Mats Johansson
Programme Manager
WWF Baltic
Sweden
Anders Finnson
Senior Environmental Adviser
Svenskt Vatten
Sweden
In the project Baltic Stewardship Initiative (BSI) the need for giving constructive input to the Swedish government and national actors on new national policies for nutrient management was identified. A broad coalition of organisations, companies and experts discussed and agreed on 12 policy messages that then were presented to members of the parliament. If these policy interventions would be decided by the Swedish government, we would take big steps toward a sustainable nutrient management.
Facts on the need for a sustainable recirculation of nutrients back to food production:
- Long-term and coordinated work is needed to minimize the problem of eutrophication of the coast and sea including steering towards circular flows of Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N).
- A long-term sustainable and resilient food system also requires nutrients to be managed as a resource in circular flows.
- In 2022 only approx. 9% of the N and 40% of the P in wastewater was recirculated. The future potential of the existing system, using incineration and P-extraction and N-extraction from reject water, is approx. 20% N and 90% of the P. The potential of a future source separating system is close to 100% of the nutrients in the wastewater including Potassium.
- If gradually reinvesting in a source separated system the nutrients in wastewater could over time replace up to 25% of the mineral N and 36% of the mineral P used in Swedish agriculture.
Policy messages to the Swedish Government to implement to achieve a sustainable recirculation of nutrients back to food production
1. Decide on a long-term goal of near 100% return of P and N from wastewater to food production
1. Decide on a long-term goal of near 100% return of P and N from wastewater to food production
- It is necessary to set a long-term goal that is not limited by today's systems and technologies.
2. Decide on a milestone target for increased return of P and N to food production
- The government should decide that by 2030 the return of used P and N to food production must be at least 50 percent of P and 15 percent of N in the wastewater.
3. Advocate for the EU to work on the phasing out of substances hazardous to the environment and health
- The number of chemical substances used in society is very large and for many of the substances there is still a lack of knowledge about effects, use and exposure.
4. Give the Swedish EPA the task of coordinating national upstream work and securing a central competence and support function for wastewater management and circular use of resources
- We support this proposal from the national inquiry Sustainable sludge management
5. Investigate how a gradual transition to a source-separating wastewater system can be achieved
- Give national agencies the mission to develop a plan for a stepwise transition to source-separating wastewater systems.
6. Develop national innovation programmes for developing high-value fertilizers from manure, wastewater, sewage sludge and food waste
- Give the Swedish Agency for Agriculture together with other agencies this task.
7. Investigate how to support technical development of and investment in new technology for recycling nutrients from wastewater
- Give the Swedish EPA the proposal published by the Swedish Circular Economy Delegation.
8. Regularly make new risk assessments and updating regulations on hazardous substances in wastewater, sludge and products
- Task to Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Chemicals Agency as proposed in national inquiry.
9. Push EU-policy and legislation so that fertilizers are governed by the quality of the fraction and not its origin
- Today's regulations on the provision on the market of EU fertilizer products for use in agriculture do not contain categories for, for example, sludge or wastewater.
10. Develop quota obligations that include recycled P and recycled N in mineral fertilizer
- We support the proposal from the Swedish Parliament’s Environmental Goals Committee to investigate quota obligations for sold mineral fertilizers.
11. Develop a certification system for climate-smart recycled N
- Start an investigation to propose a certification system for climate-smart recycled N. This is needed to promote technology that recovers N directly from the wastewater without risk of emitting the strong climate gas nitrous oxide.
12. Investigate additional financial incentives along the food chain to promote nutrient recirculation to agriculture
A national initiative is needed to identify financial incentives that increase recirculation of nutrients from wastewater.
A national initiative is needed to identify financial incentives that increase recirculation of nutrients from wastewater.
This text is translated from the Swedish document: “Driva på policy för en hållbar återföring av växtnäringsämnen tillbaka till livsmedelsproduktionen – gemensamma policybudskap” https://media.wwf.se/uploads/2022/01/bsi-policybudskap-aterforing-av-vaxtnaring.pdf