Biochar project in Helsingborg wins support from Bloomberg Philanthropies

The City of Helsingborg, through NSR (the municipal waste company in the northwest of Scania), has been granted USD 400 000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies to build a competence centre for the development of biochar at the Helsingborg recycling plant. Helsingborg is one of seven cities in the world to receive financial support.

"We are very happy with the recognition and support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which will strengthen our ambition to develop knowledge about biochar by establishing a competence centre. The City of Helsingborg wants to play an important role in developing sustainable innovations for the future," says Peter Danielsson, Mayor of Helsingborg. 

On June 2, NSR inaugurated the new production plant, where garden waste from residents and the city will be turned into biochar. The product will then be used in parks and gardens to make the city greener. Biochar is also a carbon sink where carbon dioxide can be captured for thousands of years, which mitigates the effect of climate change.

"The idea of creating a competence centre for existing and new uses of biochar is a logical consequence of all the resources and material flows that are gathered at a recycling facility. The target groups for the competence centre will be academic research, including higher education, but also relevant industries and stakeholders who want to develop biochar applications. As a first step there is an exhibition that targets politicians and officials at municipal, regional, national and international levels. During H22 City Expo we offer guided tours," says Ludvig Landen, Director of R&D at NSR AB.

The competence centre will include:

• A laboratory equipped to meet the needs of applied research, including a small-scale pyrolysis test unit.
• An exhibition that communicates past and current projects and which also describes biochar from a climate perspective.
• A network for the involved participants.

Helsingborg is one of ten cities worldwide that received technical expertise and implementation support from Bloomberg in 2021. Out of the ten cities, Helsingborg has been selected as one of seven cities to receive continued support – now also financially – in 2022/2023. The other cities are Darmstadt in Germany, Helsinki in Finland, Sandnes in Norway, and Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Lincoln in the United States.

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:
Ludvig Landen, Director of R&D, ludvig.landen@nsr.se, +46 72 454 22 48
Eva Stål, Project Leader, eva.stal@nsr.se, +46 722 24 40 83

About Bloomberg Philanthropies: Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 941 cities and 173 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2021, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.66 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.