says. “There are, for example, not<br />

many companies in Sweden that can<br />

build and operate a wastewater<br />

treatment plant.”<br />

Another challenge identified by<br />

IMT is the business model used in<br />

Russia and India.<br />

“Funding is often based on<br />

public-private partnerships, which we<br />

have little experience with in Sweden.”<br />

There is, of course, no such<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 33


mats denninger<br />

obstacle in China. Needs are also more<br />

diverse there.<br />

“This aspect and the fact that we<br />

have more experience exporting<br />

cleantech to China, means we have<br />

made more progress there,” says<br />

Denninger.<br />

A special office for cleantech<br />

exports, Centec, has been operating in<br />

Beijing since 2008. Similar permanent<br />

offices, albeit smaller in size, are now<br />

also operating in Russia and India.<br />

“I would say that all three markets<br />

have a substantial need for energy<br />

efficiency and waste management<br />

solutions, areas in which Sweden has<br />

significant expertise, particularly<br />

within its municipalities,” says<br />

Denninger.<br />

This link to municipalities also<br />

causes a problem, however.<br />

“Municipalities are good at defining<br />

and procuring functional units and<br />

systems. However, this also means that<br />

we in Sweden lack stakeholders who<br />

can deliver and operate facilities<br />

independently.”<br />

A primary goal of the Swedish<br />

government’s initiative is to increase<br />

exports of Swedish cleantech. According<br />

to Denninger, Swedish cleantech<br />

exports to China doubled between<br />

34 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

2008 and 2009 to over SEK 2 billion.<br />

Exports have remained at that level<br />

since, however. Cleantech exports to<br />

Russia and India are currently SEK 1<br />

billion and SEK 500 million respectively.<br />

The potential is however much<br />

greater. “The key to success is delivering<br />

innovative technology; offering<br />

smart solutions at low prices and<br />

always being ready to take the next step<br />

forward in technological development”.<br />

“Increasing cleantech exports to<br />

these countries is a long-term project.<br />

The perseverance that is needed to<br />

succeed requires high levels of<br />

resources.”<br />

Denninger would like to see more<br />

investors choose to invest in Swedish<br />

cleantech.<br />

“There is a great need for venture<br />

capital and consolidation. Fewer and<br />

stronger stakeholders would be better<br />

equipped to meet the challenges we<br />

face,” he says.<br />

The question, then, is why more<br />

venture capitalists aren’t investing in<br />

cleantech, when everyone seems to<br />

agree that the industry has enormous<br />

potential.<br />

“Unfortunately, the short-term<br />

returns are probably too small at<br />

present,” Denninger concludes.<br />

Facts: the swedish government’s<br />

Cleantech strategy,<br />

2011–2014<br />

On September 1, 2011, Sweden’s<br />

cleantech strategy was presented<br />

by the then Minister for Enterprise<br />

and Energy, Maud Olofsson; the<br />

Minister for Trade, Ewa Björling;<br />

and the then Minister for the<br />

Environment, Andreas Carlgren.<br />

The strategy aims to improve<br />

conditions conducive to the<br />

development and export of new<br />

Swedish cleantech solutions in four<br />

different policy areas; business,<br />

trade, the environment, and<br />

development assistance policy. The<br />

government will invest SEK 400<br />

million in cleantech in the period<br />

2011-2014 to fund short- and<br />

long-term initiatives covering<br />

everything from research and<br />

innovation to exports. As part of its<br />

strategy, the government has<br />

decided on some 20 missions to<br />

over 10 state-funded agencies and<br />

organizations. These missions will<br />

help to create better business<br />

conditions for Swedish companies<br />

in selected areas. The missions’<br />

focus will be based on analytical<br />

data and on dialog with stakeholders<br />

in the area.


SUSTAINABLE THINKING<br />

IS WORKING TOGETHER<br />

Almost everybody agrees that the key to a brighter future for the<br />

environment is cooperation. If we can set new standards for how<br />

we solve problems together we can really make a change.<br />

That is exactly what we have been doing for decades in the<br />

Swedish process industry.<br />

Working together to solve common problems. It is proven to<br />

be an effective strategy and we call it the ssg way. But you could<br />

also call it sustainable thinking.<br />

SWEETPOP.SE


SwediSh cleantech induStry<br />

Germany 5 711<br />

Norway<br />

4 927<br />

Denmark<br />

2 671<br />

Finland<br />

2 343<br />

China<br />

2 230<br />

USA<br />

2 133<br />

Netherlands<br />

1 625<br />

Great Britain<br />

1 581<br />

Turkey<br />

1 254<br />

France<br />

1 249<br />

Spain<br />

1 216<br />

India<br />

1 044<br />

Poland<br />

967<br />

Belgium<br />

817<br />

Italy 718<br />

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000<br />

swedish cleantech<br />

growing fast<br />

Compared to many other industries, the cleantech industry in Sweden is small.<br />

Even so, it currently employs over 40,000 people and records annual sales of<br />

about SEK 120 billion. Moreover, the industry is experiencing rapid growth,<br />

and its exports are growing faster than those of other Swedish industries.<br />

Cleantech is still a relatively<br />

small part of Swedish<br />

industry, but it is a high<br />

priority for the Swedish<br />

government, and the country’s public<br />

authorities have invested SEK 400<br />

million in a cleantech strategy. In<br />

addition, Swedish municipalities play<br />

an important role and can help<br />

further facilitate the export of<br />

Swedish cleantech innovations and<br />

system solutions.<br />

In 2011 the Swedish environmental<br />

sector exported goods and services<br />

to the value of SEK 38.9 billion,<br />

equivalent to 2.2 percent of the<br />

country’s total exports. This represented<br />

an increase of 6 percent or SEK<br />

2.2 billion over 2010.<br />

Environmental technology<br />

companies are divided into 13<br />

36 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

facts about the swedish<br />

environmental sector:<br />

No. of employees: 69,000<br />

Added value: SEK 60.6 billion<br />

Exports of goods and services:<br />

SEK 38.9 billion<br />

Increase in export value,<br />

2010-2011: 6 percent or<br />

SEK 2.2 billion<br />

different categories and, in 2011,<br />

companies active within the “recycled<br />

materials” category exported the<br />

most. This category exported goods<br />

and services worth over SEK 13 billion<br />

in 2011, equivalent to one-third of the<br />

sector’s total exports.<br />

Sales in the environmental sector<br />

totaled SEK 241 billion in 2011; an<br />

increase over the previous year of<br />

more than 3 percent, or just under<br />

SEK 8 billion. Between 2003 and<br />

2011, sales in this sector increased<br />

every year except for 2009. The total<br />

increase in sales during this period<br />

was 65 percent.<br />

With the exception of 2010,<br />

exports also increased every year<br />

during the period. The total increase<br />

in exports during the period was 69<br />

percent.<br />

The corresponding figure<br />

for Sweden’s total exports was 58<br />

percent. The Swedish government<br />

and public authorities have a clear<br />

goal: they want exports to increase<br />

substantially, especially to the BRIC<br />

countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and<br />

China).


InternatIonal Interest In<br />

swedIsh waste ManageMent<br />

Waste management solutions are one Swedish cleantech sector that has<br />

achieved both increased exports and international recognition. Waste<br />

management and recycling accounted for nearly one-third, or SEK<br />

12 billion, of Sweden’s total cleantech exports in 2011.<br />

Swedish waste management is<br />

internationally renowned<br />

thanks to Sweden’s technical and<br />

system solutions, that is, the way<br />

energy is extracted from waste and how<br />

it is used.<br />

“Sweden’s strength is in taking a<br />

holistic approach to environmental<br />

issues; environmental problems are<br />

seen as assets, such as turning food<br />

waste into biogas or waste incineration<br />

that provides district heating,” explains<br />

Tony Clark, former Swedish Embassy<br />

Counselor in China and current Deputy<br />

Director of the International Unit at the<br />

Swedish Ministry of the Environment.<br />

He also points out that Sweden was<br />

very quick to create systems with<br />

exciting cradle-to-grave solutions that<br />

included advanced collaboration from<br />

innovation and research all the way to<br />

practical implementation.<br />

In the Swedish waste management<br />

system, municipalities are responsible<br />

for collecting and recycling all household<br />

waste (except waste that falls under<br />

producer responsibility), particularly<br />

packaging materials, newspapers, and<br />

electrical goods. Households are also<br />

responsible for sorting their own waste<br />

so that it can be recycled correctly.<br />

Today, 99 percent of Swedish household<br />

waste is recycled as either energy or<br />

materials, making Sweden one of the<br />

world’s leaders in waste management.<br />

It is municipalities that have often<br />

driven development in Sweden. By<br />

specifying minimum requirements<br />

during public procurement procedures<br />

and developing expertise and techniques,<br />

they have laid the foundation for<br />

the systems and technological solutions<br />

that are now being exported.<br />

Avfall Sverige (the Swedish Waste<br />

Management and Recycling Association)<br />

brings together the country’s<br />

leading waste management expertise.<br />

“Sweden has the world’s best and<br />

most comprehensive waste management<br />

systems—that’s a view that is<br />

widely shared even outside the country.<br />

Despite this recognition, Swedish<br />

exports of services, expertise, and<br />

equipment remain small. To address<br />

this problem, Avfall Sverige has<br />

launched a new task force that brings<br />

together stakeholders in Sweden to<br />

achieve a wider adoption of Swedish<br />

expertise and technology,” reveals<br />

Weine Wiqvist, CEO of Avfall Sverige.<br />

Facts about swedish waste<br />

Management:<br />

Responsibility for collecting and<br />

processing household waste in<br />

Sweden is divided between<br />

municipalities and producers.<br />

Producers are responsible for<br />

packaging and electronic waste.<br />

Recycling expenses incurred by<br />

municipalities are recouped<br />

through waste fees levied on<br />

households, while producers<br />

recoup their costs through<br />

including a fee in the prices of<br />

the products themselves.<br />

Sweden had a total ban on<br />

organic waste in landfills several<br />

years before the EU began<br />

imposing any such limits.<br />

The more than two million tons<br />

of household waste that were<br />

incinerated with energy recovery<br />

in 2010 supplied 820,000 homes<br />

with district heating and provided<br />

275,000 normal-sized<br />

houses with electricity, thus<br />

replacing large amounts of fossil<br />

fuel. A total of 14.4 GWh of<br />

energy were recovered through<br />

incineration, distributed as 12.6<br />

GWh in heating and 1.8 GWh in<br />

electricity.<br />

The 660 million tons of waste<br />

that was composted in 2010<br />

provided 265,000 MWh of<br />

vehicle biogas and 51,000 MWh<br />

of heat. In addition, 583,000 tons<br />

of bio-fertilizer were produced.<br />

The gas produced replaces over<br />

7,925,000 gallons of gasoline<br />

and is currently the cleanest<br />

vehicle fuel available. In addition,<br />

material from 1.6 million<br />

tons of waste was recycled in<br />

2010. Read more at<br />

www.avfallsverige.se<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 37


Venture capital<br />

38 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

■ IKEA GreenTech<br />

latest investment is<br />

in DyeCoo Textile<br />

Systems, a Dutch<br />

company that has<br />

developed the first<br />

commercially avail-<br />

able waterless dyeing<br />

technology. ergy. ■


IKEA Invests<br />

Heavily in<br />

Cleantech<br />

Venture capital company IKEA GreenTech AB<br />

is investing heavily in cleantech. The company<br />

has so far invested EUR 12 million in four<br />

companies of a total of EUR 60 million<br />

allocated for investment.<br />

I<br />

KEA GreenTech, a venture<br />

capital company within the<br />

IKEA Group, invested EUR 12<br />

million between 2010 and 2012<br />

in companies working with cleantech<br />

and in a venture capital fund that<br />

invests in cleantech.<br />

The venture capital company’s<br />

mission is primarily to invest in<br />

technology companies that contribute<br />

to greater sustainability, both for the<br />

community in general and within<br />

IKEA’s business activities. IKEA<br />

GreenTech is wholly owned by the<br />

IKEA Group, which means that these<br />

investments not only provide an<br />

injection of money and external<br />

expertise, but also open an opportunity<br />

to work with the IKEA furniture<br />

warehouse chain.<br />

All profits are returned to the fund<br />

to create a continuous influx of capital<br />

that can be used to make new investments.<br />

“Our goal is to make investments<br />

that enable IKEA to offer innovative<br />

new products that help people to live a<br />

more sustainable life at home. After<br />

evaluating interesting ideas from over<br />

700 companies, we selected the<br />

technologies that offer real potential<br />

in this area,” says Christian Ehrenborg,<br />

Managing Director, IKEA<br />

GreenTech.<br />

IKEA GreenTech was founded in<br />

2008 and focuses mostly on the<br />

Nordic countries and Europe. The<br />

company now plans to accelerate the<br />

process of identifying new investments<br />

that will help the IKEA Group<br />

to fulfill its new sustainability<br />

strategy, People & Planet Positive.<br />

“We are selective. We only invest<br />

in products, designs, materials, or<br />

processes that contribute to IKEA’s<br />

commitment to sustainability,” adds<br />

Ehrenborg.<br />

IKEA’s sustainability strategy<br />

includes challenging commitments<br />

that are designed to help millions of<br />

people to save energy and water, and<br />

to reduce their household waste.<br />

Moreover, the strategy also helps to<br />

make IKEA a more sustainable<br />

com pany. IKEA GreenTech is investigating<br />

opportunities throughout<br />

IKEA’s supply chain to support its<br />

strategy.<br />

IKEA GreenTech’s Investment<br />

Criteria:<br />

• Minimum 10% ownership<br />

• Improved sustainability for<br />

IKEA business activities in<br />

combination with at least one<br />

other positive effect, normally<br />

cost savings<br />

• Products that are ready to be<br />

introduced onto the market<br />

• Primarily innovative technology,<br />

strong IPR and know-how<br />

• A business idea with major<br />

international potential and a<br />

distinct go-to-market plan<br />

• A strong and motivated<br />

management team<br />

• Timing; the market need<br />

should exist now<br />

• Possible to implement in IKEA<br />

business activities<br />

• Realistic exit possibilities<br />

within, typically, 5-7 years, with a<br />

good return on investment<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 39


Venture capital<br />

About IKEA GreenTech<br />

IKEA GreenTech AB is a<br />

corporate venture capital<br />

company that makes equity<br />

investments in green technology<br />

companies. Its mission is<br />

primarily to invest in technology-based<br />

companies that<br />

improve the sustainability of<br />

IKEA’s business activities. The<br />

company is owned by the<br />

IKEA Group. This ownership<br />

structure gives potential<br />

access to the global and<br />

well-renowned IKEA retail<br />

concept.<br />

Companies invested in:<br />

Exibea AB (Sweden)<br />

A market-driven company that<br />

produces products for<br />

monitoring and regulating<br />

energy consumption.<br />

I<br />

KEA GreenTech latest<br />

investment is in DyeCoo<br />

Textile Systems, a Dutch<br />

company that has developed<br />

the first commercially available<br />

waterless dyeing technology. Using<br />

recycled carbon dioxide (CO2), the<br />

technology avoids the large<br />

amount of water and chemicals<br />

used in traditional dyeing processes.<br />

“DyeCoo’s waterless dyeing<br />

technology is a truly innovative<br />

system that could bring real<br />

environmental and costs benefits<br />

for the textile industry by reducing<br />

water and chemical use. Through<br />

the partnership, IKEA will help to<br />

speed up the development and<br />

availability of the technology,” says<br />

Christian Ehrenborg, Managing<br />

40 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

Other<br />

Mountain Cleantech Fund II<br />

(Cleantech growth fund in<br />

Germany/Austria/Switzerland)<br />

El-Seed Corp. (LED technology,<br />

Japan)<br />

BoFood AB (Sweden)<br />

This company develops and<br />

produces vegetable-based food<br />

products with a focus on<br />

healthier dietary habits and<br />

reduced environmental impact.<br />

One example of its products is<br />

the ice cream brand Lovice–ice<br />

cream made from soybeans.<br />

Today, soybeans are often used<br />

in animal feed. Using soybeans<br />

as a base means that cows are<br />

no longer needed for ice cream<br />

manufacture, eliminating one<br />

stage in the production<br />

process.<br />

Director, IKEA GreenTech AB.<br />

The investment will support<br />

the delivery of the IKEA Group<br />

Sustainability Strategy, People &<br />

Planet Positive, which includes<br />

challenging commitments for<br />

IKEA to make its products,<br />

operations and supply chain more<br />

sustainable. The significant<br />

potential of the waterless dyeing<br />

process has also been recognised<br />

by the world’s leading apparel and<br />

footwear brand, NIKE, Inc. which<br />

invested in DyeCoo in 2012. Nike’s<br />

strategic partnerships group<br />

worked closely with IKEA<br />

GreenTech throughout the<br />

investment process. The textile<br />

industry is one of the largest<br />

consumers of water and most of<br />

the world’s textile suppliers are<br />

Alelion Batteries AB<br />

(Sweden)<br />

This company works to supply<br />

complete, modular, climatefriendly<br />

energy storage<br />

systems consisting of battery<br />

cells, a mechanical connection,<br />

and their guidance and<br />

control electronics, primarily<br />

based on Li-ion batteries, for<br />

trucks and other applications.<br />

IKEA GrEEnTECh InvESTS In<br />

wATErlESS TExTIlE dyEInG SySTEm<br />

located in Asia. The scale of the<br />

industry’s activity in the region can<br />

put pressure on the availability of<br />

clean water and contribute to<br />

environmental pollution in the<br />

discharges from manufacturing<br />

processes. By removing the need<br />

to use water in the dyeing process<br />

and eliminating the risk of effluent<br />

discharge, a known environmental<br />

hazard, the DyeCoo system could<br />

bring significant benefits to the<br />

region. The first range of machines<br />

developed and manufactured by<br />

DyeCoo are for waterless dyeing of<br />

polyester fabric. As well as helping<br />

to scale the processes for dyeing<br />

polyester, the partnership with<br />

IKEA will speed up the development<br />

of processes and machines<br />

for dyeing cotton.


system provides long-term<br />

use and good interior climate.<br />

Sick houses is the worst nightmare of a house-owner, but with Koljern-technique you avoid future problems.<br />

Your house will be a healthy and sound dream house with a good indoor environment. The combination of<br />

the technical advantages in the koljern method, and the long-term profits seen out of a lifecycle, perspective<br />

makes winners out of both consultants, contractors and house owners. The first price is non-problem ground<br />

construction in the future. The Koljern-technology is proved to be energy efficient, damp proof, fireproof,<br />

flexible and durable. The Koljern-technology can be used as supporting or non-supporting elements, in<br />

small, large and heavy buildings.<br />

FOAMGLAS NORDIC AB<br />

Hällebergsvägen 7, SE-443 60 Stenkullen, Sverige<br />

Tel. +46 (0)302 378 56, Fax +46 (0)302 378 57, E-mail info@foamglas.se<br />

www.foamglas.se / www.koljern.se<br />

Give up Bad Construction for Good!<br />

Ecology & Economy in One


envac<br />

Patience – A Success<br />

Factor for World-leading<br />

Waste Company<br />

One of Sweden’s true success stories in cleantech<br />

exports is Envac. The company is a world leader<br />

in automated waste management and has 38<br />

offices in 21 countries across Europe, the Middle<br />

East, Asia, the Americas, and Australia.<br />

42 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN


Why don’t we suck up<br />

waste with a vacuum<br />

cleaner? It seems that<br />

this question, posed at<br />

the end of the 1950s, would have a<br />

major impact on the waste management<br />

of the future. Back then, a hospital<br />

in northern Sweden was negotiating<br />

the purchase of a new central<br />

vacuum system, when the discussion<br />

suddenly took a different turn:<br />

“If we can suck all of the dust from<br />

every corner of the hospital using just<br />

one system, why can’t we do the same<br />

thing with waste?” No one had<br />

thought of the idea before, and no one<br />

knew if it was possible. It was. In<br />

1961, Centralsug AB, now Envac,<br />

installed the first vacuum waste<br />

management system in the world in<br />

Sollefteå Hospital, northern Sweden.<br />

The system is still in operation today,<br />

still with many of the original parts<br />

from the early 1960s. Despite many<br />

attempts to convince others of the<br />

value of the technology, it still took<br />

four years after the first installation<br />

before the next contract came in 1965,<br />

when a municipal housing company in<br />

the Sundbyberg area of Stockholm<br />

decided to give the system a try.<br />

Ultimately, the first vacuum<br />

system for household waste in the<br />

world was installed in an entirely<br />

newly built neighborhood. This<br />

system is also still in operation today.<br />

A host of installations in the<br />

Stockholm area soon followed this<br />

first installation in a residential area<br />

in Ör in 1966. During a period<br />

spanning the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,<br />

underground waste transport systems<br />

servicing thousands of apartments<br />

were installed.<br />

Nonetheless, interest in this new<br />

technology was not only growing in<br />

Stockholm, but also abroad. Disney<br />

World in Orlando, Florida, opened in<br />

October 1971. Its aim was to offer<br />

visitors a chance to experience not<br />

only Disney’s own attractions, but<br />

also the latest in technological<br />

development.<br />

One of these technical innovations<br />

was the underground waste system<br />

that Centralsug supplied, and which is<br />

still in operation today.<br />

In spite of this high-profile US<br />

installation, it was primarily markets<br />

in southern Europe and Southeast<br />

Asia that attracted Envac’s interest. In<br />

the mid-1980s, the company began<br />

working the Spanish market. The first<br />

Spanish order finally came in 1988,<br />

when the city of Cartagena in the<br />

southeast ordered an underground<br />

waste transport system for a project<br />

covering 4,000 new homes. Installation<br />

began in 1989 and was completed<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 43


Envac<br />

in 1995. This was a very promising<br />

start. However, an order that proved<br />

to be much more important to the<br />

company’s future came when the<br />

Olympic city of Barcelona chose to<br />

install Centralsug’s vacuum system.<br />

The “new Barcelona” would look out<br />

onto the sea. It would be built on the<br />

site of the derelict industrial and<br />

docklands neighborhood along the<br />

coastline. The Olympic village was<br />

just the first phase, but Envac’s<br />

installation in the Olympic village in<br />

Barcelona was so successful that the<br />

City of Barcelona decided that more<br />

vacuum waste management systems<br />

should be built. Ten years later,<br />

Barcelona City included vacuum<br />

systems as a “common utility” in its<br />

master plan for the city’s expansion.<br />

These installations in Barcelona were<br />

quickly also adopted throughout the<br />

rest of Spain. The Spanish market is<br />

now one of Envac’s largest and the<br />

company has offices in several<br />

Spanish cities.<br />

Today, Envac has over 600<br />

installations in more than 30 countries.<br />

Jonas Törnblom, Director of<br />

Marketing and Communication at<br />

Envac, explains that Spain was an<br />

important market for the company to<br />

establish itself in, but that China is<br />

44 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

becoming an increasingly important<br />

market for the simple reason that a lot<br />

of construction is taking place there.<br />

Törnblom reveals that, despite<br />

successful installations in many<br />

countries, it took several years before<br />

exports really took off. He explains<br />

what it was that finally made growth a<br />

reality:<br />

“Growth really took off when cities<br />

around the world were forced to<br />

introduce waste sorting and when<br />

they, at the same time, began to<br />

realize that they no longer had room<br />

to store waste on sidewalks and in<br />

open spaces. Being clean and accessible<br />

became progressively more<br />

important in cities’ marketability,”<br />

says Törnblom.<br />

One important reason why exports<br />

have increased is the fact that Envac<br />

has no production facility of its own.<br />

“We buy in all the parts and<br />

assemble and install our systems<br />

on-site. Not being dependent on a<br />

factory has facilitated our geographic<br />

expansion, at the same time as it has<br />

also made the company less vulnerable<br />

to economic fluctuations,” he<br />

explains.<br />

When it comes to Sweden,<br />

Törnblom believes that there is no<br />

shortage of good products and ideas<br />

that can increase cleantech exports–<br />

but that this alone is not enough.<br />

“I think you need to realize that<br />

just because a cleantech solution is<br />

viable in Sweden, doesn’t mean it’s<br />

viable in other countries. Markets<br />

often differ due to strong political<br />

influences. The most important factor<br />

in every product sale is that the<br />

product provides clear customer<br />

benefit,” Törnblom says. “Given that<br />

cleantech sales are so dependent on<br />

political decisions in the form of<br />

regulations, subsidies, and so on,<br />

customer value can often be more<br />

difficult to estimate and predict than<br />

for other types of sales. For example,<br />

how much is clean air and less noise<br />

pollution actually worth in dollars?”<br />

The future looks bright for one of<br />

Sweden’s most successful export<br />

companies in cleantech and its plans<br />

for tomorrow are clearly laid out.<br />

“We’re looking closely at the<br />

prospects our products have in North<br />

America. Developments in the US<br />

economy and housing construction<br />

look promising, which are important<br />

preconditions for sales of Envac’s<br />

products,” Törnblom concludes.<br />

Facts: Envac:<br />

Envac AB is a Swedish company<br />

with more than 50 years’ experience<br />

in automated waste management,<br />

and is one of Sweden’s<br />

foremost cleantech companies.<br />

Envac invented the vacuum waste<br />

management system that applies<br />

vacuum technology to waste<br />

management in the early 1960s.<br />

Today, Envac’s system is installed<br />

around the world–in neighborhoods,<br />

malls, city centers, industrial<br />

kitchens, hospitals, and<br />

airports. System construction is<br />

coordinated with the installation of<br />

other infrastructure, such as<br />

electricity, sewage, and water<br />

systems.<br />

Envac is a wholly owned subsidiary<br />

of Stena Adactum AB, a company<br />

within the Stena Sphere.


exportS<br />

5 SucceSSful<br />

export companieS<br />

regulates Humidity<br />

Munters is an engineering and environmental technology<br />

company that produces products built on the fundamental<br />

relationship between water, air, and energy. The secret<br />

behind its export success is that Munters’ products can<br />

cool without creating moisture-related problems, and<br />

heat without creating too dry a climate. The foundation for<br />

these products is the knowledge that humidity increases<br />

when a building is cooled (as with conventional air<br />

conditioning, for example) which, in most situations,<br />

creates problems with moisture. For this reason, air<br />

conditioning and dehumidification is desirable in warm<br />

climates. On the other hand, heating and humidification<br />

are needed in cold climates.<br />

cleaner air<br />

The Blueair company produces products that clean air of<br />

pollution down to the smallest particle. Its air purifiers are<br />

currently sold in over 50 countries, and the secret behind<br />

its export success is the speed and efficiency with which<br />

its products scrub indoor air. Blueair’s units remove<br />

allergens, asthma triggers, viruses, bacteria, and other<br />

airborne contaminants. At present the company is<br />

expanding rapidly in China, not least of all because of the<br />

smog problem in several major Chinese cities. Today,<br />

Blueair has distributors in over 40 Chinese cities, and the<br />

company saw its Chinese sales double in 2012.<br />

large-scale Heat pump Systems<br />

Termoekonomi is a knowledge-based company with a<br />

focus on modern, green energy. According to Termoekonomi<br />

itself, the company is a world leader in district<br />

cooling and large-scale heat pump systems. District<br />

heating and smart energy solutions for process industries,<br />

power plants, and offices are also among its specialties.<br />

The company’s projects include cooling and heating<br />

solutions for the Olympic village in Beijing, China, and<br />

improving energy efficiency at a biogas plant in South<br />

Korea.<br />

energy from Water<br />

Malmberg is a Swedish cleantech company working in the<br />

fields of biogas, geoenergy, water treatment, drilling, and<br />

environmental management. The company carries out<br />

assignments in both the Swedish and inte rnational<br />

markets. Malmberg is also at the forefront of efforts to<br />

extract energy from water. In the four years between 2006<br />

and 2009, Malmberg has managed to build its first water<br />

purification plant in Russia; its first biogas plant in Germany<br />

for injecting gas into the natural gas grid; its first<br />

biogas plant in Austria; supply biogas technology to<br />

China; and create the world’s largest energy storage<br />

facility at Arlanda airport, outside Stockholm. In addition,<br />

Ukrainian authorities have signed a cooperation agreement<br />

for water treatment solutions with the Swedish<br />

Water Experience AB company, of which Malmberg is a<br />

part. The aim of the project is to modify wastewater and<br />

drinking water treatment systems in selected Ukrainian<br />

cities to meet European environmental standards.<br />

treatment plants across the Globe<br />

Purac constructs treatment<br />

plants for water purification and<br />

the treatment of biological<br />

waste all around the world–for<br />

wastewater, drinking water, and<br />

process water. Purac also<br />

constructs plants for biogas<br />

production and gas cleaning.<br />

To date, Purac has completed well over 4,000 contracts in<br />

70 countries worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia.<br />

Its contracting operations combine process, construction,<br />

and contracting expertise using its own and licensed<br />

technologies. Some examples of Purac’s expertise include<br />

methods that make it possible to reduce spatial requirements<br />

and operating costs by up to 50 percent.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 45


Welcome to participate in this year’s edition<br />

of the Summer Academy organized by LSU<br />

and Sida. The debate on what should follow<br />

the Millennium Development Goals when<br />

they expire in 2015 is thoroughly underway.<br />

What we know so far is that sustainability will<br />

play a central role in the new agenda. What<br />

are the youth organizations perspectives on<br />

sustainability and how can we as young people<br />

come up with solutions for a sustainable<br />

future? If you would like to meet other interesting<br />

organizations, exchange ideas and<br />

perspectives and get inspired you should<br />

attend the Summer Academy 2013.<br />

PRACTICAL INFORMATION<br />

DATES / 12 – 17 June (arrival on the 12th and<br />

departure on the 17th)<br />

LOCATION / Sida Partnership Forum, Härnösand<br />

COST / Sida Partnership Forum covers room<br />

and board. Participants cover travel costs<br />

TARGET GROUP / Young people and youth<br />

organizations interested in<br />

sustainability work<br />

WWW.LSU.SE/<br />

SUMMERACADEMY<br />

Young people<br />

solving old<br />

challenges with<br />

new solutions


CleanteCh in sweden<br />

CleanteCh<br />

in sweden<br />

48 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN


The Swedish cleantech industry is growing fast<br />

and many exciting developments are taking place<br />

around the country. From north to south, regional<br />

networks are working to develop the industry.<br />

Their work includes technical visits, marketing,<br />

3<br />

and matching companies with suitable investors,<br />

always with the same goal–to promote Swedish<br />

cleantech. We get the inside scoop on what’s<br />

happening right now in Sweden’s cleant ech<br />

industry.<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 49


CleanteCh In sweden<br />

Flow regulator helps<br />

manage wetlands<br />

Eutrophication of lakes and seas affected by algae blooms, changes in fish stocks, and deterioration<br />

of swimming water quality has become a serious problem in many countries. One reason for<br />

these problems is changes in land use, but a project in southern Sweden is reversing this trend.<br />

Community developments with<br />

expansion of settlements,<br />

new roads and agricultural<br />

lands and forests have<br />

significantly affected water and<br />

wetland habitats. Wetland acreage has<br />

been drastically reduced, lakes have<br />

been lowered or drained, and many<br />

ditches have been deepened, straightened<br />

or piped. This means the water’s<br />

ability to self-purify has been reduced,<br />

leading to a decline in plant and<br />

animal species dependent upon<br />

wetland habitats. In 1995, nine<br />

municipalities in southern Sweden<br />

agreed to work together to improve<br />

the environment by raising water<br />

quality in lakes and streams and<br />

decreasing the efflux of nutrients into<br />

Oresund, the body of water between<br />

Sweden and Denmark. The project<br />

focused on restoring wetlands and<br />

ponds and constructing cultivationfree<br />

buffer zones along watercourses.<br />

In addition to cleaner water, the goal is<br />

also to improve conditions for<br />

biodiversity and recreation.<br />

For more information visit: www.sustainable-sweden.se/<br />

50 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

The project has resulted in the<br />

construction of 148 wetlands with a<br />

total area of 365 hectares.<br />

The inlet /outlet to the wetlands<br />

may be constructed as an open ditch,<br />

pipe, adjustable culvert, or dam. The<br />

use of other technical solutions with<br />

artificial materials is minimized, but in<br />

some cases they are necessary to solve<br />

problems such as leakage, erosion, or<br />

water level regulation. One such<br />

product is the WaReg flow regulator.<br />

The flow regulator ensures that the<br />

ponds and lakes are not overfilled<br />

during periods of high rainfall and<br />

thereby minimizes damage to the<br />

surrounding areas. The device<br />

maintains the balance within the<br />

wetland area and also protects the<br />

wetland areas close to large watershed<br />

areas such as parking lots or other<br />

large, hard surfaces.<br />

In general, wetlands have a positive<br />

effect on biodiversity and nutrient<br />

retention in intense agricultural areas.<br />

Already during the first year after<br />

construction, the number of inverte-<br />

brate animals makes up a large<br />

number of species and individuals.<br />

Plant growth shows the same pattern,<br />

and an average of 32 wetland plants<br />

was found per pond. Consequently,<br />

bird life shows a quick response to the<br />

constructed habitats.<br />

Facts: Sustainable Sweden Southeast<br />

is a business network that<br />

assists international clients and<br />

investors to implement business<br />

solutions that support sustainability.<br />

The network link and coordinate<br />

experiences and knowledge on<br />

environmental technology and<br />

sustainability from Swedish trade,<br />

industry and authorities with<br />

research resources from universities.<br />

The network includes southeastern<br />

Sweden’s leading technology<br />

companies together with<br />

public organizations and universities.<br />

Wapro is a member of Sustainable<br />

Sweden Southeast.


CleanteCh in sweden<br />

An ever-present difficulty for small and medium sized Swedish environmental technology companies<br />

is the challenge of reaching and also closing business deals with large enterprises and<br />

public bodies. The purpose of the KAM project, which stands for Creative Business-arenas for<br />

Environmental Technology is to bridge this gap and overcome this challenge.<br />

CleanteCh ÖstergÖtland<br />

is a bridge builder<br />

‘ ‘A<br />

s a municipally owned<br />

company we have better<br />

access to public<br />

organisations and we<br />

can offer a neutral arena for collaboration,<br />

something that is impossible for<br />

individual enviro-tech SME’s to<br />

achieve, says Project Manager,<br />

Caroline Davidsson.<br />

Caroline Davidsson has worked for<br />

Cleantech Östergötland (CTÖ) since<br />

2009 and one of CTÖ’s main tasks is to<br />

support the regional enviro-tech<br />

companies. The KAM project is about<br />

tearing down barriers between<br />

stakeholders where business opportunities<br />

are apparent by leading concerted<br />

business development efforts<br />

on neutral ground.<br />

– Due to lack of knowledge, both<br />

public and private requests for<br />

proposals (RDPs) unintentionally<br />

exclude the performance and possibilities<br />

that many environ-tech SMEs<br />

with the latest solutions can offer, says<br />

Gert Kindgren, CEO of Cleantech<br />

Östergötland.<br />

It is important to raise awareness<br />

about these SMEs among those who<br />

make decisions regarding future<br />

investments within both the public<br />

and the private sector. Moreover,<br />

Cleantech Östergötland’s member<br />

companies (mainly enviro-tech SMEs)<br />

have more to learn about the needs of<br />

these large purchasing organisations<br />

as well as how to structure the<br />

business deals in order to make a<br />

successful close. This is where the<br />

KAM project provides a new type of<br />

arena that successfully closes this gap.<br />

For more information visit: www.cleantechostergotland.se<br />

Facts: Cleantech Östergötland<br />

• Cleantech Östergötland is a<br />

business-oriented arena in<br />

East Sweden that promotes<br />

collaboration for sustainable<br />

development and regional growth<br />

• Cleantech Östergötland is<br />

funded by the municipalities of<br />

Norrköping and Linköping and<br />

by Linköping University.<br />

• Cleantech Östergötland has<br />

more than 100 member companies.<br />

the KaM PrOJeCt – Creative<br />

business-arenas for environmental<br />

technology<br />

The purpose of the KAM project is<br />

to overcome the challenge that<br />

small and medium sized environmental<br />

technology companies<br />

face when pursuing business with<br />

large enterprises and public<br />

bodies.<br />

Energifabriken (the Energy<br />

factory), one of CTÖ’s member<br />

companies, has gained from the<br />

project. Their product is the bio-fuel;<br />

RME, which is produced from rapeseed.<br />

Energifabriken’s customers are<br />

both private and public but because of<br />

the relative novelty that their product<br />

represents, RME is often not included<br />

as a possible alternative in public<br />

RFPs.<br />

– David Varverud, part owner of<br />

Energifabriken explains; - the breakthrough<br />

often comes once the<br />

personal meeting has taken place and<br />

we’ve been given the chance to<br />

disseminate information about the<br />

possibilities available with RME.<br />

Energifabriken is participating in<br />

one of the KAM arenas, ‘fossil-free<br />

fuels’ which is a partnership between<br />

CTÖ and the Regional Energy Office.<br />

The Energy Office provides a course<br />

for municipal officers and politicians<br />

that delivers an overall description of a<br />

wide variety of renewable fuels. In<br />

conjunction with this course CTÖ<br />

holds a creative workshop where<br />

suppliers of renewable fuels and the<br />

course participants can mix and<br />

discuss business models. The idea is<br />

for the participants to address, mainly<br />

obstacles, but also possibilities regarding<br />

the further establishment of<br />

renewable fuels in the public sector<br />

and on the market in general.<br />

– The role as a bridge builder at<br />

CTÖ is fundamentally based on trust.<br />

This trust ensures that we as employees<br />

of CTÖ receive information about<br />

both the demand side as well as the<br />

supply side and this is where it is<br />

important to allocate time and<br />

resources in order to turn this<br />

information into concrete business.<br />

Caroline Davidsson concludes; - ‘The<br />

KAM project does just this!’<br />

<strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN | 51


CleaNTeCH Solar power IN SweDeN<br />

GreenTech Visits is a collaboration between Sustainable Business Hub in Malmö, municipalities<br />

and a number of visit objects and companies within the region. The study visits are coordinated<br />

by Sustainable Business Hub.<br />

eNvIroNmeNTal<br />

buSINeSS DevelopmeNT<br />

IN SouTHerN SweDeN<br />

GreenTech Visits is a collaboration<br />

between Sustainable<br />

Business Hub in Malmö,<br />

municipalities and a<br />

number of visit objects and companies<br />

within the region. The study<br />

visits are coordinated by Sustainable<br />

Business Hub.<br />

The target groups for GreenTech<br />

Visits are politicians, policy makers<br />

and administrators in the public<br />

sector, policy makers and officials in<br />

the private sector, as well as journalists.<br />

The study visits focus on sustainable<br />

urban development, resource<br />

For more information: www.sbhub.se<br />

www.sustainable-sweden.se<br />

52 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

efficiency and cleantech. Among other<br />

places the study visits are located in<br />

Malmö, Lund and Helsingborg, cities<br />

that are ranked among the top ten<br />

sustainable cities in Sweden.<br />

The study visit programs can<br />

include visits at reference facilities,<br />

talks about sustainable urban<br />

development, waste management,<br />

energy efficiency and sustainable<br />

healthcare, water and wastewater<br />

management, district heating and<br />

cooling, as well as lectures at universities.<br />

GreenTech Visits are tailor-made<br />

technical visits for international<br />

delegations. There are a number of<br />

visits; they include biogas, brownfield<br />

regeneration, early processes in<br />

Sustainable Urban Development,<br />

green housing in Malmö, the municipal<br />

housing Karlskronahem fossil free<br />

buildings, low-CO2 Heating Skåne,<br />

system solutions for a sustainable<br />

hospital, waste management and the<br />

world´s premier research and<br />

environmental environment in Lund.<br />

Max IV, a world class giant microscope,<br />

will be completed in 2015 and<br />

ESS, the globe´s most powerful<br />

neuron source, will start construction<br />

in 2014. The Danish counterpart State<br />

of Green and GreenTech Visits have<br />

together created a service that will<br />

make it possible for delegations to<br />

visit both Sweden and Denmark<br />

during a one day visit. Other partners<br />

are Skåne Regional Council, The<br />

County Administrative Board of Skåne<br />

and municipalities within the Öresund<br />

region.<br />

Facts: Green Tech visits<br />

GreenTech Visits are financed by<br />

Skåne Regional Council and the<br />

project Energy Öresund with special<br />

finances from City of Copenhagen<br />

and The County Administrative<br />

Board of Skåne. Inquiries about<br />

the study visits and bookings are<br />

handled by Sustainable Business<br />

Hub. The study visits are customized<br />

for international delegations.


Vision2.se FOTO: Sandra Lee Pettersson<br />

We love a challenge!<br />

Our plan is to double our production of renewable energy by 2020, whilst showing the<br />

same uncompromising concern for the environment. We will use our experience and<br />

our resources to squeeze more energy from every drop of water.<br />

Hydropower is the foundation of our power production. 80 per cent of our electricity comes from the<br />

raindrops, rivulets and rivers that combine to form the enormous forces found in the rivers.<br />

<br />

<br />

In Hissmofors, we are replacing and old plant with the latest technology. Modernisation will provide<br />

the right conditions for sustainable development and renewable energy for many decades to come.


CLEANTECH IN SWEDEN<br />

Umeå is home to all the knowledge necessary to understand how Sweden succeeded in<br />

becoming one of the world’s leading countries for sustainability work. International students<br />

rank Umeå University number one in Sweden and number five in the world according to<br />

the International Student Barometer survey.<br />

TrAININg IN<br />

SuSTAINAbILITy PLANNINg<br />

Sweden’s first study programme<br />

for Environmental<br />

and Public Health Inspectors<br />

was introduced here in 1977,<br />

and the broad range of knowledge<br />

available within the field of sustainability<br />

puts both Umeå and Umeå<br />

University in a unique position. We<br />

will therefore be launching a commissioned<br />

course in autumn 2013 to<br />

communicate knowledge about<br />

sustainability to the rest of the world.<br />

This course will run for three days and<br />

will combine theory with problem<br />

resolution and study visits based on<br />

the motto “Seeing is believing”.<br />

Prior to the oil crisis of 1973<br />

Sweden was one of the world’s most<br />

oil-dependent countries. Sustained<br />

efforts over the years to reduce our<br />

dependency on oil have led to Sweden<br />

using mainly alternative energy<br />

sources, with bioenergy now the<br />

single largest source of energy.<br />

Swedish know-how in this area is<br />

For more information visit: www.technicalvisitsumea.se<br />

54 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

Facts: Technical Visits is an element<br />

in making Umeå a northern hub for<br />

environmental engineering. This<br />

project is financed by the Swedish<br />

Agency for Economic and Regional<br />

Growth (Tillväxtverket), Umeå<br />

municipality, Umeå Kommunföretag,<br />

Region Västerbotten,<br />

UMEVA, and Umeå Energi.<br />

incredibly valuable in terms of solving<br />

global climate problems, and delegations<br />

from around the world travel to<br />

Sweden to study our success in en-<br />

couraging society to change its ways.<br />

“We want to engage with international<br />

visitors in a pedagogical way<br />

and to work together to create a<br />

sustainable society. This continuing<br />

urbanisation is revolutionary and we<br />

need to change our approach to<br />

planning cities and ultimately<br />

building them. Within the next 30<br />

years, the UN calculates that an<br />

additional 3.5 billion people will<br />

migrate to cities. The cities are set to<br />

become a key issue in the future,” says<br />

Mikael Öhlund, City Director and CEO<br />

of Kompetensspridning i Umeå AB,<br />

which aims to export Swedish environmental<br />

engineering know-how.<br />

Another area in which Sweden<br />

excels is waste management. Today,<br />

waste in Sweden is re-used and<br />

recycled, with considerable amounts<br />

being used for energy recovery<br />

instead of being taken to landfill,<br />

which accounts for just under 2 %.<br />

Elsewhere in the world, with very few<br />

exceptions, landfills are extremely<br />

common. Knowledge of systems is<br />

needed to understand how sustainable<br />

waste management can be<br />

developed.<br />

“In Umeå we are proud to have a<br />

municipal waste company that is<br />

extremely proficient at waste masnagement.<br />

This was confirmed back<br />

in 2011 when we were named the best<br />

municipality in Sweden for sorting<br />

hazardous waste,” says Tomas<br />

Blomqvist, CEO of UMEVA.<br />

“It is important to bear in mind<br />

that it is not always the technical<br />

innovations that will solve environmental<br />

issues, but rather planning<br />

and building a sustainable society.<br />

The situation therefore demands<br />

greater education and increased<br />

knowledge if we are to succeed in<br />

creating a society that is sustainable<br />

in the long term,” says Margareta<br />

Alfredsson, Planning Director city of<br />

Umeå.


C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

CM<br />

MY<br />

CY<br />

CMY<br />

K<br />

Flexible Transportation Solutions<br />

for the Future of Freight<br />

Sundsvall Logistikpark is an investment in growth and the<br />

environment. We are expanding the Port of Sundsvall<br />

with a container port, a combiterminal and areas for<br />

establishing logistics operations.<br />

There is already a rail connection to the Port of Sundsvall, one of<br />

Sweden's largest ports for the forest industry. In addition,<br />

ships leave regularly for Rotterdam, Lübeck, and London.<br />

We have prepared space for storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG),<br />

a back-up fuel to biogas. The LNG terminal is strategically located<br />

as it is linked to three forms of transportation: ship, train and truck.<br />

Areas in direct connection to these and close to the airport create<br />

exciting and sustainable new business opportunities.<br />

Sundsvall Logistikpark offers flexible transportation solutions in<br />

the service of the environment.<br />

www.sundsvalllogistikpark.se Envacadvert2012_greensolutions_178x120mm_PRINT.pdf 1 2012-09-26 www.sundsvallshamn.se<br />

14:10:31<br />

st<br />

The sustainable waste management for the 21 century<br />

Envac’s automated vacuum waste collection system removes waste in residential areas, large-scale<br />

catering establishment as restaurants and airports, city centres and hospitals in over 30 countries.<br />

Instead of being transported by lorries through the city, waste travels by air - underground.<br />

This invisible solution contributes to a better environment on a local and global level.<br />

Envac has developed an international presence with 37 offices across 21 countries in Europe,<br />

North and South America, the middle East, Asia and Australia<br />

Envac - a sustainable contribution to the city environment<br />

Envac AB, Fleminggatan 7, 112 26 Stockholm, Sweden, Phone +46 8 785 00 10, www.envacgroup.com


CLEANTECH IN SWEDEN<br />

Green Business Region is an innovation and collaboration arena for<br />

cleantech companies in the two counties of Dalarna and Gävleborg.<br />

A pLATform for<br />

CLEANTECH CompANIES<br />

Green Business Region is run<br />

by the Teknikdalen Foundation<br />

in Borlänge and aims at<br />

establishing Dalarna/<br />

Gävleborg as a leading cleantech<br />

region in 2015. The network support<br />

companies in the green sector to grow<br />

and create new jobs by developing<br />

sustainable solutions for the future.<br />

The region is strong in the following<br />

are strong in energy efficiency in the<br />

building sector, water purification,<br />

solar power technology, wind power<br />

technology and wehicles and alternative<br />

fuels (electricity and biogas).<br />

One success factor for Green<br />

Business Region is to find good<br />

models for cooperation between the<br />

business, academic and public<br />

sectors. In that process, the University<br />

of Dalarna, the University of<br />

Gävle along with the different<br />

municipal energy companies play an<br />

important role.<br />

In 2007 Dalarna was appointed<br />

“Pilot Region for Green Development”<br />

by the Swedish Government along<br />

with the counties of Skåne and<br />

Norrbotten. Green Business Region is<br />

an active partner in this honourable<br />

nomination, which involves spreading<br />

examples of best practice to other<br />

regions in Sweden.<br />

Except the obvious focus on<br />

supporting cleantech companies to go<br />

from Ideas Into Business, Green<br />

Business Region also takes initiatives<br />

to establish other forms of regional<br />

collaboration projects. Among other<br />

things, Green Business Region offered<br />

the organisers of the 2015 FIS World<br />

Championships in Falun – Beyond<br />

for more information visit: www.greenbusinessregion.se<br />

56 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

Skiing – to perform a pre-study on the<br />

sustainability related issues that an<br />

international event of that size<br />

inevitably encounters.<br />

This helped integrate sustainability<br />

issues at an early stage of the<br />

planning process. Green Business<br />

Region now works closely with ÅF, the<br />

County Administrative Board and Falu<br />

Energy & Water to support the event<br />

organisers implement sustainable<br />

practices.<br />

facts: Green Business region<br />

Green Business Region offer<br />

advice related to business development<br />

and export opportunities,<br />

management of national and<br />

international business visits to<br />

the many interesting energy and<br />

cleantech facilities located in<br />

Dalarna and Gävleborg. Green<br />

Business Region also offers funding<br />

advice and networks and seminars.


“Enabling international trade and<br />

private sector development”<br />

A key issue for the Swedish chamber network is making<br />

use of green technology when it comes to both products<br />

and services. Chambers have a unique potential to make use<br />

of their role as policy advocators, their business networks<br />

and services to promote sustainable growth and green<br />

technology.<br />

There are 11 regional chambers of commerce in Sweden eden<br />

and more than 40 Swedish chambers of commerce abroad. road.<br />

Make use of the Swedish chamber network as a Gateway ay to<br />

Swedish Green Technology. Find the chamber closest to you<br />

on our website.<br />

Chamber Trade Sweden is an international platform and<br />

non-profit organisation founded by the chambers of<br />

commerce in Sweden to enable business to expand<br />

internationally and make better use of both local and global<br />

chamber and business networks. We focus especially on n<br />

collaboration with local organisations and networks in<br />

emerging markets and developing countries. Green<br />

technology is a key focus in many of our projects. CTS report<br />

on Swedish green technology is available on our website. ite.


CLEANTECH IN SWEDEN<br />

In Sweden, a national initiative has been launched that aims to help bolster Swedish cleantech<br />

companies in the BRIC countries. The Business Region Göteborg network, together with<br />

Business Sweden, has been tasked with leading the business development program.<br />

BooSTINg SWEDISH CLEANTECH<br />

IN THE BRIC CouNTRIES<br />

The four BRIC countries–Brazil,<br />

Russia, India, and<br />

China–have enjoyed strong<br />

economic growth in recent<br />

years. Together, they have accounted<br />

for a significant share of global<br />

growth.<br />

“There are major opportunities for<br />

Swedish companies to increase their<br />

exports to the BRIC countries. This<br />

initiative shows that there is a growing<br />

commitment among Swedish companies<br />

to seize these opportunities,” says<br />

Sweden’s Minister for IT and Energy,<br />

Anna-Karin Hatt.<br />

Now Swedish stakeholders also<br />

want to bolster Swedish cleantech<br />

companies’ chances of success in the<br />

BRIC countries. More cleantech<br />

companies, or, alternatively, companies<br />

that act as suppliers for environmentally<br />

sustainable systems, will now<br />

be given the knowledge they need to<br />

For more information: www.businessregion.se<br />

58 | <strong>GREEN</strong> <strong>SOLUTIONS</strong> FROM SWEDEN<br />

generate business opportunities in<br />

these markets.<br />

Business Sweden and the regional<br />

cleantech networks Cleantech Öster-<br />

götland, Stockholm Cleantech, Teknikdalen<br />

Foundation, and Green Business<br />

Region are also supporting the initia-<br />

tive, with Business Region Göteborg<br />

acting as its project manager. The<br />

project is financed through the Swed-<br />

ish Agency for Economic and Regional<br />

Growth’s Miljödriven Tillväxt (environment-driven<br />

growth) program.<br />

“We initiated this campaign<br />

because we saw that there was a need<br />

among [Swedish] companies. Through<br />

the program, we aim to give small- and<br />

medium-sized Swedish businesses the<br />

opportunity to improve their competitiveness<br />

and develop their business in<br />

these emerging markets,” says Bernt<br />

Svensén, project manager for cleantech<br />

companies’ international<br />

relations at Business Region Göteborg.<br />

Sixty Swedish cleantech companies<br />

will be invited to participate in the<br />

project. Twenty of these companies<br />

will be given the opportunity to obtain<br />

a business development check for<br />

internationalization for SEK 250,000<br />

per company.<br />

Facts: BRIC<br />

BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia,<br />

India, and China–four large and<br />

fast-growing emerging markets.<br />

The term was coined in a report<br />

by investment bank Goldman<br />

Sachs in 2001. The four countries<br />

do not form an economic union,<br />

however. Combined, BRIC<br />

countries cover over 25 percent<br />

of the Earth’s land area and are<br />

home to about 40 percent of the<br />

world’s population.


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POSTTIDNING<br />

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Miljöaktuellt/Green Solutions<br />

Box 610, 832 23 Frösön

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