GREEN SOLUTIONS

editorial Column
Why Sweden?
There is a reason why you’re reading this magazine; a
reason why it exists at all. The Swedish cleantech market
is a world leader–and has been for many years. Sweden is
full of unique system solutions and innovative cleantech
innovations that have been commercialized, integrated
into Swedish society, and then exported to much of the
rest of the world in an exemplary way.
You may wonder how little Sweden can boast being one
of the world’s leading cleantech countries. Here is the
reason: Decades of stringent environmental legislation
and community planning that includes tough environmental
requirements have created an economy where high
levels of environmental and sustainability performance
have become standard. It is this that has contributed to
Sweden’s development of unique innovations and solutions.
sweden and swedish represenTaTives have also
pushed environmental and sustainability agendas internationally
for decades and have managed to raise the status
of these efforts. This has helped to elevate this small
northern European country’s status to one of the world’s
greenest and most sustainable countries.
Although other countries are now also investing
heavily in cleantech, Swedish companies remain at the
forefront in several fields. The purpose of this magazine is
to present trends, identify pivotal advances, and chart
market movements within the cleantech field. For this
reason, we’ve included a unique list of 50 hot Swedish
cleantech companies that have reached different stages in
their cleantech journey. Some may have begun to commercialize,
others are in the process of reaching out to an
international market, and many are likely looking for
venture capital.
i would also like To recommend our interview with
Mats Denninger. Denninger has been appointed by the
Swedish government to open doors for Swedish cleantech
in China, India, and Russia–three of the world’s most
exciting markets. Oh, and don’t miss the magazine’s last
pages, where we provide a run-down of what’s happening
in cleantech throughout Sweden.
mikael salo
Publisher
4 | GREEN SOLUTIONS FROM SWEDEN
HigHligHts
HigHligHts
Vol.5
14
50 Hot CleanteCH
Companies
Sweden is home to more than 5,000
cleantech companies. We introduce
50 of the hottest here, together with
five other companies that are
particularly interesting right now.
22
one minister –
two portfolios
Sweden has one minister responsible
for both IT and energy. This division
of responsibility comes as no
surprise to the minister herself,
Anna-Karin Hatt, who recognizes that
the two fields are becoming increasingly
integrated. Renewable energy,
energy efficiency, cleantech exports,
and research are important fields for
her ministry.