Sweden risks missing out on the next green industry
Reading Time: 2 minutesBiosolutions
Biosolutions has great potential to further strengthen Swedish industry. The technology uses microorganisms and enzymes to manufacture things that are currently made from oil and gas, such as plastics, chemicals, materials and food ingredients. Sweden has the research and the raw materials. What is missing is the path from lab to industrial production in factories – where both Denmark and the Netherlands have come further. In a new technical report, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) proposes five measures that can make Sweden a leading industrial country for biosolutions.
Summary
Biosolutions use biological systems and processes to develop and manufacture products. Key technologies include fermentation, enzyme technology and synthetic biology. The field can contribute to new products, more efficient use of raw materials and reduced dependence on fossil-based raw materials.
There are many applications. Biological processes can be used to produce new foods and ingredients, chemicals and fuels, as well as materials and packaging. By using different components of the same raw material and making use of side streams, more value can be generated from existing resources.
Sweden has several strengths that provide favourable conditions for developing the field. These include strong research and biotechnology expertise, an established industrial base, and experience in advanced manufacturing and process engineering. Sweden also has substantial biological resources, including those from forestry and agriculture. An important question is how this knowledge and these resources can be translated into new products and businesses.
The path from research to commercial application is often long. Companies need access to facilities for testing and scaling up new processes, as well as funding and the necessary skills. Complex regulations can also delay the introduction of products to the market. Conditions for developing biosolutions therefore need to be improved across the entire value chain, from research and raw materials to production and sales.
The working group presents three recommendations on how Sweden should focus its efforts to strengthen industrial competitiveness, advance sustainability, and contribute to both national and global security. These recommendations are based on an analysis of Sweden’s current position in the field of biosolutions, international trends, and a review of key issues identifying both obstacles and opportunities for continued development. They bring together a range of proposals and action points, which are set out in greater detail in the report.
- Establish a national scale-up facility and ensure access to test markets in Sweden, enabling biosolutions companies to scale up their operations in Sweden and grow both nationally and internationally.
- Simplify regulations and speed up permitting processes to reduce dependence on fossil-based and imported raw materials, attract investment and bring products to market more quickly.
- Develop an integrated system for skills development and supply spanning the entire chain, from undergraduate and doctoral education to research in collaboration with industry, and from laboratory research to commercial production. This would enable Swedish research and innovation to contribute more to the growth and competitiveness of Swedish companies.