Swegreen Participates in Transition Project
To accelerate the green transition, new models of collaboration across company and industry boundaries are needed. Swegreen is one of 50 participants in the initiative "Circla," which focuses on laying the foundation for a large-scale sustainable transition of industry through collaboration.
Sustainability is a complex issue, and the green transition cannot be achieved in isolation by individual actors such as companies, organizations, or other parts of society. Closer cooperation is necessary, and society as a whole must work on reuse and recycling. Additionally, we need to shift towards circular solutions. The goal of the Circla collaboration, in which 50 participants from various industries are involved, is to create better conditions for companies to work with traceability, both within the project and, eventually, for those outside it.
Enhancing Expertise
"Circla allows us to take another step towards a more sustainable production model while increasing our knowledge and competence in areas like managing our irrigation and nutrient systems in our in-store farms," says Sepehr Mousavi, Chief Innovation Officer and project leader for Circla from Swegreen.
The project aims, in part, to make Sweden a good example of how collaboration among actors can drive large-scale industrial transformation. By using methods for traceability and information sharing, the project will enable more sustainable production and consumption. The focus will be on increasing material reuse and reducing waste. The project will run for several years, with results and knowledge being shared continuously to provide consumers with more insights into sustainable choices, as well as to promote sustainable procurement in the public sector.
Nutrient and Water Lab
Among other things, the project will research value chains for various materials, ranging from wood and metals to plastic and construction materials. At Swegreen, we will collaborate with skilled researchers from Mälardalen University and the RISE research institute, focusing on nutrients. "We will explore nutrient traceability in agriculture, opportunities for 100% circular systems for nutrient management, and nutrient recovery," says Sepehr Mousavi, continuing:
"We will have a PhD student and researcher from Mälardalen University working with us through the project. We are building a nutrient and water lab at our research facility in Stockholm, as well as a testbed to validate our model – in collaboration with Mälardalen University and several water treatment plants that are partners in the project."
About Circla
Circla is a national initiative with projects led by RISE, Chalmers Industrial Technology, Mälardalen University, Svenskt Trä, and Ragn-Sells.
The initiative is supported by five strategic innovation programs in collaboration with the Delegation for Circular Economy, which has spent the last year forming a cross-industry partnership.
The project, which will run for three years, involves more than 50 actors with a shared interest in traceability in industrial value chains. It is funded in part by Vinnova under the strategic area Sustainable Industry, along with contributions from participating companies, totaling around 37 million SEK. The programs behind the initiative are PiiA (Process Industrial IT & Automation), BioInnovation, Re:Source, Metallic Materials, and Swedish Mining Innovation.