Sweden-China Circular Economy Seminar was held in Shanghai

2024-12-06

On December 4, 2024, the Sweden-China Circular Economy Seminar was successfully held in Shanghai, co-organized by the China Association of Circular Economy (CACE), the Embassy of Sweden in Beijing and Business Sweden, and supported by Shanghai Center for Energy-Saving and Emission-Reduction Co.,LTD and Shanghai Association of Circular Economy. The forum focused on innovation and cooperation in the field of circular economy, attracted nearly 80 representatives from government departments, research institutes and enterprises of China and Sweden. The meeting was chaired by Ma Jinjin, Director of International Cooperation Department of CACE.

Ms. Marie-Claire Swärd Capra, Consul General of Sweden in Shanghai, Mr. Gao Rundong, Principal Staff of Resource Utilization and Circular Economy Division, Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of NDRC,and Mr. Zhao Kai, Executive Vice President of CACE, attended the event and delivered speeches. Ms. Marie-Claire, emphasized the key role of the circular economy in sustainable development, and that Sweden is a leader in this field, with enterprises actively exploring innovative models of the circular economy. She believes that cooperation between the two countries has a bright future. Mr. Gao Rundong introduced China's main policy practices and achievements in the development of circular economy. Mr. Zhao Kai, reviewed the development of China's circular economy and international cooperation over the past 20 years, and emphasized that the circular economy is a global endeavor, and it is necessary to strengthen the international exchanges and cooperation among countries in terms of policy dialogues, standard upgrading, technological innovations, and publicity and promotion, so as to jointly promote the development of the global circular economy.

In the keynote speech session, Chen Zhen, President of Shanghai Association of Circular Economy, Li Liang, General Manager, Shanghai Center for Energy-Saving and Emission-Reduction Co.,LTD, Anders Wijkman, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Shangguan Fangqin, Director of Green Department, Steel Industry Green and Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Center, China Iron and Steel Research Institute, shared their views on the dynamics of Shanghai's circular economy, the recent EU circular economy policies and the current situation of China's scrap industry.

In the practices sharing session, Xu Yingtie, Senior Research Fellow of Baosteel Central Research Institute introduced Baosteel's innovative practices in electric furnace steelmaking and low-carbon metallurgy technologies. Han Bo, SKF (China) Lubrication Competence Centre Manager shared SKF's RecondOil technology, which realizes deep purification and recycling of lubricating oil and can effectively reduce carbon emissions. Yang Tao, Marketing Director of Jiangxi GEM introduced GEM's work progress in the field of recycled plastics.

Li Bin, research Fellow of College of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Donghua University, moderated the roundtable discussion, in which Hu Jingwen, Sustainability Strategic Planning Sr. Manager at Volvo Cars, Dr. Zhang Yuebo, Vice President of CSMET Yichi, Head of Marketing of Alfa Laval North East Asia and Yang Tao, Marketing Director of Jiangxi GEM Resources Recycling Co., Ltd., participated, focusing on the promotion of the recycling economy by innovative technologies and products.

The seminar concluded with closing remarks by Amanda Alkemark, Regional Manager Government Affairs of East Asia & Pacific of Business Sweden She emphasized the importance of innovation and standardization in the development of circular economy. She noted that the seminar provided a valuable platform for China and Sweden to exchange ideas and promote experience sharing and cooperation. In the future, both sides should continue to strengthen cooperation and jointly explore innovative solutions to promote the development of circular economy and realize a sustainable future.