A platform for circular economy
Cradlenet aims to accelerate Sweden's transition to a circular economy and is Sweden's platform for knowledge and networking in circular economy. We support companies and organisations with the transition to circular economy by offering our members advisory services, market intelligence, studies, visibility, education, seminars and networking opportunities locally, nationally as well as on a nordic level. Read more about our membership offering here.
Cradlenet also arranges open seminars and events to provide inspiration and the latest news about circular economy. The seminars gives the opportunity to obtain increased knowledge in the field and participate in workshops and debate.
Cradlenet also speads the latest news about circular economy through media, social media, the website and Cradlenet's newsletter.
Furthermore, Cradlenet participates in national projects aiming to increase knowledge, develop tools or networking opportunities around circular economy, for example our report and toolbox for helping companies transition to a Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) business model. Cradlenet also works with political institutions to speed up the transition to circular economy and support politicians in their work with it.
Cradlenet is a non profit organisation and our work is run by the board in Stockholm and by our local groups in Umeå/Åre, Malmö and Gothenburg.
Cradlenet is one of the initiators and managing partners of the Nordic Circular Hotspot initiative. The initiative is a Nordic co-operation to enable and drive circular adjustment in the region.
Vision & goals
Cradlenet's vision is that Sweden will have a circular economy that contributes to a sustainable society by 2035. In fact, reaching a circular economy is a prerequisite for achieving the climate goal in 2045.
Cradlenet's vision is that Sweden will have a circular economy that contributes to a sustainable society by 2035.
In order for the vision to become reality, Cradlenet works to increase knowledge among both companies and politicians. Cradlenet mediates Swedish businesses' need of support regarding adjustments of legislations as well as clear and effective goals and action plans from the government. We support our members in switching to more circular activities through in-depth seminars and meetings about different subjects, by creating opportunities for exchanges of experience, projects, visibility and advisory services, market intelligence, etc.
Cradlenet aims that 70 percent of Swedish companies will have set circular economy goals by 2025 and contributes in this process through the above activities.
This is how Sweden will become circular
Cradlenet's vision of a circular society is based on a systems perspective and a holistic view. The focus of the transition should be upstream, on business models, circular design, sharing economy and infrastructure instead of, as it often happens today, on the final steps (such as waste management and recycling). It is by making significant changes at the origin of the problems that the foundation for circular value chains can be set. In this sense, Cradlenet provides conditions for materials and products to circulate while maintaining high value, longer and slowly, and for waste to be designed away.
This means that:
Waste must be prevented or converted into a resource. Exports of waste and virgin resources must be minimized and instead used in the country to contribute to the domestic economy.
Economic growth should be decoupled from resource consumption. Value should instead be attributed to the use and reuse of existing resources rather than from the extraction of virgin material.
Legislation, directives and policies need to be adapted to circular economy. An example is the waste hierarchy which is based on a linear approach.
Repairing and reusing products should be more profitable than producing or consuming new ones. Taxes and other instruments should favor circular business models, services and circular materials.
A clear sustainability framework with scientifically based goals for the transition to a circular economy (for example the planetary borders and the global sustainability goals) should be implemented in order to clarify the plan for the transition and create a sustainable society.
A plan to reduce Sweden's consumption-based emissions should be implemented.
Cradlenet recommends the government to:
Set ambitious goals that include all parts of the circular economy in the national strategy, according to the SMART goals method.
Develop an effective and concrete action plan to achieve national circular economy goals.
Remove legislations that prevent a circular economy and improve coordination and national governance.
Make infrastructure investments in order to create the conditions for circular material flows (for example through industrial symbiosis).
Use policy instruments that favor circular business models and circular product design and that increase the demand for recycled materials.
Establish resources and a central competence and support function for upstream issues at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with relevant authorities.
Cradlenet recommends the business community to:
Set goals for circular economy. It is good to start with small and simple actions because it will then be easier and more fun to scale up.
Implement circular business models that primarily affect the company's main operations.
Make sustainability analyses of the company’s circular initiatives (material selection, product design, business models) to counteract sub-optimization and goal conflicts, and ensure that the transition contributes to a more sustainable society. Among others, life cycle analysis (LCA) is a useful tool to implement and the global sustainability goals represent a valid framework.
Prioritize initiatives that can create positive synergy effects from a sustainability perspective.
Perform analysis of products and services from a user perspective, in order to increase the probability that the user will use the product in a sustainable way.
Collaborate with other businesses, the public sector, research institutes and civil society.
Contact:
Elin Bergman, COO Cradlenet
Tel: +46739662349
E-mail: elin@cradlenet.se