Sweden’s role in the global climate transition goes far beyond policy statements and ambitious targets. Across the country, a growing number of climate and ESG startups are quietly building practical solutions to some of the world’s most difficult environmental challenges. What makes Sweden’s climate ecosystem distinctive is its focus on long-term impact rather than short-term attention. These companies are not chasing trends; they are redesigning energy systems, industrial processes, materials, and decision-making frameworks from the ground up. Below are ten Swedish startups that exemplify how climate innovation can be both ambitious and grounded in reality.
1. Northvolt – Rethinking How the World Stores Energy
Northvolt’s mission is straightforward but transformative: make batteries sustainable. By producing lithium-ion batteries with a significantly lower carbon footprint and a strong emphasis on recycling, Northvolt is addressing one of the biggest bottlenecks in the energy transition. Its work sits at the intersection of clean energy, mobility, and industrial responsibility.
2. Stegra (formerly H2 Green Steel) – Cleaning Up One of the Dirtiest Industries
Steel is essential to modern life and one of the largest sources of global emissions. Stegra is proving that this does not have to remain the case. By replacing coal with green hydrogen in steel production, the company is setting a new standard for what heavy industry can look like in a low-carbon future.
3. Doconomy – Making Climate Impact Visible
Doconomy works on a powerful idea: people and businesses change behavior when impact becomes measurable. Its tools help individuals, companies, and financial institutions understand the environmental consequences of everyday decisions. By integrating climate data into financial systems, Doconomy brings sustainability into daily economic life.
4. ClimateView – Helping Cities Turn Ambitions Into Action
ClimateView focuses on a level where climate action often struggles: implementation. Its platform helps cities and organizations plan, track, and manage their transition toward net-zero emissions. Rather than offering abstract targets, ClimateView supports concrete decisions what to do, when to do it, and how progress can be measured.
5. We aRe SpinDye – Reducing Fashion’s Environmental Cost
Fashion’s environmental footprint is well known, but solutions are harder to scale. We aRe SpinDye tackles the problem at the manufacturing level, using a dyeing process that dramatically reduces water, chemical use, and energy consumption. It is a reminder that meaningful climate impact often starts far upstream in supply chains.
6. Ecohelix – Replacing Fossil-Based Materials
Ecohelix develops bio-based alternatives to fossil-derived materials, supporting a shift toward circular production systems. By focusing on renewable inputs and biodegradable outcomes, the company contributes to reducing dependency on plastics and other carbon-intensive resources without sacrificing performance.
7. Climate Tracker Initiative – Bringing Clarity to ESG Reporting
As ESG reporting becomes more common, data quality has emerged as a major challenge. Climate Tracker Initiative uses technology to extract and standardize sustainability data from corporate disclosures. Its work supports transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making for investors, regulators, and the public.
8. Refurbly – Extending the Life of Consumer Electronics
Refurbly addresses the growing problem of electronic waste by making refurbished smartphones easy to buy and trust. By extending product life cycles, the company reduces demand for new resource-intensive manufacturing while offering consumers more sustainable and affordable options.
9. Clearwell – Embedding Sustainability Into Business Decisions
Clearwell focuses on helping organizations integrate sustainability into everyday operations. Rather than treating ESG as a reporting obligation, the company positions it as a strategic tool supporting better decisions, improved resilience, and long-term value creation.
10. GoClimate – Turning Climate Concern Into Action
GoClimate helps individuals and businesses take responsibility for their carbon footprint through transparent carbon calculations and offsetting. While offsets are only part of the solution, GoClimate’s strength lies in education and accountability encouraging users to understand and reduce emissions, not just compensate for them.
Why Sweden’s Climate Startups Feel Different
Sweden’s climate and ESG startups tend to share a quiet confidence. They focus less on slogans and more on systems, data, and long-term change. Many work closely with industry, municipalities, and research institutions, ensuring that solutions are practical as well as principled. This approach has made Sweden a trusted source of climate innovation one that balances ambition with credibility.
Looking Ahead
As global pressure to decarbonize intensifies, the work being done by Swedish climate and ESG startups will only grow in relevance. Their solutions show that sustainability is not a separate agenda, but a new way of building energy systems, materials, finance, and industry itself. In a world searching for workable climate solutions, Sweden continues to offer something rare: progress without noise.