For the municipality that wants to start or ramp up its work to accelerate its collaboration with municipalitiesbusiness in climate work, there are many ways to start and support available from local, regional and international levels.
There are many sources of inspiration, such as the collection of examples produced by Viable Cities in collaboration with the Climate Municipalities and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. They have also produced several tips on materials and future activities.
For the 23 cities included in the Viable Cities program Climate Neutral Cities 2030, the work includes creating a Transition Arena with a mix of actors from public organisations, business, academia and civil society. This is often a good source of both knowledge and commitment to utilize in the work of ramping up the collaboration between the municipality andbusiness, especially as the involvement of several types of actors is often required.
Political directives can be used both for municipal companies in areas such as energy and waste and for units such as business and procurement to drive the climate transition. As a basis for this, it is important that politicians have good expertise in the climate field and also engage in dialogue with stakeholders. Here, too, a transition arena or other types of reference groups can play an important role.
An important part is to help companies see what measures are possible and support them in their development, something that is done in Climate2030, which is a joint initiative by Region Västra Götaland and the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland. There is a menu of climate promises for companies as a guide, as well as support from the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce to go from words to action. There are also municipalities that provide support for companies' sustainable development, such as Business Region Gothenburg's Sustainability Wheel tool. A close and frequent dialog with companies makes it easier to identify both needs and solutions. There is also an opportunity to provide support by providing information about funding opportunities such as Klimatklivet for smaller initiatives and the EU Innovation Fund for larger ones.
As shown in the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth's survey, many companies see a link between climate change and competitiveness. Companies have therefore organized themselves into networks to mobilize industries and value chains, which is why a good starting point is to keep track of what is happening within these. At the local level, there are often business associations, a city center association and a chamber of commerce to interact with. The regional energy offices are also an important resource. Other networks exist at national level, such as Fossil Free Sweden with its roadmaps for various industries and A Sustainable Tomorrow, but there are also international networks such as Cleantech for Nordics, CEO Alliance, Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, Mission Innovation and First Movers Coalition. Two interesting books by Swedish authors are "Exponential Climate Solutions" and "Sustainability Leadership" provide a good introduction to the opportunities facing Swedish companies. Many companies have also started to use the "Science-Based Targets" framework, which is good to keep an eye on, including the criticism that exists, for example in terms of transparency.
Among the cities included in the Viable Cities Climate Neutral Cities 2030 program, they have worked in many different ways in terms of collaboration between municipalities andbusiness, so there is much to learn from them as they have chosen to focus on different aspects in the light of political preferences and the composition of the business community. A good way to kick-start an initiative to take a comprehensive approach to the municipality's collaboration with the business community in climate change adaptation and mitigation is therefore to contact one of these municipalities that has similar conditions to get tips and ideas.
All municipalities are required to conduct a risk and vulnerability analysis (RSA) and report it according to MSB regulations. Together with an environmental analysis and scenario development, this can provide a good picture of both threats and opportunities for a municipality where climate change adaptation has succeeded or failed. One example of a method is the Multidimensional Business Analysis (MVA) developed by Lund University and used by the City of Malmö, among others. It provides a great deal of scope for dialog and spans the entire crisis scale; from the small event to the extraordinary. The method consists of three parts - the platform where protectable and undesirable are identified, analysis of a scenario and feedback where an action plan and capacity assessment are carried out. As regards business intelligence, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions has developed a method package and Vinnova is actively working to develop the foresight area also linked to risk.
The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth has produced a series of guides and tools, many of which have a bearing on climate work, such as a circular business model, a guide for large establishments, regional establishment analysis, storytelling as a culture changer, municipal traffic strategy, skills supply for beginners, business survey, and sustainability guide for the tourism industry.
Just transition is an important issue for Swedish trade unions. Together with Global Utmaning, TCO has launched a training package that will encourage more people to become involved in trade union climate action. Vision has created a new role: climate ambassador. Stockholm Resilience Center has organized a training for trade union leaders. LO has compiled a report on the theme "What is required for a just climate transition?". The issue is also topical at Nordic level and also has a link to consumption. LO, TCO and Saco have also sent a joint letter to the government regarding the legislation on corporate sustainability due diligence (CSDD Directive). In other words, there is both knowledge and commitment to be harnessed here.
Business conditions are affected in many ways by regional development. It is therefore important for municipalities to be connected to the regional efforts being made, but also to influence them. This can concern financing, transport, procurement, land use, digitization, skills supply and smart specialization. Examples of climate-oriented regional and inter-municipal initiatives include Klimat2030 in Västra Götaland and Thriving Northern Cities in northern Sweden. There are also cross-border initiatives to keep an eye on, such as STRING, where regions and cities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany work together. Funding for this type of initiative is often provided by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
Many higher education institutions have more or less formal cooperation agreements with a number of companies with which they work particularly intensively in terms of research, education and utilization. These companies are often major employers in the locality and thus interesting from a climate perspective. There are great opportunities here to work together, which, for example, the initiative "Climate-neutral cities 2030 - Open academia" has taken on board and which brings together higher education institutions, municipalities and companies in western Skåne.
Several universities are conducting research focusing on the role of business in climate transition and sustainable social development. One example is SNS's project "The climate transition and the business sector", which explores, among other things, what the key conflicting objectives are and what trade-offs must be made in relation to other values when global climate emissions are to be reduced, and how Swedish regulations, permit processes and instruments can be designed appropriately and predictably so that they promote the climate transition. Another example is "Sparbanken Skåne's Center for Sustainable Business Development" (SSCEN), which aims to contribute to development in the direction of the 2030 Agenda goals through interdisciplinary research and education, combined with increased competitiveness for Swedish industry.
Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with the mission of achieving climate-neutral cities by 2030, ensuring a good quality of life for all within the planet’s limits. The program is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas and coordinated by KTH.
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