What we want

Urgent transition

The industry plays a crucial role in our society and needs to lead the digital and sustainable transition. The Swedish manufacturing industry faces enormous challenges: large, complex, and established industrial ecosystems need to become compatible with net-zero emissions within the next decade. No single actor can solve the transition on their own.

Net Zero Industry has therefore been tasked with contributing to the acceleration of the Swedish manufacturing industry’s transition to net-zero emissions.

The program focuses on two key areas for change: optimal resource efficiency and resilience, and is expected to run for ten years with the goal of allocating 150 million SEK per year in research funding.

The program will also serve as a platform for knowledge sharing. It aims to promote innovation, knowledge sharing, demonstration, and the implementation of new capabilities and technologies that contribute to the goal of Net Zero Industry 2040.

Vision and overarching goals

The long-term impact of the Net Zero Industry program will be assessed based on its efforts regarding innovative products, services, and manufacturing processes aimed at the following goals:

  • REDUCE (tenfold) primary resource usage in the production process and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption from materials and processes in all phases of the product lifecycle and the industrial value chain.
  • DEVELOP circular, efficient, sustainable, and long-term profitable value chains.
  • PREPARE the industrial system to withstand cyber-attacks and digital disruptions.
  • INSPIRE future leaders and employees to create a highly skilled and motivated workforce.

Key Area – Resource Efficiency

The manufacturing industry plays a key role in reducing emissions, both as the primary user of materials and as responsible for product design. 67% of industrial emissions come from the materials used, and the product’s usage phase creates additional emissions. The World Economic Forum identifies manufacturing as a critical leverage sector for achieving net-zero emissions.

However, circular economy in practice, with effective recycling of resources, increased use of remanufacturing, and circular business models, is not progressing as quickly as expected. The report The Circularity Gap Report Sweden estimates that only 3.4% of the resources used in Sweden circulate back into the economy, indicating a significant potential for improvement.

Key Area – Resilience

The manufacturing industry is an integrated component of an increasingly vulnerable global socio-economic system. It is also part of the solution, both in normal circumstances and during crises. Nearby examples demonstrate how the industry can supply society with necessary products such as masks, ventilators, electronics, and defense vehicles at an unprecedented speed.

Society needs manufacturing systems that are resilient. Resilience in supply chains presents specific challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises, and broad collaboration is essential to identify various risks and build resilience.

Enablers

The program identifies at least four enabling factors that are essential for ongoing progress. These enabling factors include transition logic, resilience and resource efficiency, as well as knowledge of sustainability. It is also about driving development forward through good examples, using demonstrations, communication activities, and highlighting leading industrial transition activities.

Examples of approaches that Net Zero Industry will focus on include:

  • Challenge-driven projects and system demonstrators
  • Activities for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups
  • Policy initiatives, missions, and various forms of labs
  • Internationalization
  • Knowledge dissemination and skills development