Climate neutral Umeå 2030

Mobilization, partnerships and social innovation are at the heart of Umeå's transition, led by the Umeå Climate Roadmap.

Umeå's transition arena

Partnerships and collaboration are driving action in Umeå, including through the Umeå Climate Roadmap. With the municipality at the forefront, Umeå has produced a handbook on how to lead an effective climate transition, started an economic association to increase knowledge of circular construction and establish Byggåterbruket, and organized a construction recycling festival for students and staff.

In Umeå, the climate transition is underway, but it needs to go faster. A key strategy for success is to mobilize and strengthen partnerships and collaboration between partners based on the focus areas of the Umeå Climate Roadmap: from locally in Umeå to the EU together with other designated pioneer cities. One of the key strategies is partnerships and transition arenas: locally in Umeå together with residents, civil society, within the municipal group and within the Umeå Climate Roadmap, regionally with other cities, and nationally with European cities.

Accelerating action is the most important overall effort right now and to do so, Umeå is working in parallel with different types of actions, but also focusing on developing structures for governance, monitoring and learning, and linking different types of processes. To be able to steer the climate transition and mobilization of partners in the best possible way, a central part is the continued development of the municipality-wide activating governance in the climate transition area, including linking between local, national and EU levels. 

Umeå municipality is leading the local transition together with the Umeå Climate Roadmap partners. Together, they have developed a handbook for Umeå Climate Roadmap partners on how to lead an effective climate transition, create engagement, manage resistance to change and implement sustainable actions. The handbook creates a culture of collaboration and learning and promotes long-term commitment. One of the latest initiatives of the Umeå Climate Roadmap is also the development of an intranet to facilitate collaboration and cooperation. Through the intranet, participants can more smoothly coordinate efforts that contribute to climate goals, create better communication and collaboration between partners, and inspire other cities to take similar initiatives to increase collaboration in climate projects and accelerate the climate transition. Building reuse initiatives, such as a building reuse festival for students and staff to learn about the circular economy and sustainable construction, are also pioneered in Umeå. 

Deep dive into Umeå's transition

In the city's latest update, they talk about the work, the transition arena, the project portfolio and much more.

Umeå's strong partnerships at local, national and international level are driving our climate transition forward. The more than 60 partners that are part of Umeå's climate roadmap collaborate and learn from each other to strengthen our climate work locally. In addition, collaborations with other cities and partners in Sweden and Europe give Umeå access to the necessary resources, funding and initiatives to help us realize our ambitious climate goals.
In the photo: Hans Lindberg (S), municipal executive Chairman in Umeå municipality.
Hans Lindberg (S)
Municipal Executive Board Chairman in Umeå municipality

Stare and steal

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Umeå Climate Roadmap - a local effort by many stakeholders

In Umeå, the business community and the municipality have long worked together to reduce climate emissions and achieve climate goals. It started with a cooperation on food and agriculture issues, and since 2021, 56 companies from all possible sectors are involved in the Umeå Climate Roadmap.

Umeå highlights additional actions that they believe may be of particular interest to other municipalities to spy and apply. Contact the process leader to spy and apply.

  • The Design Guide for Leading Transition Together. Umeå municipality is developing a handbook for people at each partner in the Umeå Climate Roadmap, focusing on how to lead an effective climate transition. The handbook offers strategies and tools on how to create engagement, manage resistance to change and implement sustainable actions in organizations. 
  • Byggåterbruket. 19 companies and the municipality of Umeå have joined forces to set up ABC Umeå Economic Association, with the aim of raising awareness for increased circular construction and establishing Byggåterbruket, which collects and sorts materials to reduce the need for new construction and the emissions that come from creating new building materials. This circular model not only helps to reduce waste but also helps to create new business opportunities in recycling and sustainable construction for Umeå residents.
  • The intranet of the Umeå Climate Roadmap will serve as a platform where partners can easily communicate and share information, with the aim of creating a common place to exchange ideas, experiences and find new inspiration. Through the intranet, participants can more easily coordinate efforts that contribute to the climate goals and find documentation, updates and a common discussion space. 
  • Construction Recycling Festival with Hedlundaskolan. During the festival, pupils and staff experienced how building materials can be given a new life instead of being thrown away. Through creative workshops and inspiring lectures, participants learned about the circular economy and sustainable construction and built a sofa from recycled materials. The festival highlighted the importance of reuse in the construction sector and how together we can reduce both waste and climate impact. Watch the video from the Construction Reuse Festival

Umeå Climate City Contract 2030

Climate City Contract 2030 is a collective effort to achieve the climate transition that we need to implement in a short time to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. It is an agreement between municipalities, government agencies and Viable Cities where all parties undertake to make a concrete contribution to increasing the pace of climate change.

Umeå invests and tests

To achieve deep change, we need to move from fragmented projects to an ecosystem of efforts that all pull in the same direction. Cities are doing this together with Viable Cities, funders government agencies and other partners, in different constellations and with different objectives. It is about moving beyond dealing with symptoms and instead focusing on underlying problems in our social structure. Here you will find the initiatives and studies within the city that have been granted funding under Viable Cities.

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  • Accelerate
  • Alvesta
  • Arvika
  • reuse
  • Avesta
  • hospitality industry
  • Floor
  • Borås
  • Borlänge
  • The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning
  • Capabilities
  • Chalmers
  • CitiES2030
  • Climate Smart Cities Challenge
  • Climate-KIC
  • CoAction
  • Digitalization
  • Drive Sweden
  • Driving Urban Transition
  • Energy Authority
  • Enköping
  • ERA-NET Cofund Urban Transformation Capacities
  • Eskilstuna
  • EU
  • European Viable Cities Day
  • Falkenberg
  • Falköping
  • Formas
  • Research
  • Gävle
  • Global
  • Gothenburg
  • Gotland
  • Greentopia
  • Håbo
  • Halmstad
  • Härryda
  • Helsingborg
  • Höganäs
  • Halmstad University
  • Höör
  • IVL Swedish Environmental Institute
  • Järfälla
  • Jobs
  • squid
  • Karlskrona
  • Karlstad
  • Karlstad University
  • Climate investment and financing
  • Climate Communities
  • Climate competitiveness
  • climate city contract
  • Climate-neutral cities by 2030
  • Communication
  • Kristianstad
  • Kristinehamn
  • KTH
  • Royal Institute of Technology
  • Landskrona
  • Linköping
  • Linköping University
  • Lomma
  • Luleå
  • Lund
  • Lund University
  • M100
  • Malmö
  • Mariestad
  • Civic engagement and involvement
  • Mjölby
  • Mobility and accessibility
  • Mörbylånga
  • Nacka
  • The Nature Conservation Society
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • NetZeroCities
  • New European Bauhaus
  • Nordic Transition Partnership
  • Örebro
  • Örnsköldsvik
  • Östersund
  • Positive Energy Districts
  • Research institute of Sweden
  • RISE
  • collaboration
  • Sandviken
  • Sharing Cities Sweden
  • Skellefteå
  • Södertörn University
  • Urban planning and construction
  • State Agricultural University (SLU)
  • Stockholm
  • Stockholm Environment Institute
  • PROUD
  • Storytelling
  • Sundsvall
  • Swedish Municipalities and Regions
  • Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU)
  • Sweden-US Green Transition Initiative
  • System demonstrators
  • Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
  • Tomelilla
  • Transport Authority
  • Transition Lab Forum
  • Trollhättan
  • twin cities
  • Ulricehamn
  • Umeå
  • Umeå University
  • UN-Habitat
  • UniCities
  • Upplands-Bro
  • Uppsala
  • Uppsala University
  • Calls for proposals
  • Värmdö
  • Växjö
  • Vinnova
  • WWF
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Umeå works internationally

In October 2024, Umeå was one of 20 European cities to be awarded the EU Mission Label for its work to accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral and sustainable city.

Since 2022, Umeå is part of the first cohort of pilot cities from twenty-one EU Member States and Horizon 2020 associated countries, selected to launch unprecedented climate action, through the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities program.

Umeå is part of the NetZeroCities 112 Mission Cities, selected since 2022 to pioneer the EU Cities Mission.