Webinar: Building Swedish eco-cities in China

Published in NEWS on September 15, 2020

On September 1st, a webinar was held by Sweden China Trade Council to share experiences of Swedish companies to contributing to sustainable cities and capture growth opportunities in China. Representatives from Business Sweden, White Peak and SWECO were invited to speak on the Hammarby Eco City project in Yantai and the Eco city Alliance.

Sustainability and urbanization are key factors

17 sustainable development goals

“Sustainability is a central in Swedish export promotion, and contributing to in rapidly urbanizing China has high impact on many UN goals. As part of Team Sweden, we promote sustainable development globally together with Swedish government, companies and organizations.”

——Joakim Abeleen, Market Area Director Greater China, Business Sweden

China is one of the most important trade partners of Sweden, with one-third of the global construction happening in China, this is a highly prioritized sector to collaborate in. Of the 17 sustainable development goals many are directly connected to city-building, that can promote health & wellbeing, economic growth and sustainable consumption patterns. Team Sweden, together with several other institutions and companies, has been working hard to spread Swedish eco-cities in China.

The Eco City Alliance is a platform for concrete collaboration leveraging the case of Yantai project

Eco City site picture

“It’s important to initiate China-Sweden Hammarby Eco City Alliance as a commitment to bring Swedish solutions to China’s green and sustainable development.”

——Jesper Jos Olsson, CEO & Founding Partner, White Peak

“Sustainable development is not about urban sprawl or taking natural land into use for urban living, but actually about how to reuse the land we already developed. What we’ve been discussing much about is to deliver the old to new economy through sustainable and livable cities.”

——Anna Hessle, Architect MSA, International Director, Area Manager China & Vice Chairman, SWECO

The Hammarby Eco City project in Yantai is being well received by Chinese consumers, as it’s among the top 3 selling residential projects in 2020 in this city of 7 million inhabitants. A key to the success has been data-driven adaption to local consumer preferences, which differ very substantially between regions in China. Another success factor is the strong trust Swedish brands enjoy for long-term commitment to sustainability and quality, a key factor for consumers deciding to buy an apartment.

Next step of Eco City project

“The Alliance will continue to be a bridge for the cooperation between enterprises & government in China and in Sweden.”

——Johan Annell, Project Manager, Business Sweden

For the next step of further development, the alliance will leverage the project in Yantai by showing Chinese visitors the sustainable solutions . Furthermore, the Alliance plans to visit more Chinese cities to have face-to-face meetings with government decision makers and local buyers.