By Jane Grønning Johansen, AAU Communikation & Public Affairs. Photo: Lars Horn / Baghuset.

Danish industry still uses more resources and materials than the climate can withstand in the long term. Therefore, the industry must be converted to a sustainable production that does not burden the earth's resources and the climate.

A new report from the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) shows that Danish industry has grown, and while the industry has succeeded in reducing CO2 emissions over the past few years despite growth, the same positive development has not occurred in resource consumption. It requires large investments in, for example, recycling systems to succeed.

Challenges with re-use

We are very good at depositing in Denmark, and we need to expand the infrastructure we have built around the deposit system in Denmark so that we can recycle more resources, explains Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, professor of industrial sustainability at Aalborg University and member of the Royal Danish Academy of Technical Sciences. 

But it's not easy.

"A deposit bottle represents a value because we get money back when we go down to the supermarket and deposit it. The problem with most of our other resources is that they do not represent a value for those who are in contact with them," says Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, who is a co-author of the report 'The Industry's Sustainability Barometer 2025' from ATV. He elaborates: 

"A piece of plastic will be waste for most consumers, while for some companies it will represent value because they can recycle that piece of plastic for something else." 

According to Brian Vejrum Wæhrens, we only manage to recycle about 20 percent of the plastic collected via municipal waste sorting.

Action required to promote sustainable production

But who should take the first step towards more sustainable production? 

If we are to build a circular infrastructure in Danish industry with scaled recycling systems, it requires that more actors in Danish industry invest in circular solutions. The industry is interconnected, and circular solutions across the industry also require investments across several fronts.

It also means a change in the companies' business models, explains Brian Vejrum Wæhrens.

"First and foremost, we need to design products that have a long lifespan. Secondly, we must have a greater focus on repairs and services. This means that if my dishwasher breaks down, it should be easier to get a technician out who can repair the machine, so I don't have to buy a new one," explains Brian Vejrum Wæhrens.

Several companies have already started to think circularity into their business model and offer services that are linked to the core product. And we need more of that, but it requires strong incentives and, among other things, political action, Brian Vejrum Wæhrens assesses. 

"Funds were allocated in the Finance Act 2024 in Denmark for a circular economy program, including a repair program, but it is a drop in the ocean. Not many repairs need to be carried out before that money is used up. The idea is good, but we need to do even more in this direction," says Brian Vejrum Wæhrens.  

The report ’Industriens Bæredygtighedsbarometer 2025’ (Danish version available) from the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences is part of the project 'Sustainable Production of the Future', which is sponsored by the Danish Industry Foundation.