Swedish-Norwegian Collaboration Paves the Way for Circular Economy in Värmland
A major project to promote sustainable growth and innovation in Värmland and Norway's Innlandet has been granted funding from the EU Interreg Sweden-Norway program. On the Swedish side, the project is led by Glava Energy Center in cooperation with Arvika Näringslivscentrum and Karlstad University.
The project aims to strengthen cross-border collaboration and support businesses and organizations in transitioning to circular practices.
– Through this project, we can combine the strengths of two regions and create new opportunities for businesses and communities to grow sustainably. It is an important step towards making Värmland a leader in the circular economy, says Magnus Nilsson, CEO of Glava Energy Center.
Circular Economy: A Smarter Use of Resources
Circular economy is about creating a sustainable cycle where resources are used more intelligently and efficiently. This includes not only materials and products but also energy, skills, and human potential. Circular practices ensure that products are reused, repaired, recycled, or repurposed – and that knowledge and skills are continuously developed and applied in new ways. By adopting circular economy principles, businesses can interconnect material and product flows so that old products become the raw material for new ones, increasing their resilience to disruptions in global supply chains.
Focus on Mapping and Education
The three-year project, named “Interregional Circularity in Central Scandinavia,” focuses on mapping circular resources in the Värmland-Innlandet border region and creating new ways to use these resources more efficiently while reducing waste. With a strong emphasis on collaboration between academia, businesses, and public actors, the project aims to:
- Develop new models to analyze and improve circular flows of materials and energy.
- Promote education and skills development to support businesses in transitioning to circular business models.
- Strengthen the region's attractiveness through strategic communication and networking.
On the Swedish side, Karlstad University and Arvika Näringslivscentrum are project partners.
– We see this project as an opportunity to apply our research on the circular economy to real-world challenges. With our expertise in service research, we can contribute to developing the collaborative structures and business models needed to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and pave the way for a sustainable transition to a circular economy, says Håkan Spjuth, Head of the Grants and Innovation Office and Coordinator for the Academy for Smart Specialisation at Karlstad University.
– This project gives us a unique opportunity to further develop our existing training programs in circular economy and create new, relevant courses that meet the needs of businesses. By strengthening regional competence, we enable sustainable growth and prepare our companies to lead the transition to a circular economy, says Andreas Slätt, Project Coordinator at Arvika Näringslivscentrum.
Cross-Border Collaboration: The Key to Success
On the Norwegian side, the project is led by Vaager Innovasjon, and the close cross-border collaboration between Swedish and Norwegian actors makes this project particularly unique. Border municipalities on both the Swedish and Norwegian sides share the same labor market area. Operating in two different systems and developing isolated solutions can often be counterproductive and wasteful.
– The collaboration between Innlandet and Värmland is central to addressing shared challenges and creating new solutions. By working together, we can achieve more than we could on our own. In this project, we create added value by highlighting and better utilizing circular resources on both sides of the border, says Magnus Nilsson, CEO of Glava Energy Center.
Project Facts
The three-year project, “Interregional Circularity in Central Scandinavia,” has a total budget of approximately SEK 29 million, with 60 percent co-funded by Interreg Sweden-Norway. The project will run from January 2025 to the end of 2027 and is expected to make a strong impact on the Värmland-Innlandet border region. The goal is to establish long-term networks and tools that support continued development in the circular economy, even after the project concludes.
Contact Information
For more information about the project and its activities, please contact:
- Magnus Nilsson, CEO, Glava Energy Center. Phone: +46 707-92 87 28. Email: magnus.nilsson@glavaenergycenter.se
- Håkan Spjuth, Head of the Grants and Innovation Office and Coordinator for the Academy for Smart Specialisation at Karlstad University. Phone: +46 70-683 10 40. Email: hakan.spjuth@kau.se
- Andreas Slätt, Project Coordinator, Arvika Näringslivscentrum. Phone: +46 72-203 19 31. Email: andreas.slatt@aanc.se