Sustainability within NextG2Com

The development of the sustainability plan within NextG2Com began with an online kickoff together with Vinnova and consulting company AFRY. The aim was to create a shared understanding of the importance of sustainability within the center’s activities and to lay the foundation for a long-term and structured approach to sustainability work.

The process has included several key steps: an internal sustainability screening, a center-wide workshop to identify relevant sustainability aspects, and joint discussions with other competence centers. Through these activities, NextG2Com has formulated prioritized goals and actions, which have been anchored with the center board. The result is the first version of the center’s sustainability plan.

Focus Areas

After a broad analysis and prioritization, three focus areas were identified as particularly relevant to the center’s operations and forms the first targets of its sustainability work:

1. Energy use: How systems, software, and processes can contribute to increased energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
2. Resource inflows, including resource use: How the need for raw materials for equipment and system, software, and process design can incorporate circularity principles.
3. Personal safety: How the design of systems and processes can enhance the safety of users and end-consumers.

Both long-term goals and short-term activities have been defined for these three areas, such as knowledge-building initiatives, and research theme workshops. The work is monitored through measurable indicators, including scientific publications, demonstrators, and presentations at external events.

Sustainability efforts within NextG2Com are an ongoing process. The sustainability plan will be reviewed annually, with follow-up on goals, data collection, and feedback both internally and externally.