Workplace

With smart, chemical additives, plastics can be tailored to be more durable and more degradable at the same time. The first Nordic plastic industry is back on the leading edge.

Still, a mere six percent of new plastic products are made from recycled material. But the industry is doing a lot to turn the tide, and Rondo Plast in Ystad, Sweden, has a key position in the chain: right before the recovered plastic is turned into new components.

The bioeconomy is swapping oil for wood, and the research company Cellutech is an important facilitator, building bridges between academy and industry. The company is exploring how transparent wood and special composite materials can be put to use – but a cellulose-based foam material will be the first application of scale.

Electrolux sells 60 million home appliances per year. By combining energy efficiency measures with greener materials, such as biobased refrigerator interiors, the group is slashing both production and usage emissions.

The Swedish-Finnish paper and pulp company Stora Enso has launched Europe's largest biocomposite production facility at the Hylte mill. The DuraSense product is a raw material with up to 80 percent less environmental impact than traditional plastics, where polymers or biopolymers combine with wooden fibre.

Twenty-five years ago, textile company FOV Fabrics filed a patent for a unique silicone coated fabric for car airbags. Thin, low-weight and softer than alternatives, it reduced the risk of scratches and burns from the airbag inflation. Back then, the fabric was unmatched. Airbags are now standard equipment in vehicles, and the once ground-breaking innovation has been exposed to...

Climeon's modular system converts low temperature waste heat and geothermal heat to electricity, addressing an unexplored market. Ultimately, the company aims to replace fossil fuel based electricity production entirely.

Tailor Konfektion is a clothing company that makes use of recycled plastics. The polyester, retrieved from PET bottles, saves 60 percent of the energy and 30 percent of the emissions compared to virgin material - with 6 percent of the water use.

How much value is preserved in the economy when materials have been used for one cycle? In Sweden today, far less than could be the case, according to a new study; the potential value of circular material flows is enormous.

At Carl F's waste sorting facility, mixed construction waste is automatically sorted into fractions by a self-learning robot performing 4000 picks per hour. With the new system, much more waste is recycled.