Swedish companies can now slash several hundred kilograms carbon dioxide emissions per ton from the concrete manufacturing process. New high-tech innovation paired with solutions from the old Roman Empire lies behind this reduction.
Global research has revealed that 2.6 billion people around the world lack improved sanitation, 800 million lack safe drinking water, and 60 per cent of the earth’s ecosystem services are deteriorating. All these challenges are directly linked to water security.
Composite packaging is great to store food in, but difficult to recycle. Only a small part of the packaging can be used to make new cartons and the rest is incinerated. This led to the birth of Recoma; a Swedish company that makes construction material out of old packaging.
Nothing was happening, but suddenly the flood gates opened. Swedish hydrogen companies and their major investments are on everyone’s lips. Access to clean energy, extensive knowledge around materials and an exploding demand have made Swedish hydrogen a red-hot arena.
H2 Green Steel - a company based in the north of Sweden on a mission to produce fossil-free steel - has signed a multi-billion-dollar agreement with German company Thyssenkrupp Nucera for the construction of one of the world's largest electrolysis plants.
CemVision has previously produced its fossil-free cement in its pilot facility with a capacity of hundreds of tonnes per year. Now, the company has transferred the production to a test facility, meaning that the production increases to thousands of tonnes fossil-free cement per year and almost as big reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
The Swedish premium lightweight electric motorcycle manufacturer CAKE has announced its entry into the Indian market. The first step is an introduction of 250 bikes from the model Makka, but more models are expected to follow.
Swedish truck maker Scania and battery producer Northvolt have presented an electric battery with a lifetime equivalent to a Scania truck, about 1,5 million kilometres.
Airports use a de-icing fluid on aircrafts before take-off. The fluids contain glycol, which needs to be treated and disposed of after use. The Swedish company Vilokan is now working with the Syracuse Hancock International Airport to realize the world’s largest glycol recycling and water purification plant, which would save water, decrease the environmental impact and reduce costs.
In southern Sweden, Vattenfall, a state-owned energy company, is building two battery storage systems that will be an efficient combination of wind power and batteries. The two battery storage facilities are expected to be ready for operation in early 2024.
As the need to transition to renewable energy is increasing, wind power installations are increasing too. In 2021, wind electricity generation increased by 17 % worldwide, and China, the US and Brazil increased the most in wind generation. The increased interest means increased pressure on using fossil materials such as iron and steel, which has a big environmental footprint.
The European Union has put forward a cleantech industrial plan to keep up in the race with China and the United States for a green industry transition. The Green Deal Industrial Plan will make it easier to push through subsidies for green industries and work towards the goal set by the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050.
