Is Sweden becoming more circular?

– Recently, energy has become more expensive. This means that the extraction of metals from mines and the production of materials from raw fossil materials has become more expensive. At the same time, transport costs increased. This means that local reuse and recycling of materials has become more profitable and has created the conditions for a rapid increase in societal material cycles. It is a strong driving force.

– Housekeeping with other materials has also become security policy. The time of naive globalization is over, and more people see the motives for national and European economy with metals and other materials.

What prevents circularity today?

– Lack of recycle thinking in the design phase of many products, because there are no financial incentives for it. The battery scandal in the Mälardalen which painfully clearly showed how difficult it is to deregulate waste management and unleash truly constructive creativity.

What do you want from politics to accelerate increased resource efficiency and more circularity?

– The delegation has written wish lists before. I hope that we will be able to develop the policy through dialogue where companies, legislators and authorities develop joint visions and where everyone contributes to implement them. It requires time and commitment from everyone involved.

Tomas Kåberg’s role as chairman of the Delegation for circular economy starts from September 1, 2022.