Gothenburg establishes pioneering 'Green Zone'

POLIS member, Gothenburg is developing a Green Zone, placing the city firmly at the forefront of sustainable mobility evolution.

Ambitious climate targets require innovative and determined action, and cities and regions must make bold moves to decarbonise. Now, the city of Gothenburg, POLIS president and host of our 2021 Annual Conference, is proving its sustainable mobility muscle.

Sweden’s second largest city, and home to the biggest port in the Nordic region, is establishing a “Green Zone”, where fully climate-neutral and zero-emissions transportation systems will be developed and tested, edging the Gothenburg region closer to its aim of achieving 100% emission-free transport by 2030.

The aim, unlike many other zero-emissions zones, is not to entirely prohibit combustion engine vehicles from entering, but rather to establish extensive testing and demonstration sites, helping to spur technological innovation for sustainable mobility solutions.

The zone is a collaboration between City of Gothenburg - through Business Region Gothenburg, Volvo Cars and RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. It will bring together companies including Volvo, research institutions and others, forging a multi-disciplinary, public-private collaboration.

Over the last several years, Gothenburg has become a crucial hub for innovation, hosting leading mobility, science and technology companies including Volvo, AstraZeneca, and Ericsson. The city has also played a central role in projects including SPROUT, which develops new business models, technologies, and disruptive mobility innovations. The Green Zone will draw on this expertise to develop a range of sustainable- and exciting- solutions.

As Sweden pushes ahead towards its ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, Gothenburg will be at the forefront of climate friendly alternative mobility options.

Find out more about the Green Zone here.