Of the world’s 800 largest ports, Ports of Stockholm is one of the foremost within the environmental area, according to an international research report from the University of Montreal (2007).

Ports of Stockholm has, together with six other ports, been awarded the highest environmental classification. The University of Montreal, on behalf of the Canadian Ministry of Transport, has studied the environmental work in 800 of the world’s largest ports. 33 of these ports were considered particularly prominent in terms of environmental standards.

Together with Amsterdam, Vancouver, Livorno and others, Ports of Stockholm received the highest environmental classification; the only port in the Nordic region to be granted this classification. The ports were assessed based on integration and the use of environmental management systems, ongoing analysis of environmental impact and development work.

Further information

Ports of Stockholm

Ports of Stockholm brochure (pdf)  

The residential area Hammarby Sjöstad – just south of the inner city of Stockholm is a perfect example of a good and sustainable city environment. Some of the features in the renowned eco-friendly neighbourhood, which has given inspiration to other major cities in the world such as Toronto’s Waterfront area, are: 4-glazed windows minimizing heat loss, biogas from waste water fuelling the residents ovens and cookers, pneumatic collection of solid waste, photovoltaics and fuel cells, strict use of non toxic materials and class A appliances, district heating/cooling, promotion of sustainable transport such as car pools, tramways and biogas-powered  ferries to name a few.

The core of the environmental and infrastructural planning can be summarised in an eco-cycle model. The model for the handling of energy, waste and water is known as the Hammarby Model, developed by Fortum, Stockholm Water Company and the Stockholm Waste Management Administration. "The Hammarby Model" is an eco-cycle model designed to ensure organic recycling throughout Hammarby Sjöstad (see map model www.hammarbysjostad.se pdf file for print). The model that has become a tool for environmentally friendly city development around the world, demonstrates the success of the integration of various technical supply systems.

Residents' involvement

In Hammarby Sjöstad, GlashusEtt is the centre for environmental communication. The residents' involvement is an important part of the environmental work. GlashusEtt provides tips and advice on how to use the technology and preserve resources.

For further information

Hammarby Sjöstad 

Sweden.se - Hammarby Sjöstad — living green in central Stockholm

Urban developement 

Biogas as Vehicle Fuel – Market Expansion to 2020, or “Biogas Max”, is the name of a biogas offensive campaign run by the Stockholm Environmental and Health Administration. The goal is to increase the number of biogas stations along the “Biogas Highway” from Stockholm to Gothenburg and to promote the production of modern biogas vehicles in general. The overall EU initiative of this four-year project aims at reducing the oil dependence and the gas of greenhouse emissions.

Participating in the project are the Swedish municipalities within the Stockholm - Mälar region and Gothenburg, together with the EU cities Lille, Rome, Zielona and Haarlem.

For further information

Biogas Highway

Together with the City of Stockholm, Ports of Stockholm is developing a new gateway to the Swedish capital. The Värta Pier in Värtahamnen harbour, in the north-eastern part of central Stockholm, is being developed to efficiently carry out port operations. This will also free up attractive land for new construction in the port area.

In Vision 2030, the City of Stockholm has outlined an image of the future Stockholm – “A world-class Stockholm”. One part of this vision includes rebuilding the area that runs from Hjorthagen in the north, over Värtan and Frihamnen, to Loudden in the south. In total, there are plans for 10,000 new housing units and 30,000 new workplaces. The port’s operation will be concentrated around the Frihamn pier and the expanded Värta pier. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in the Riga block in Värtan in 2008 and the entire area will be completed during the 2020s.

For further information

The Värta-Frihamnen Development Project – creating a new gateway to Stockholm 

In early 2009, the Property Board made a decision to invest SEK 85 million towards reducing buildings’ climate impact through energy efficiency measures. These efforts will be carried out over two years and will reduce emissions equivalent to 232 gas-driven cars or 89 oil-heated homes.

The efforts will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 812 tons, emissions of sulphur oxide by 412 tons, and the emission of nitric oxide by 799 tons. Furthermore, once the efforts are implemented, the city’s costs for heating are expected to decrease by SEK 4.2 million per year. Among the actions that will be carried out are installations for heat recovery, new ventilation systems, and more efficient needs-regulated lighting.

For further information

Urban development 

Stockholm and its outskirts is Sweden's centre for environmental R&D. One reason is that local companies, researchers and authorities collaborate closely and share knowledge in various development programmes. Another reason is that Stockholm is the major Scandinavian academic centre, with 80,000 students, 5,500 doctoral candidates, 7,000 researchers and teachers, more than 20 universities and colleges for further education, plus a number of research institutes, scientific academies and research libraries.

The qualified position of Stockholm and its environs as an international research centre for ecology and the environment has been highlighted by the American Institution for Scientific Information (ISI) in their comparison of different universities throughout the world. Their ranking, based on the number of citations from published articles on environmental research, placed the Karolinska Institute before Harvard University. Another recent study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) places Sweden at the top of the list of the world’s most innovative countries.

For further information

Sustainable Stockholm brochure (pdf) 

Our long-term target for Stockholm is to continue to reduce the city's emissions of greenhouse gases at the same rate as between 1990 and 2005. In theory, this means that Stockholm will be a fossil fuel-free city by 2050.

For further information

Stockholm Fossil Fuel Free City 2050

Stockholm has a as a city with great environmental awareness and healthy living conditions. Stockholm continuously strives to further reduce problems associated with chemical substances.

Major sources of these substances include textiles, building materials and household chemicals, which can pollute wastewater, lakes and watercourses. New measures need to be taken by the city, as well as by other actors to address these problems. Measures that will be taken by the city include dialogue with industry and trade organisations to promote voluntary phase-out, information to the public, supervision of demolition activities and green procurement.

The European project – ScorePP, focuses on the priority substances identified in the Water Framework Directive. Within this project, specific objectives are to identify the sources of priority pollutants (PPs) in urban areas, to identify and assess appropriate strategies for limiting the release of priority pollutants from urban sources and for treating PPs on a variety of spatial scales. The ScorePP project is an ongoing European project with nine participating organisations in seven different countries. Stockholm is participating as a partner and is one of the case cities in the project.

For further information

• ScorePP
• A sustainable city
• Stockholm Environmental Programme (pdf)
  

Stockholm’s strategic work to achieve clean lakes and waterways and attractive recreational areas by the water has proved successful. The City of Stockholm has formulated a program for water preservation work - applicable from 2006 through 2015.

The water program includes goals and actions for how the Stockholm water area will provide better water quality and be developed from a recreational viewpoint. The water program includes the city’s lakes and waterways, eastern Lake Mälaren and Saltsjön as well as larger wetland areas. The program also includes groundwater, excluding drinking water issues. The water program was approved by the municipal council in June 2006.

Stockholm’s lakes and watercourses represent an important part of the city’s character and beauty. The central areas of water have been essential to the historical development of Stockholm.

The water quality of Riddarfjärden has improved as a result of various measures taken in Stockholm and further west in Lake Mälaren.

There are many places where you can swim in central Stockholm. This photograph shows one of them, the rock beach at Långholmen. Virtually the entire outflow from Mälaren passes through Riddarfjärden, which means that the turnover time of the water is very short.

The Stockholm Water Programme describes how the city works to achieve a “good water status” in accordance with EU Water Directive. It also outlines objectives and measures to achieve cleaner water in Stockholm’s lakes and waterways and how we protect, preserve and develop the water areas for recreational purposes.

For further information

Stockholm water programme (pdf)

Stockholm has developed a model for classifying healthy and unhealthy residential houses providing simple, scientifically based tools and indicators for decision-making. The model is designed for classifying residential houses based on data from a standardized questionnaire (SIEQ).

In the on-going Healthy Sustainable House Study (3H) more than 480 randomly selected multi-family buildings are being studied, including inspections and measurements in 50 different buildings. Decision makers, builders, building administrators and tenants need simple, scientifically based tools and indicators to discriminate between “healthy” and “unhealthy” buildings to enable mitigation and avoidance of unhealthy houses.

The 3H project will suggest courses of action to minimize health risks also with regard to energy declarations and the necessary increase in the energy efficiency of buildings.

For further information

Urban development 

Once every three years Stockholm investigates the environmental awareness, attitudes and the citizen’s environmental ambitions. The results show rising environmental ambitions and increased sense of global responsibility.

More than 3000 citizens have answered a comprehensive questionnaire on how they experience the environment in Stockholm, the importance of environmental issues and what they do to reduce their ecological footprint. The results are rewarding - showing that the citizens of Stockholm get more and more environmentally conscious, which is reflected in a more eco-friendly behaviour.

For further information

Miljöbarometern (information in swedish)

The City makes continuous updates of the species database ArtArken, which contains information about threatened species and other species under protection.

Now, the accessibility of the database for planners and others has been improved due to the upgrading of an interactive website, ArtArken. Artarken is one of the communication channels between the municipality and citizens, experts, planners and other interested in the biodiversity in Stockholm. The database itself, is accessible for several groups and consults working with nature issues.

For further information contact

The Environment and Health Administration
Gunilla Hjorth, Anna Koffman, Helene Nilsson or Susann Östergård

Phone: +46 8 508 28 800

E-mail: artarken@miljo.stockholm.se

Stockholm restores wetlands and watercourses for the benefit of both flora and fauna inhibiting these environments, and at the same time contributes to a more diversified nature in public green areas.

The City of Stockholm restores wetlands in different parts of Stockholm for the benefit of biodiversity and recreational opportunities of the citizens of Stockholm.

The wetland on Järvafältet and the watercourse of Årstabäcken are two examples.

For further information contact

For Järvafältet

Ingrid Olsen Sjöström
Phone: +46 8-508 267 50

For Årstabäck

Lena Wohlström
Phone: +46 8-508 263 70

Lars Yllenius
Phone: +46 8-508 266 84

The congestion tax was permanently implemented in Stockholm in 2007. The decision was made by the Swedish Parliament and the congestion tax is a state tax. This means that everything having to do with congestion taxes is the responsibility of the Swedish Transport Agency.

Improving the environment

Congestion taxes are part of a larger package: an overall traffic solution for a better environment and growth throughout the country and the Stockholm region. The package is comprised of priorities and financing suggestions for measures related to roads, railways and public transport in Stockholm county.

Measures to increase efficiency

Some of the income generated from congestion tax will be invested in road networks. Some of it will also be invested in measures to increase efficiency. Such investments will be made in measures that can be implemented relatively quickly, as well as minor improvements of existing roads and traffic management systems, such as improved accessibility for motorists and bus passengers.

Measures include various reconstruction projects to improve accessibility, increased traffic information and expansion of the driving lanes for public transport. The City of Stockholm, SL - Stockholm Public Transport and the Swedish Road Administration are the co-planners of these measures.

Evaluation of effects

The City of Stockholm is responsible for evaluating the effects of the congestion tax on traffic and other areas, such as trade, the environment and parking.

Further information

Erica Lawesson, Head of Communications, The Traffic and Waste Management Administration

Tel +46 8 508 272 05, +46 76 12 272 05

Mats Freij, Press Officer, The Traffic and Waste Management Administration

Tel +46 8 508 261 60, +46 76 12 261 60

Four out of every five commutes made in the city of Stockholm are less than ten kilometres in length. For such trips, bicycles could be a great alternative. But, in order for this to be possible, it is necessary to have an infrastructure adapted to the needs of cyclists.

The city strives to make bicycling in Stockholm more popular during all seasons of the year, while at the same time improving traffic safety for cyclists. The goal is to become one of the leading European cities for bicycling.

The number of commuters who cycle to central Stockholm has more than doubled during the last 15 years, and more than 150,000 residents now ride their bike to and from work throughout the year. Of the total amount of vehicular traffic to the inner city, the proportion of cyclists has increased from four to eight percent.

Important measures

The infrastructure for cyclists has been improved in the following ways: new bicycle lanes have been constructed, existing bicycle lanes have been repaired and improvements have been made regarding traffic signals, parking for bicycles and availability of bicycle pumps.

During the last year, significant investments have also been made in measures to improve traffic safety. Two examples of this are bicycle boxes and tests with red-coloured pavement at intersections that are particularly dangerous for cyclists. For more information about bicycling in Stockholm, please visit www.stockholm.se/cykling.

For more information about bicycles-for-loan, please visit www.citybikes.se

Further information

Erica Lawesson, Head of Communications, The Traffic and Waste Management Administration

Tel +46 8 508 272 05, +46 76 12 272 05

Mats Freij, Press Officer, The Traffic and Waste Management Administration

Tel +46 8 508 261 60, +46 76 12 261 60