Surely there is something special about an Autumn meeting? The darkness and haze at this time of year feels like an eternity if it wasn’t for a happy break in the team of good friends and colleagues at Northern Europe’s biggest event – our Autumn meeting – reinforced this year by the Danish BVT. We had returned to Halland and the city of the three hearts, Halmstad.
It was also particularly rough on this day, November 16, when the clouds opened with rain mixed with snow.
Great to get into the warmth of Halmstad Plaza – a new large conference hotel – just a stone’s throw from Halmstad C. The conference area itself was inaugurated as late as the autumn. Chairman Michael Sandin could state that with 200 participants, 45 exhibitors, 140 at dinner, this was a record meeting. Among the participants were representatives from about ten EU countries reinforced by friends from Norway, the UK and the USA, Michael noted before handing over to our opening speaker Urszula Hansson, municipal councilor who warmly welcomed us to the city.
Seat on stage then for Cecilia Tall, program manager RE:SOURCE who told us about the current state of the planned producer responsibility and how we are moving forward. It was a suitable transition to the genuine multiplier event for our Erasmus+ project The new Scandinavian Quality Control model.
The project consists of six activities
- Developing a Scandinavian Quality Control model
- Production of educational material
- Physical project meetings
- Reference group meetings
- Project management
- Dissemination
At the meeting, Anna Bernstad gave an account of the future scouting that is done for input to the upcoming authorization checks with the focus areas
- EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
- PFAS – The proposal for a ban and current situation
- Development of the authorization process and training materials
Finally, during this event, Charlotta Duse showed the project’s website scandinavianqualitycontrolmodel.com which is available in three languages: English, Danish and Swedish.
Then a place on stage for Claus Nissen from NissenManagement and Beirholms Vaeverier with the title From a laundry advisor perspective: Exploit immediate potentials in the laundry industry. It was immediately noticeable that it was a sought-after hands-on lecture. Claus has a long professional career behind him, including at Berendsen, and he ended by giving concrete tips on what he would do if he were to start his own business. The starting point was that after all, 85% of the cost of textiles is from handling while 15% comes from purchasing – it’s about digging in the right place.
The last session before lunch went to Kenneth Sjökvist and Martin Andersson from EnRival. Kenneth immediately felt at home as a former washerman from the then Tvättman, Ekotvätt Bergmanngruppen and Milliken. EnRival is a local employment agency that helps match employers and job seekers.
After an hour of networking and visiting all the exhibitors in connection with the lunch, we got to meet Enjay and one of the founders Nils Lekeberg. One for N as in Nils and jay for J as in Jesper, the other founder. Enjay is behind Lepido, a Swedish-developed, extra durable “heavy-duty” heat exchanger. It makes it not only possible, but also profitable to recover energy from polluted exhaust air. Turning waste into watts. The Swedish way to recover excess heat. Rarely has a Swedish start-up been written about and appreciated as much as Enjay. If it’s not in Forbes or Dagens Industri, it’s in Sydsvenskan and other local media.
The day from the stage was concluded by Daniel Brämhagen, EY, and the headline Neurodiversity What happens when great minds don’t think alike?
Daniel emphasized the value of being able to be yourself and that we must take advantage of everyone’s skills and talents. In the end, it’s about growth and profit in addition to giving everyone an opportunity.
That was the end of the official program. The chairman thanked all speakers, participants and our event sponsors Beirholms Vaeverier, KrimProd with the elegant delicacy boards as speaker gifts and Kalle-Ville Lampi from Maxi-Press.
Tasty coffee and nutritious visits to the exhibitors before the evening ended with dinner in the Angelini restaurant and Blue Sky Bar, where the roof terrace offered a unique view of the city and the sea. Gone was darkness and haze. Here was the joy and warmth.