Minister for Trade launched new export initiative in the presence of seventy ambassadors
On 5 March, Minister for Trade Ewa Björling launched a new export platform aimed at marketing Swedish green technology and sustainable construction internationally. The platform - that goes by the name of "SymbioCity" - brings together around 700 Swedish companies and is targeted at cities that want to introduce sustainable development. The presentation was attended by more than seventy foreign ambassadors stationed in Stockholm.
For the first time in history, more than half of the world's population now lives in cities and this proportion continues to increase. The urban transition urgently demands that the world's cities are designed in an environmentally friendly and resource-efficient way. This is why the Government has launched SymbioCity - a platform that brings together Swedish companies with long experience of environmentally friendly construction and sustainable urban planning.
"Developing sustainable and dynamic cities is one of the biggest challenges of our time. There is great potential here for spreading Swedish green technology, which already has a very good reputation," says Minister for Trade Ewa Björling.
SymbioCity is an export platform for Swedish companies working in areas such as green technology, sustainable construction and urban planning. The aim is to enable these companies to present joint solutions to the problems facing the world's cities. Important areas include energy efficiency, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and improved water supplies. Its ability to offer everything from urban planning to waste management to energy recovery is what makes SymbioCity unique.
Attending the presentation were Anders Hallersjö from the Swedish Trade Council, who is one of the developers of the concept, the City Commissioner for Property and the Environment Ulla Hamilton, and representatives of a number of Swedish green technology companies, including SWECO, Envac, Läckeby Water and Scania.
The day's Moderator was Ambassador Bo Jerlström at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Projects Export Secretariat, who was also one of those who developed the original Sustainable City concept ahead of the major UN environment conference in Johannesburg in 2002.
"At that time, we couldn't have dreamed that interest for Sweden's holistic approach to sustainable cities would be so enormous. When you google on Sustainable City today, you get over 4 million hits. The new SymbioCity (Sustainable City 2.0) concept that we have developed together with PR and advertising professionals is now therefore a registered trademark. It contains animated films, PowerPoint presentations, brochures, roll-ups and other features. The idea behind it is to enable each embassy and Swedish Trade Council office, together with selected companies, to initiate SymbioCity campaigns themselves," says Bo Jerlström.
