Circular Economy: An outlook on the world by Elin Bergman

2023-10-24

Elin Bergman is known as the queen of the circular economy in Sweden and serves as the COO at Cradlenet, a network of companies all striving for circular business models. She's currently on a lecture tour across Europe, invited to international events to share her expertise in the circular economy. She always opts for train travel to each destination. We asked Elin to provide an overview of what's happening in Sweden and internationally.

− In Sweden, the political leadership since the election remains uncertain. Hassler's climate report states that climate goals will be achieved, but what the government will include in the upcoming Climate Action Plan is still uncertain. They seem to have forgotten that we have a circular strategy and action plan. Meanwhile, leadership in the EU is stronger than ever with the implementation of the taxonomy and CSRD, prompting companies in Sweden to gear up to report how they work circularly in their value chains according to EU directives. Overall, I've never seen this much circular activity in the business sector before.

How are companies with circular business models faring? What are their challenges and successes?
Those of us working with the circular economy have long said there will be successful business models, and now we're finally seeing strong examples of success. Increased prices of materials and components have strongly contributed to this development, and investors have finally started to take notice. Despite the growing number of strong success stories, financing remains a major challenge; there's still more funding available for startups but very limited options for scaleups.

Are there any hot new companies we should keep an eye on?
Absolutely! Cradlenet members Tini, focusing on circular and sustainable fashion, just secured a significant investment, as did the circular furniture company Nornorm. The circular IT company Foxway has experienced rapid growth in recent years, and Nordic Capital just acquired a majority stake in the company, which had a turnover of over 7 billion last year!

What's the current interest in the circular economy? Is it still as hot? Are you being courted by businesses and politicians?
Interest is continuously growing in the business sector, and I'm finally seeing signs that investors are starting to wake up. Personally, I'm invited to speak at increasingly higher levels internationally, often for business leaders, decision-makers, and ministers. It's interesting that foreign ministers are very keen to hear me out while Swedish ones do everything to avoid it...

Tell us about your lecture tour in Europe happening right now.
I'm on a small train tour where I'm lecturing in Berlin, Zagreb, and most recently, Paris. The next stops will be Barcelona and then Marbella. I'm doing my best to stay down here as long as I can because I'm not particularly fond of the Swedish winter...

Lastly, share something about your plans for NSE next year.
At the Nordic Sustainability Expo 2024, we'll continue to host an amazing lineup of speakers on the Circular Stage. This year, you'll get to hear KG Hammar speak, among others. We'll release more news later on, so stay tuned! See you there!