Sustainable industry

From raw material to recycling

A circular economy is based on a cycle. We use the resources we have through recycling and re-use.

Ongoing change continues with innovation in technology, business models and regulation towards a more circular model. New technologies, for example, facilitate a more efficient production or automatic material sorting, while new regulations facilitate standardization, traceability and recycling of materials and products.

Together for change

In order to succeed in the transition, the entire chain, from manufacturing to recycling, must be coordinated. For example, knowledge of how to implement re-use is needed as early as the design phase. Collaboration and experience exchange are needed, both inside and outside the chain, with customers and decision-making bodies, for example.

Industry's value chains are global; consisting largely of both import and export. This therefore necessitates international cooperation in order to establish regulations that promote circularity between countries.

Resource efficient and climate-neutral manufacturing

A fully circular model has no need for new raw materials. But production for our society requires both recycling and new raw materials. Having adequate resources requires recyclable products with a longer service life created using fewer resources. Designing for a long service life is needed from the outset, by creating the opportunity to repair, to replace and finally, to recycle. It’s a question of creating more efficient material flows that utilise recycled material.

This requires new technology, and that we find new ways to utilise digitalisation. Manufacturers need to be able to see where resources are wasted, how products are used, and how long they last.

Use – and re-use!

In order to extend the service life of what we produce, we use business models to share, to re-use, and to offer function instead of physical products.

For example, it may be a question of offering an energy storage service instead of using batteries or motors. The company owns the battery or motor and ensures that customers are provided with the energy storage they need. When the battery or motor no longer has the capacity required there and then, it is moved to another application, and the customer is provided with another motor or battery.

Another important part of extending the service life is online-connected products. Online-connected products allow the monitoring and analysis of product performance. This means that maintenance can be carried out in time, both reducing the risk of operating disruptions and extending service life.

Recycling turns old into new

Recycling materials for new products is a prerequisite for achieving a circular economy. The recycling industry has enormous potential for growth; both in terms of the number of job opportunities and of what can be recycled. Using innovation to make recycling more cost-effective, traceable and of higher quality will help recycling grow, and the recycling industry will become an important part of Sweden's welfare.

Financial and regulatory incentives are also required to make recycled materials cheaper and easier to use than virgin material. So far, the circular economy is more labour intensive, because both repair and recycling require more than landfill.