Following a successful participation at the UN Climate Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where SKF’s circular technologies and remanufacturing solutions were recognized as winners of SBCOP’s Best Cases, SKF took the next step to accelerate industrial transformation by gather over 80 leading stakeholders from industry, academia and finance for the SKF Friction Fighting Summit in Gothenburg 3-4 December 2025. The Summit was designed to address the barriers that slow down sustainable innovation – not only mechanical friction, but also the friction embedded in business models, incentive structures and decision-making processes.  “COP30 demonstrated that collaboration is essential for climate transition. Now it’s time to move from words to action. The Friction Fighting Summit brings together the players who can turn ambition into real change”

The purpose of the meeting was not only to create concrete collaborations and solutions for reduced environmental impact, but also to strengthen Europe's competitiveness.  The results were evident during the two intensive days, with several new initiatives and projects taking shape. Sweden’s climate negotiator Mattias Frumerie provided insights into the COP30 negotiations, highlighting both obstacles and opportunities: “It was the third time that countries were expected to deliver on the Paris Agreement. We see progress, but naturally it is not satisfactory. We saw a massive ‘no’ from Saudi Arabia, which does not want to reduce its income in the long term, but at the same time they are keen to contribute in other ways to reducing environmental impact, which is hopeful.”

“It does not help to complain about what the US or China are doing, but rather to work on reducing our own dependency, while not reducing dialogue between countries.” He concluded by echoing SKF CEO Rickard Gustafson’s call in his speech: “Do not wait, act now!”

Act now The summit also showed inspiring examples from industry. Eija Pitkänen, board member at Metsä, presented a new textile fiber based on softwood pulp and wore a garment made from the material: “We see new business opportunities as cotton is a scarce resource, and we can find new circular possibilities with the help of wood pulp.” Long-term political decisions Pia Lindström, Sustainability Director at LKAB, described investments in green steel: “This will reduce Sweden’s total carbon emissions by as much as seven per cent, which is a huge contribution. But the entire value chain must join the journey if we are to succeed.” Frank Koch, CEO of Swiss Steel Group, also stressed the importance of long-term political decisions: “We need to ensure reliable supplies of green energy in the countries where we operate, and therefore long-term political decisions are crucial if our investment decisions are to hold. The decisions we take today must last for decades to come.” Karan Sawhney, Head of Sustainability at Kongsberg Maritime, highlighted the importance of long-term partnerships when developing sustainable solutions: “When we have data to develop an innovation, it is a long-term investment, and we choose partners who we know have the long-term perspective and the will. In this way we create concrete examples that drive development in the right direction.” He also pointed to the concept of remanufacturing bearings: “It is a fantastic example and an opportunity for us to offer our customers.” “We need to find ways to scale technology, and that requires collaboration between different actors in the value chain, reducing friction is teamwork, quite simply.”