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CleanTech Resources

Swedish Business Culture

Business Communication Styles in Sweden. (2012). World Business Culture

Swedes communicate well in international business situations, helped in no small measure by the generally high levels of English spoken in the country. The international nature of many Swedish businesses makes it essential for any ambitious Swede to have a good knowledge of the world business language.

Doing Business in Sweden. (2012). Kwint Essential

Doing business abroad brings with it cross cultural challenges for an international business person. Understanding a country’s business culture and etiquette is an important ingredient in establishing a relaxing atmosphere and easing business proceedings.

Doing Business in Sweden: Swedish Social and Business Culture. (2009). Communicaid

Sweden is a forward thinking country where people have very egalitarian notions of society. Understanding Swedish society and culture is essential to successfully do business in Sweden.

Swedish Institute

A public agency that promotes interest and confidence in Sweden around the world.

Swedish Trade Council

The Council’s aim is to promote Sweden internationally and enhance the image and awareness of Sweden as an attractive, innovative and competitive business partner. The Swedish Trade Council offers numerous industry- and market-specific trade reports.

Green in Scandinavia

Nylander, J. (2013, January 11). Sweden a success story for clean energy. Swedishwire.com

Sweden has been ranked as the world’s second best country at managing the transition to new energy architecture in a global benchmark index that hailed the Nordic country as “EU’s great success story for clean energy production.”

Energy Policies of IEA Countries- Sweden 2013 Review

IEA shows how Sweden can build on its impressive low-carbon successes. (2013, February 5). International Energy Agency

Sweden, which already has one of the lowest-carbon economies among OECD countries, has ambitious goals for its energy sector: It seeks to achieve a fossil-fuel-independent vehicle fleet by 2030 and no net greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The country must now identify the most viable pathways and technologies to meet these objectives at least cost and with minimum risk to energy security, according to a review of Sweden’s energy policies released today by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Anna-Karin Hatt on renewable energy and the digital agenda. (2011, December 1). Government Offices of Sweden: Ministry of Enterprise and Energy

As Sweden’s Minister for Information Technology and Energy, Anna-Karin Hatt, wants to focus on renewable energy as well as strengthening consumer rights on the electricity market. In the interview she also develops her thoughts on the digital agenda for Sweden.

CleanTech Industry Guide, Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce of the USA

The Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce proudly serve cleantech companies nationwide and across some 18 Regional U.S. Chambers. Our efforts are focused on finding, creating and delivering opportunity for market entry or partnering in the U.S. and Swedish markets.

Innovative Sweden. (2011, June 28). Swedish Institutes Kanal 

Twenty young Swedish growth companies are currently preparing to take part in an international exhibition presenting cutting edge innovations within the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Life Science, Clean Technology and Gaming.

Swedes teach sustainability in school. (2009, April 12). Euronews.  

From infants to industry, in Sweden they want the European Parliament elections to center on sustainable development and innovation. Hoping to make economic crisis management and environmental responsibility work together.

Dault, M. (2012). From Scandinavia with Love. Green Living

Canadians have a lot in common with the Scandinavian countries—not least, a similar population and those long, frigid winters. But when it comes to sustainable living, our northern neighbors have us beat, hands down.

Briginshaw, D. (2008, September) Green Train Shows Swedish Technology. International Railway Journal, 48 (9), 51-54

Sweden’s 5-year Green Train project aims to produce an environmentally-friendly cost-efficient high-speed train for Scandinavia. It is pioneering several new technologies.

Cotter, M. (2012, March 20). Plantagon Breaks Ground on its First ‘Planscraper’ Vertical Farm in Sweden! Inhabitat.com

Several years ago a Swedish-American company called Plantagon unveiled plans for a series of massive skyscraper greenhouses that stood to transform urban farming in large cities. While the spiraling vertical farms seemed too good to be true at the time, Plantagon broke ground on its very first vertical farm last year in Linkoping, Sweden.

Business is Going Green

Hickman, M. (2012, October 25). Sweden runs out of garbage, forced to import from Norway. Mother Nature Network

Sweden, a recycling-happy land where a quarter of a million homes are powered by the incineration of waste, is facing a unique dilemma: The nation has run out of much-needed fuel.

Green from Green: Rising Energy Costs May be Good News for ‘Clean Tech’ Firms – And Their Investors. (2008, August 6). Knowledge@Wharton

The amount of venture capital invested in “clean tech” nearly doubled from 2005 to 2006, reaching about $3 billion, according to a study conducted at the University of California at Berkeley. Figures like these have some analysts warning that clean tech is in the throes of a bubble.

Going Clean: New Research Shows how China can Adopt low-Carbon Growth. (2008, December 8). Stockholm Environment Institute

Results released from a detailed economic study show that China may cut carbon emissions deeply and minimize the adverse effects on its economy over the next 40 years.

Going Green: Why Germany Has the Inside Track to Lead a New Industrial Revolution. (2009, April 7). Knowledge@Wharton

Already a leading player in so-called clean technology — the mix of environmentally benign power generation and environmentally friendly technologies — Germany may become the epicenter of the world’s next industrial revolution: the triumph of clean, cheap, sustainable electricity.

The Cleantech Conservative: Can Conservatives Love Bioenergy (And, vice-versa)? (2012, April 5). Biofuel Digest

Many have been watching the Republican presidential sweepstakes unfold from week to week and have been wondering what GOP voters want in a candidate. And, gasoline prices north of $4 per gallon, with rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, have just as many wondering what the same voters expect in a national energy policy.

The Game Changer: US Renewable Fuel Standard. (2012, April 5). Biofuel Digest

The article discusses how policy makers and business stakeholders are calling for the preservation of the US Renewable Fuels Standard, or RFS2.

CleanTech: The Global Competitive Landscape

Oster, S. World’s Top Polluter Emerges as Green-Technology Leader. (2009, December 15). The Wall Street Journal

China’s vast market and economies of scale are bringing down the cost of solar and wind energy, as well as other environmentally friendly technologies such as electric car batteries. That could help address a major impediment to wide adoption of such technologies.

Friedmann, J. (2011, December 13). How Chinese Innovation is Changing Green Technology. Foreign Affairs

For energy enthusiasts, China has become the main event. The country uses more energy and emits more greenhouse gas than any other on earth. Its production of power is booming, too. Every year, China generates nearly 100,000 megawatts more than the previous year — more than the total generated by California or Texas.

Dumaine, B. (2010, February 8). Will China Win the Green-Tech War

The article discusses how China has become the largest producer of wind turbines in the world and is a leader in green technology. It offers suggestions on how the U.S. can remain competitive by boosting investment, retraining engineers, and slashing red tape. Comments are offered by Alan Salzman of Vantage Point Venture Partners. INSET: How to Become Clean-Tech Competitive.

Fehrenbacher, K. (2012, February 20). 10 Ways Chinese Investors are Dominating CleanTech. Gigaom.

Chinese investors and the Chinese government are starting to aggressively fund U.S.-based cleantech startups. There’s been a half dozen of these deals in early 2012, so the author put together a list to point out the 10 big ones to watch.

Larrow, A. (2012, February 22). Spotlight on Investment: Intellectual Property. Swedish American Chambers of Commerce Currents

In today’s highly competitive globalized market, Intellectual Property is one of the most valuable assets a company can have. However, merely possessing knowledge is not enough, companies need to the ability to protect their IP rights. The United States is one of the world’s most adamant protectors of Intellectual Property as well as the world’s largest market for protected goods making it an inviting market for companies looking to expand outside of their home country.

Incentivizing CleanTech

Gluch, P., Gustafsson, M. and Thuvander, L. (2009, March 15). An Absorptive Capacity Model for Green Innovation and Performance in the Construction Industry. Construction Management and Economics, (27), 451-464

Applying the model of absorptive capacity (ACAP), antecedents, predictors and moderators for green innovation and performance in the construction industry are investigated. The aim is to identify mechanisms that influence green innovation and environmental performance in a construction company. Data come from a questionnaire survey assessing environmental attitudes, management and performance within the Swedish construction industry. For data analysis, linear regression analysis was used. From testing the ACAP theory and model, it was concluded that it has a promising potential in explaining mechanisms behind green innovation and performance. The application of ACAP has resulted in a revised ACAP model, green ACAP. Findings indicate that organizations can affect their capacity to absorb green innovations and improve their business performance by focusing on three predictors of green business advantage: acquisition, assimilation and transformation. As such, the green ACAP can serve as a framework for focused efforts within the construction industry.

Taxation and investment incentives. (2009, October 1). Economist Intelligence Unit 

The Swedish authorities primarily grant incentives to companies interested in operations in particular regions and industries. For instance, companies establishing in northern Sweden, where unemployment is higher, may be eligible for incentives. Such benefits can generally reduce payroll tax and social security contributions by 10 percentage points. As of January 1st 2002 that was increased to 15 percentage points in the northern region of Norrland and the middle region of Dalarna.

Galbraith, K. (2009, November 18). Companies Call Government Incentives the Key to Green. New York Times

Many CleanTech companies say that what matters most for stimulating innovation in the near term is national governments’ efforts to provide incentives for developing technologies like wind and solar power or cellulosic ethanol.

Financing CleanTech

U.S. Venture Capital Investment in Cleantech. (2012, March 12). The Swedish American Chambers of Commerce Currents

Swedish cleantech firms that partner with U.S. companies can potentially benefit from U.S. venture capital, a growing source of funding for the commercialization of new cleantech technologies. Venture capital is attractive for early stage, high potential, high growth technology start-up firms, which is characteristic of cleantech startups.

Melander, E. (2012, March 12). Venture Capitalism Today and Tomorrow. The Swedish American Chambers of Commerce USA

Mr. Howes recently gave a lecture at the House of Sweden in Washington D.C., discussing issues relevant to raising capital in the U.S. and international capital markets, including venture capital. He now shares his insights with you all.

Green Marketing

Hickman, M. (2012, October 23). Blue bags for a greener future: IKEA unveils People & Planet Positive strategy.

Firm in the belief that ‘sustainability should not be a luxury good,’ IKEA releases a sustainability strategy that, among many things, finds the retailer striving toward complete energy independence by 2020.

Ottman, J. (2010, February 5). A Smart Way to Segment Green Consumers. Harvard Business Review. 

When you target customers, it helps to know if they’re “dark green”, “light green” or “basic brown” in their attitudes, but, with so many green issues, products, and labels out there, it may be more relevant to your branding and communications to understand their personal green interests.

Wolf, C. (2010, March 23). The New Green Marketing. QSR Magazine

Given that greenwashing claims pour water on the flickering flame of eco-marketing, one might ask whether this so-called green movement is just another marketing fad. Funny, that’s just what people used to say about the healthy eating trend more than two decades ago!

Asproth, V. and Amcoff Nyström, C. (2008, June) Communication and information exchange among SMEs and their local environment. Journal of Organisational Transformation & Social Change, 5 (2), 175-189

In this article the results from a Swedish pilot study in the project ‘Arena for Sustainable Innovative Development of small and medium-sized enterprises’ is presented. The project in a whole aims to create and test a model for collaboration and sustainable development among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in local areas.

Narain Mathur, V., Price, A. and Austin, S. (2008, March 17). Conceptualizing stakeholder engagement in the context of sustainability and its assessment. Construction Management and Economics, 26 (6)

Stakeholder engagement in construction projects can be conceptualized in different ways. It can be seen from a strategic management perspective aimed at capturing knowledge, increasing ownership of the project by users, reducing conflict, encouraging innovation and facilitating spin-off partnerships. From an ethical perspective, meaningful stakeholder engagement can be seen to enhance inclusive decision making, promote equity, enhance local decision making and build social capital.

Ny, H., Hallstedt, S., Robert, K., and Broman, G. (2008). Introducing Templates for Sustainable Product Development: A Case Study of Televisions at the Matsushita Electric Group. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 12 (4), 600-623

This article analyzes the role that communal values and structures play in facilitating women’s ability to cope with the economic uncertainties brought about by the large-scale emigration of men from their communities. By focusing on a women’s producer cooperative among the indigenous Hñähñu people in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, the article reveals how the members of this cooperative have responded to global forces in local ways that allow them to preserve their communal ties and even strengthen their position in their indigenous community, while at the same time selectively appropriating modern elements of technology, international marketing, and banking.

Future of Green Tech

Fouché, G. (2008, July 25). Green business: Scandinavia’s lateral thinkers. The Guardian

Between 1990 and 2006, Sweden cut its carbon emissions by 9% – largely exceeding the target set by the Kyoto Protocol – while enjoying real economic growth of 44%

Datta, S. (2007, March 7). 8 Technologies for a Green Future. CNN Money

Today’s breakthroughs are a good start, but the best is yet to come. From at-home hydrogen fueling stations to toxic-waste-eating trees, a look at the most promising solutions of tomorrow.

Rogers, M. (2012, January). Five technologies to watch. McKinsey Quarterly

Innovation in energy technology is taking place rapidly. Five technologies you may not have heard of could be ready to change the energy landscape by 2020.

Kahihla, P. (2007, January 26). Problem no. 1: Global warming. CNN Money

Airtricity has plans to overthrow global warming’s biggest culprit – power plants – with a sea of wind turbines.

Launch: Collective Genius for a Better World

LAUNCH is a global initiative to identify and support the innovative work poised to contribute to a sustainable future and accelerate solutions to meet urgent challenges facing our society. NASA, USAID, Department of State, and NIKE joined together to form LAUNCH in early 2010 in an effort to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to global challenges through a series of forums. LAUNCH searches for visionaries, whose world-class ideas, technologies or programs show great promise for making tangible impacts on society.

Williams, M. and Helm, A. (2011, December). Waste-to-Energy Success Factors in Sweden and the United States: Analyzing the Transferability of the Swedish Waste-to-Energy Model to the United States. American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)

This report looks at the current state of the waste-to-energy industries in Sweden and the United States and explores at the transferability of Sweden’s waste-to-energy model to the US market. Although there are several ways to generate energy from waste (gasification, etc.) this report primarily looks at energy recovery from household waste through incineration.

The 2013 National Top 50, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States

The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power use of leading Green Power Partners within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

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