BalticReed: Turning results into real change
Impressions from the BalticReed Fair in Helsinki, showcasing collaboration, real applications, and market opportunities.
© Philip Hermunen & Oscar Hermunen
From Pilot to Scale
As the BalticReed project approaches its conclusion, the focus has shifted from piloting to delivering scalable results across the Baltic Sea region.
This quarter marked a major milestone with the world’s largest reed-focused event in Helsinki, bringing together stakeholders from across sectors. The event highlighted how reed is moving beyond concept—into real applications, partnerships, and market opportunities.
Knowledge and Tools for Scaling
A key part of this transition is knowledge delivery. Five new reports now support scaling efforts: policy recommendations for industrial-scale harvesting, logistic guidelines for efficient operations, ecological guidance to ensure biodiversity-positive practices, a value chain analysis outlining business potential, and a monitoring report tracking environmental impact. Together, these provide a practical foundation for replication and growth.
The reports and other material can be found here: https://centralbaltic.eu/project/balticreed/
From Harvest to Market: Expanding Use and Partnerships
The season’s harvests have now been successfully concluded across multiple sites in Östergötland and Kalmar, with biomass already utilised in applications such as garden cover, soil improvement, product development, and research—demonstrating reed’s growing role as a circular resource.
Another highlight is the launch of a joint product Täckvass, a garden product developed in collaboration between Evergreen Garden Care / Weibulls, Race For The Baltic, and RAWS Sweden—bringing BalticReed into consumer markets.
Looking ahead, momentum continues. The collaboration with Apotea and Kalmar Municipality continues. And also a new project, ReCreate Biobased, has been approved by EU Interreg Central Baltic and will launch in May 2026—taking this work to the next level by transforming underutilised biomass into scalable, bio-based materials.
Stay tuned for more information!