More efforts needed to achieve a sustainable society

The green industrial transition is a demanding, long-term process that will require a collective national and European agenda. It will require access to the right skills and the right infrastructure.

UIn 2024, it became clear that infrastructure conditions, industrial market challenges and rising geopolitical tensions are rapidly affecting our ability to effectively implement this transition. After a year as CEO of IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, I can confidently state that we have not only made important contributions on the process level, but we are also seeing growing demand for our services from our business customers and public actors in the green industrial transition. In this annual report, we provide information about some of the projects we have carried out during the year.

Financially, 2024 was a strong year, with an increase in sales of more than 9 percent and a strong consolidated result, which has been reinvested in the company. IVL has good liquidity and is therefore well positioned to make the necessary R&D investments for the future.

During the financial year, we have developed a new strategy that will drive the future development of IVL and promote value creation in society. IVL 2030 is a growth strategy focused on key research and innovation areas. It focuses on ensuring that IVL has a strong culture of innovation that further strengthens our ability to collaborate across scientific boundaries and disciplines, and on efficient processes that enable us to develop, drive and deliver value. We have introduced new approaches in the organisation that align with our long-term research and market objectives in several key areas, including the blue economy, green transition and sustainable chemistry.

New acquisition strengthens IVL

During the financial year, we also laid the foundations for a significant increase in our international work on global water scarcity, by acquiring part of the Stockholm International Water Institute; specifically, the division that works on international aid issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene. International water issues are already a central component of IVL’s work, particularly through our work on wastewater treatment in India.

Access to research and innovation infrastructure is essential for developing and demonstrating solutions. It was therefore an important milestone for IVL when we inaugurated one of Europe's leading research facilities for water and wastewater treatment - SWIC, Sjöstadsverket Water Innovation Center. Going forward, our work in this area will focus on the development of our infrastructure, namely laboratories,
test beds and digital infrastructure.

I would like to sincerely thank all of our employees whose hard work and dedication have enabled IVL to achieve the positive results we have seen this year. I would also like to thank our customers, funders and partners who enable us to contribute to a sustainable transition at an increasing pace!

John Rune Nielsen
CEO