Commemoration of collaboration on sustainable cities held in Beijing

Published in NEWS on June 16, 2020

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On June 9th we commemorated and discussed the continuous efforts to strengthen the collaboration between China and Sweden in the field of sustainable urban development. This was an occasion to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Alliance and the signing of purchasing agreements for the Hammarby Eco City project in Yantai.

Major national Chinese media including People’s Daily, China Daily, China Securities Journal and 36 Krypton participated and reported about the event.

Keynote speech by Ambassador Helena Sångeland

The event was opened by the Swedish Ambassador to China Ms. Helena Sångeland who emphasized that in order to create a truly sustainable world, for ourselves as well as future generations, it is key for us to succeed in developing cities with good living habitats by using long-lasting sustainable technologies.

The Counsellor of Economic and Trade affairs then introduced How Sweden works with sustainable cities and introduced the Eco City Alliance model. This day is a milestone in showing the concrete cooperation in the case of the Yantai Hammarby Eco City, which is led by White Peak.

Keynote speech by CEO & Founding partner of White Peak, Mr. Jesper Jos Olsson

As the largest European real estate developer in China, Mr. Jesper Jos Olsson discussed how they are bringing the vision of sustainable urban development to reality. He said, “As a company focusing on sustainable urban development, our alignment with China has never been stronger. The strong sales performance of our Yantai Hammarby Eco-city revealed the growing interest of Chinese customers in healthy and sustainable lifestyles, especially after COVID-19.” 

Signing ceremony, companies: ABB Group, Assa Abloy, Envac AB, IKEA

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Swedish Ambassador to China and the Counsellor for Economic and Trade Affairs. White Peak signed procurement agreements with ABB Group, Assa Abloy, Envac AB, and IKEA to provide sustainable products and services, including home furniture, pneumatic waste collection system and intelligent locks, for the Yantai Hammarby Eco City. The total value of Swedish products to be purchased is more than RMB 100 million.

Group discussion, participating companies: ABB, IKEA, White Peak

During the panel discussion, business representatives from ABB Group, IKEA and White Peak discussed the development model of sustainable cities in Sweden and how they contribute in China.


“We are integrating sustainable development concepts into all aspects of our retail business operations. It is great to see Swedish companies working together in China to bring sustainable solutions to the lives of Chinese consumers.”

——Freda Zhang, Commercial Vice president, IKEA China

“Sustainable development is critical to our community and is ABB’s long-term strategy and core value in daily operations in China and around the world. While ABB implements its business operations in a responsible manner, it also makes full use of technology and technology. The product portfolio helps customers save energy and increase efficiency.”

——Zhang Zhiqiang, Senior Vice President of ABB Group and President of ABB China


The Hammarby Eco-city project has already obtained the “Very Good” rating from BREEAM, the world’s longest established method of benchmark rating for buildings’ sustainability. Empowered by a growing number of Swedish partners, the Hammarby model will soon be introduced in more cities in China, starting in White Peak’s core markets of Shandong, Hebei and Liaoning provinces.