Celebrating 45 years since its founding, the Swedish Bioenergy Association (Svebio) marked the occasion at its annual general meeting in Stockholm on April 9, 2025, with the rollout of a new strategic direction and clubbing a subtle name change to "Svensk Bioenergi".
Svebio is an industry association with approximately 300 companies, organizations, and individuals active in the Swedish bioenergy industry ecosystem.
Celebrating 45 years of advocacy, it is one of the oldest, if not the world’s oldest, bioenergy associations.
Bioenergy is Sweden’s largest energy source, accounting for close to 40 percent of Swedish energy use.
“Svensk Bioenergi” translates as “Swedish Bioenergy” and it is a subtle change as the well-established abbreviation “Svebio” is retained while the organization format is dropped from the name.
New strategic direction
In 2024, the Svebio board adopted a new strategic direction for the organization, further strengthening its work for a profitable and growing bioenergy industry.
Svebio wants to contribute to a sustainable, robust, and efficient energy system where bio-based raw materials play a key role.
Currently being implemented, the new strategy places increased emphasis on proactive national and European public affairs to ensure that bioenergy is not overlooked by politicians and decision-makers as a climate and preparedness solution.
We will invest even more in business policy and advocacy. This will provide more member benefits by creating better conditions for companies in the bioenergy industry. Svebio will become even better at shaping opinion for a knowledge-based and positive view of bioenergy, said Anna Törner, CEO of Svebio.
Adapting to a new landscape
To aggregate organizational resources for this new strategy, Svebio has, amongst other things, decided to go entirely digital with its Swedish journal, Tidningen Bioenergi, and transfer the management of the English-language magazine and platform Bioenergy International to former employees.
Svebio will continue to arrange highly relevant conferences in the bioenergy area, become even better at member communication, and establish working groups for our member companies and other interested parties, said Anna Törner.
Posthumous Jan Häckner Bioenergy Award recipient
In a double first, the 2025 winner of Jan Häckner’s Bioenergy Award was presented at the AGM – the late Jakob Lagercrantz, Founder and CEO of the Swedish 2030-Secretariat.
In the form of a scholarship in memory of Jan Häckner, a former CEO at Svebio, the Jan Häckner Bioenergy Award is awarded by Svebio to recognize individuals or organizations that have made significant efforts to promote the use of bioenergy in an environmentally and economically optimal way.
A “coalition of the willing” including 70+ Swedish corporations and NGO:s, the Swedish 2030-Secretariat has one goal: to ensure that Sweden “reaches its climate target for the national transport sector by 2030, more precisely 70 percent emission reduction between 2010 and 2030 in the transport sector.”
The 2030-Secretariat drives the issue of the transport sector’s climate transition based on three pillars: the vehicle, the fuel, and public behavior.
The Award was presented to Jakob Lagercrantz’s son Hjalte Lagercrantz by Cecilla Häckner, daughter of Jan Häckner, while Mattias Goldmann, CEO of 2030-Secretariat, provided a poignant yet humouristic testimony of Jakob Lagercrantz’s contributions, character, and legacy.
According to the jury motivation, Jakob Lagercrantz “has made major contributions to the transport sector’s climate transition and the development of biofuels during his time as founder and CEO of the 2030-Secretariat”.
Jakob Lagercrantz served as a “strong guiding star. He was educational, clear, and a great role model.”
Jakob Lagercrantz began his work on environmental issues in 1984. He was active in Greenpeace, both internationally and in Sweden. His strong goal orientation, enthusiasm, and solution focus have inspired many to move from thought to action.
The 2030 Secretariat has continued its activities in the spirit of Jakob Lagercrantz and according to his concrete wish that the work he started should be continued and completed.
With the selection of Jakob Lagercrantz, Svebio wants to “honor and remind us of his efforts and urge everyone to continue the climate transition in the transport sector in the spirit of Jakob Lagercrantz.”
It is the first time the Jan Häckner Award has been made posthumously and the first time the SEK 10,000 sum has been given to another memorial scholarship.
The 2030-Secretariat has a scholarship award for a person, team, or organization that has worked in the “spirit of Jakob Lagercrantz characterized by action and perseverance to achieve a fossil-free vehicle fleet.”
The AGM concluded with a conference on the “hunt for green carbon atoms,” with insights from Swedish politicians, representatives from the energy sector, the forest industry, the chemical industry, and research institutions.
