Solutions for a healthy Baltic Sea

Race For The Baltic is an independent non-profit accelerating solutions to ensure a healthy Baltic Sea for future generations by 2030.

About us

We are a solution and business oriented non-profit organisation founded by Zennström Philanthropies.
Our mission is to improve the health of the Baltic Sea.

To achieve the most impact, we focus our efforts on the predominant issue affecting the Baltic Sea, namely eutrophication. Eutrophication causes dead bottoms, algae blooms, fish mortality, and poor water transparency.

We work in collaboration with researchers, governmental institutions, other non-profit organisations, the private sector, and entrepreneurs.

Our projects are selected based on their cost efficiency and impact potential.


Concrete projects - measurable results

It is our conviction that, with the right focus, we can ensure a healthy Baltic Sea for future generations by 2030. Because eutrophication, primarily caused by excess phosphorus, is the most severe pressure on the ecology of the Baltic Sea, our main focus is to reduce phosphorus levels.


Coastal reed binds nutrients and by harvesting reed, nutrients can be removed in a way that also produces climate-friendly raw materials for a variety of uses.

In the BalticReed project, we will boost reed harvesting and develop reed-based business activities with partners in Finland, the Åland Islands and Sweden.

The City Accelerator focuses on accelerating the work of municipalities to reduce their impact on the Baltic Sea.

In cooperation with Katrineholm municipality, Race For The Baltic helps municipalities around the Baltic Sea to accelerate their Baltic Sea protection measures. This is done by prioritising the right measures, cooperating and sharing knowledge, and finding financing.

Creating good conditions for sustainable fishing of the so far underutilised fish species bream and ide, contributing to reduce eutrophication in the Baltic Sea.

Baltic Fish aims to support and build a market for human consumption of well-managed and locally fished bream and ide. While offering a new local and healthy protein source and supporting small scale fisheries, the product removes nutrients from the Baltic Sea.

Cooperatation with the horse community on effective methods to reduce nutrient leakage from horse manure.

Horse manure is a surprisingly large and overlooked source of nutrients leaking to the Baltic Sea. With fairly small measures, this leakage can be substantially reduced. In cooperation with key stakeholders, Race For The Baltic is reaching out to the horse community to ensure and implement best practices with respect to horse manure management.

The handling of dry bulk fertilisers in ports
– a significant source of nutrient leakage to the Baltic Sea.

A potential annual leakage of 16 000 tons of fertiliser is identified as being related to the sea transport and handling of fertiliser in the Baltic Sea. Together with key stakeholders this project aims to collect best practices in terms of minimising fertiliser leakage in ports.

Identifying nutrient leakage points in fertiliser production and transportation processes in the Baltic Sea.

Processes of fertiliser production and transportation of dry bulk raw materials in ports significantly impact the state of the Baltic Sea due to the leakage of nutrients in the water which cause eutrophication.

Contributing to research and accelerating solutions to bind phosphorus in the sediment.

The project aims to learn more about if and how the treatment to reduce the excess of nutrients in the bottom sediments works in coastal environments.

“If we continue the historic efforts, we can bend the curve on eutrophication and reach a state where the Baltic Sea starts curing itself by 2030”

— Peter Wiwen-Nilsson, CEO Race For The Baltic

We collaborate with researchers, governmental institutions,

other non-profit organisations, private sector and entrepreneurs.

In order to ensure our independence and efficiency, we are

primarily financed by a small group of philanthropists.