Anna Holmberg, Swedish Forest Industries Federation (SFIF)

Anna Holmberg (born 1965) is Director of Member relations at the Swedish Forest Industries Federation (SFIF) based in Stockholm, Sweden. SFIF is an industry organization representing companies that refine wood into fossil-free and renewable materials and products. SFIF’s mission is to improve the competitiveness of forest-based industries and encourage greater use of forest products and enabling the green transition.

Mrs. Holmberg was earlier Director and Head of the SFIF Brussels office for five years. She joined SFIF in 2015 working on energy and climate policies. Prior to this, she held numerous business positions in Swedish and international pulp and paper and chemicals companies. Her first job was as Process Engineer at a large Swedish board mill. Mrs. Holmberg holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the Gothenburg University.

A thriving forest-based bioeconomy – political opportunities and threats

The forest-based bioeconomy is without any doubt important in the on-going green transition, where our economy needs to transform from “fossil and linear” to more “circular and biobased”. Swedish forest-based companies are already actively contributing to this shift, but wants to do more. Initiatives are generally market driven and based on consumer needs, but the political framework is also very important, both within the European Union and domestically. Concerning policy, two items are utterly important: access to raw materials and recognition of product contribution to increased climate benefits and sustainability. A snapshot of the present policy landscape will be presented with explanations of how policies create both opportunities and threats.