About

Växjö is a dynamic regional business and trading centre in the province of Småland in the south of Sweden, with a population of about 83,000 inhabitants. With an idyllic small town feel, it is also a university town and entertainment hub. Växjö is described by the international media as “the Greenest City in Europe”, and has reduced the fossil carbon dioxide emissions by 34 percent per capita in 2009, since 1993, emitting below world average. Green is also the colour of the city, with many fine parks, lakes and green areas to be enjoyed in the heart of the city.

A wide range of small and medium-sized companies in such sectors as bio-energy, retailing, telecom, heavy vehicles, wood processing, furniture and IT, combined with excellent communications and an international university, are attracting a growing number of people and businesses to Växjö. By train, the city is less than two hours from Copenhagen, and there are several daily flight and train connections to Stockholm.

From the traditional engineering sector, a knowledge-intensive hi-tech industry has emerged, and several of Växjö’s companies are flagships in their particular fields. Small enterprises, major industries and high-tech companies are all represented. Since forests cover more than 60 per cent of the region, the forestry and bio-energy sectors are well developed.

Linnaeus University is a good example of what Växjö is doing. The university has grown rapidly in recent years. Its more than 14 000 students specialise in entrepreneurship, logistics, business development and bio-energy. Växjö’s public sector offers a wide range of services, such as top quality schooling, childcare and a county hospital that guarantees excellent health care for all Växjö’s inhabitants.

“The Greenest City in Europe” is the sum of all the public and private environmental projects carried out within the municipality. Växjö’s ambition for the future is to make the city more attractive for visitors, inhabitants and companies alike, and to make it easier for them to live with minimal environmental impact.
 

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Strategy

The background on the climate strategy of Växjö is a wide knowledge about climate change and the ability to see solutions instead of problems. This has lead to a common understanding from politicians, businessleaders, inhabitants and organisations, to stop using fossil fuels.

Växjö’s Environmental Programme states that: “Climate change is one of our time’s most urgent environmental problems. Mankind’s emissions of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide produced when burning fossil fuels, contributes to the climate change. With Växjö’s efforts to become fossil fuel free, it's taking its global responsibility in terms of reducing it's impact on the climate.”
 
In Växjö, the total emissions of fossil CO2 have decreased by 34 per cent per inhabitant between 1993 and 2009. In total, every inhabitant emitted about 3 ton fossil CO2. This is very low for Sweden, and it is also below world average.

In 1996, a unanimous decision was taken that Växjö shall be a Fossil Fuel Free City. In the Environmental Program, revised and adopted by unanimous politicians 2010 there are ambitious targets for Växjö in three areas: Living Life (consumption, waste), Our Nature (air, water, green areas, biodiversity) and Fossil Fuel Free Växjö (energy and transport).

Visions and targets for the profile area Fossil Fuel Free Växjö:

Vision

Växjö has the vision of a Fossil Fuel Free Växjö, where its energy consumption does not lead to any climate effect.

Overall targets to be strived for:

• cease using fossil fuels
• use energy efficiently.

Targets up to 2015:

• Fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions shall be reduced by at least 55 per cent per inhabitant by 2015, compared with 1993. Växjö shall be a fossil fuel free city by 2030 at the latest.
• Consumption of electrical energy shall be reduced by at least 20 per cent per inhabitant from 1993 to 2015.
• Cycle traffic in the City of Växjö shall increase by at least 20 per cent by 2015 from 2004.
• Public transport as part of city traffic shall increase by at least 20 per cent per town inhabitant and for country traffic by at least 12 per cent per county inhabitant from 2002 to 2015.
• Energy consumption shall be reduced by 15 per cent per inhabitant between 2008 and 2015.

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