Find Swedish best practice

At Skellefteå Site East, close to Northvolt’s factory, one of the world’s most sustainable development projects has been conducted. Maximising the cutting-edge know-how of both Skellefteå Municipality and external partners, Site East is a source of inspiration for the industry. It has the boldness to adopt new approaches to sustainability and work with contractors towards a common vision.

Advances in timber construction are attracting more and more attention from contractors and architects, who are discovering the benefits of using wood as a building material. In Skellefteå, you can experience a ‘wood safari’ to learn how creative ideas produce low-carbon, attractive living environments.

As the global aviation sector faces increasing demands to get on a sustainable flightpath, one airport in northern Sweden has gained a head start. It aims to become Europe’s, and probably the world’s, first fossil-free airport. It is also preparing to become a test centre for electrically powered and vertical take-off aircraft.

At times of more extreme weather caused by climate change, the downside of dense cities with few green spaces and more paved surfaces is evident; extreme heat, flooding and reduced biodiversity. Blue Green City Lab is a test bed that evaluates new and proven ‘blue-green’ solutions to mitigate these effects.

The renovation of the rundown area of Vårsången in Malmö has generated many positive effects. People previously moved to Vårsången because of a lack of other options. Today, they move there because it’s an attractive district where residents want to live. This has increased property values significantly, proving that social and environmental investment is a good deal in the long run.

There is broad consensus that we cannot continue with business as usual if we are to achieve both a sustainable and prosperous future. DigIT Hub is an initiative that helps companies and the public sector digitalise in a unique, collaborative way.

In the Evolution Road project, the next generation of ERS (Electric Road System) is being demonstrated and tested at a test site in Lund. ERS provides a charging infrastructure for all kinds of electric vehicles – with benefits such as longer driving range, seamless charging and reduced need for heavy batteries.

Region Gotland has implemented a digital urban planning process to support case management, digital mailboxes and other aspects of administration. This is contributing to an open, gender-equal and sustainable planning and construction process.

In 2018, the electricity grid around Malå, Sweden, was fitted with a Smart Grid Surveillance system that detects and locates faults and deviations in the grid. The solution enables much more efficient and proactive maintenance, saving time and money.

Värtahamnen harbour is home to Stockholm’s largest biofuel-powered combined heat and power (CHP) plant. The plant produces enough energy to heat approximately 190,000 average-size apartments.

ReTuna Återbruksgalleria is the world’s first recycling mall, marking the start of a low-carbon shopping revolution. Old items are given new life through repair and upcycling. Everything sold is either recycled or reused, or has been produced organically or sustainably.

A major challenge for electric vehicles in northern Europe is adapting them to the cold climate to improve their operation, as well as their passenger and driver comfort. In Umeå, the company Hybricon has solved this problem with an advanced system for air heating and cooling.