The issue of public procurement is a key part of the transition to climate neutrality. Procurement can be a powerful tool to drive a faster transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities, but how? How can local authorities take a leading role? What are the key areas? What examples of new ways of working on this exist today?
Climate transition investments can create both business opportunities and a more sustainable city. Research shows that climate investments can generate significant benefits, both direct economic gains and added value such as jobs, cleaner air and better health. During this Climate Breakfast, we dive into what it means to make climate investments and how climate investment plans take shape.
During this breakfast, we will discuss just transition. How do we create an economy that is as fair and inclusive as possible, that creates decent job opportunities and leaves no one behind?
Helsingborg has launched a sustainable bond framework that includes both green and social categories. These include investments in renewable energy sources, sanitation, and green transportation, but also investments in social projects that raise the standard of living in the city.
Several cities have been working on green bonds for a long time, and the Climate Municipalities have compiled a list. Klimatinvest is the largest Swedish issuer of green bonds, where green bonds allow fixed income investors to support lending to investment projects that aim to mitigate or adapt to climate change.
In Gothenburg, all the city's construction departments and companies have joined forces to develop common procurement requirements to accelerate the construction sector's transition to zero-emission construction sites.
Within the Climate Leader municipalities for public procurement initiative, Fossil Free Sweden has worked together with Helsingborg, Umeå, Uppsala, Växjö, Örebro and Östersund to identify the challenges of introducing climate requirements in public procurement.
In the Sweden Green Mobility Program, which is part of Omställningslyftet, Borlänge is testing a new way to work with innovation procurement to solve a climate challenge: commuting.
ReTuna in Eskilstuna is Sweden's first reuse gallery, where everything sold is recycled, reused, organic or sustainably produced. The gallery has become international news and has been visited by documentary filmmakers, journalists and curious tourists from all over the world.
Boverket's guide to the circular economy in the construction sector is aimed at various stakeholders such as municipalities, developers, architects and property owners, etc.
In Skellefteå, stakeholders are gathering in a circular construction network run jointly by Skellefteå Municipality, CCBuild and IVL with the aim of making reuse a natural part of the construction process.
Östersund developed competence in circular economy through actions organized by the Swedish-Norwegian interreg project SMICE (Co-creating Mid-Nordic Innovation Arena for Circular Economy).
Experiences from circular economy initiatives in both Gävle and Gothenburg and many other European cities are included in Sweco's Circular City Transformation report.
The circular hub is part of Nacka Water and Waste's new initiative Close the circle! which aims to promote the circular economy in Nacka. It is an initiative where different actors are invited to collaborate on circular economy and development towards a reusable society.
Härnösand is home to Re:store Höga Kusten, an investment in economic, social and ecological sustainability. The gallery is an initiative from the municipality of Härnösand to reduce unemployment for people who currently have difficulty finding a job and contribute to sustainable development.
Twice a year, Karlstad holds its Second Hand round, when several shops selling second hand and antiques are open for visitors to discover the city's wide and exciting range.
Umeå was the only Swedish municipality to participate in the OECD Circular Economy Programme, which aims to minimize waste and maximize recycling and reuse of resources.
Reuse and other circular solutions will increase in new and renovated buildings in Gothenburg. This is the aim of a handshake between nearly 40 of the city's private and public property owners. They now want to create a market for reused materials.
Sharing Cities Sweden is a national program for the sharing economy in cities. The program aims to put Sweden on the map as a country that actively and critically works with the sharing economy in cities. Sharing economy test beds in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå will develop sharing services and digital solutions/platforms. The test beds are complemented by a national node for coordination, national learning and international exchange.
For the past two years, small and medium-sized enterprises in Linköping municipality have been able to apply for test bed checks. The aim is to speed up the climate transition by giving companies space to test innovative ideas in reality together with municipal companies. And the positive results have not been long in coming.
Nature is a good example of a circular system, nothing becomes trash that needs to be disposed of, everything is recreated into something new. To keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees, we need to find circular systems for the resources we use. During Climate Breakfast 21, we went from broad brushstrokes in the EU to local initiatives in Karlstad. How can the circular economy contribute more to the climate transition?
Climate transition investments can create both business opportunities and a more sustainable city. Research shows that climate investments can generate significant benefits, both direct economic gains and added value such as jobs, cleaner air and better health. During the fourth Climate Breakfast of the fall, we heard more about the Climate Investment Plans development project. Participants: Charlotta Möller from Viable Cities presented the essence of the work. Tommy Mikelsen from Svensk Exportkredit and Jonas Kamleh, environmental strategist Malmö city, reflected on this.
Viable Cities Report 2021:11 The climate transition in the 2020s means that the fossil economy will become increasingly unprofitable and the renewable economy increasingly profitable, passing one economic tipping point after another. Climate investment plans are a new way of developing roadmaps for cities that include a social and economic perspective on actions and investments. Climate benefits and added value are clarified to create a basis for decision-making that enables the right priorities to be set. The climate investment plan is about providing an overall picture of the municipal, regional, national and private measures and investments that will be needed to achieve the set targets. They should also show how new or growing markets are created for companies that can deliver sustainable buildings, energy systems, mobility solutions, recycling systems and supporting digital systems, etc.
In the work with Climate City Contract 2030, Viable Cities has identified four areas as strategically important for the climate transition in cities. This spring, Ramboll was commissioned to work with us to develop a strategy for one of these areas. During Climate Breakfast #15, we will hear more about how digitization and digital tools can support the transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities.
The last climate breakfast of the season was about the circular economy. We were hosted by Liv Öberg, project manager in Umeå municipality. Umeå was the only Swedish municipality included in the OECD circular economy program. She was joined by Stina Behrens, Barkarby Science, who runs innovation for sustainable urban development in Järfälla together with the municipality and other actors.
Within Viable Cities, nine cities are developing climate investment plans to mobilize transition capital, both from municipalities and other actors, to make cities climate-neutral by 2030. This work will help overcome thresholds for a faster and profitable climate transition.
Transition Lab Forum 5 explores how short- and long-term investments for climate transition can create both business opportunities and a more sustainable city. Research shows that climate investments can generate significant benefits, both direct economic gains and added value such as jobs, cleaner air and better health.
Welcome to an inspiring, undemanding Climate Breakfast, always with themes that are important in the transition to climate-neutral cities. This time it is about the financial transition that we need for the climate transition. Participants include Fedra Vanhuyse, Stockholm Environmental Institute, and Björn Bergstrand, Kommuninvest, and Charlotta Möller, Viable Cities Finance and Procurement Strategist.
