Industrial giants in new initiative for circular flows

“We are convinced that the industry must take greater responsibility and we have therefore joined forces to pursue the issue of increased circular material flows. Together, we want to establish action plans and goals that provide the right conditions. Through technological leaps and new forms of collaboration, we hope to create more usable resources from the waste. At the same time, we want to increase the amount of recycled material within the manufacturing industry”, says Kristofer Sundsgård, CEO of Stena Recycling, the company behind Circular Initiative. 

ABB, Combitech, Electrolux and Stora Enso are participating

In order to make fast headway, companies from different industries need to come together to share challenges, experiences and opportunities and thereby find new solutions that are beneficial to all parties. The main purpose of the Circular Initiative is for decision makers to meet and create a dialog that leads to concrete measures.

ABB, Combitech and Electrolux are three of the companies participating in the first Circular Initiative:

“From ABB, we are very pleased to be engaged in the cooperation for a sustainable society where materials and energy are used with a long term perspective. Our technology, including robotics, automation and digitization solutions, becomes important components in a self-learning system. Stena Recycling's recycling process will show the way for how collaboration and technology together can lead to innovative and new solutions within circular economy”, says Johan Söderström, Managing Director, ABB Sweden.

“Technology and digitalization can help us achieve a more sustainable society. But it is people and innovative collaborations that make this possible. At Combitech we are proud of being involved and contributing to this important work. Together we can find solutions that pave the way for a more circular society”, says Hans Torin, CEO, Combitech.  

“With more than 60 million products sold each year, Electrolux has a big responsibility in ensuring that these are developed and used with resource efficiency as one of the most important priorities. Electrolux has focused on sustainability for many years, but there is more work to be done so that we think circularly about everything we do. It covers everything from product design to which materials we use, as well as new business models. We look forward to learning more and contributing to a more circular society through this collaboration”, says Jan Brockmann, Chief Operations Officer at Electrolux.

Stora Enso is also participating, and additional companies are encouraged to take part. 

The entire value chain

By looking at the entire value chain from raw materials to finished products that are consumed and finally recycled, large amounts of material can be utilized and made better use of. It is about, among other things:

• Preventing waste or planning for recycling. For example, through exchange of experiences surrounding material selection, product design etc. Be Smart from the start.
• Improving today's recycling processes so that more material can circulate. For example, through digital technology and robotization.
• Finding new industrial connections for millions of tons of waste that can be challenging and costly for one industry, but at the same time can be a resource for another. If they can be connected, the dependency on finite resources can be reduced, while reducing climate impact.

A pioneer in circular flows

“Swedish industry has all the right conditions to become a pioneer in circular flows. It is our way of contributing to both the UN's global sustainability goals and Sweden's national environmental goals, which are all about reducing carbon dioxide emissions and better utilizing the earth's resources”, says Kristofer Sundsgård.