VICTORIA, Seychelles — A high-level delegation from Seychelles, led by the Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Flavien Joubert, and the chief executive of the Landscape and Waste Management Agency, Shane Emilie, recently conducted an official visit to Umeå, Sweden, to explore circular economy initiatives, waste management solutions, and sustainable urban planning. The visit was organised under an existing memorandum of understanding between Umeå and Seychelles, established in 2016 and facilitated by the Swedish University City of Umeå through Seychelles’ Consul General in Sweden.
One of the key areas of interest was Umeå’s Eco-Industrial Park, an innovative project that integrates circular economy principles by promoting waste-to-resource initiatives and fostering industrial symbiosis. The park is expanding through funding from the Municipality and the European Union, with expectations of additional support from Sweden’s national government. The initiative aims to create a hub for sustainable industries, emphasising material recovery, energy efficiency, and low-carbon production systems.
The delegation also visited Klockarbacken Recycling Centre, a drop-off waste sorting facility where residents separate waste into recyclables, bulk items, and hazardous materials. Umeå’s system encourages citizen participation by offering a cost-effective alternative to curbside waste collection. Minister Joubert emphasised the potential for adopting biogas technologies at Seychelles’ Indian Ocean Tuna digester plant to increase renewable energy generation while reducing landfill waste. Additionally, the delegation engaged with Umeå Energi, which operates a waste-to-energy incineration plant processing over 240,000 tonnes of waste annually, including imports from Norway, the UK and the Netherlands.
