In Q4 we co-arranged a study trip to Estonia, focusing on reed as a sustainable building material. Together with architects, thatchers, harvesters, and entrepreneurs from Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Estonia. Reed has been utilised in construction for centuries, and visits like these are an important step in preserving and sharing knowledge and expertise. In December RFTB organised a conference exploring reed as fodder together with SLU and Axfoundation. The day was full of knowledge sharing, inspiration, solution-oriented discussions and rendered a number of concrete actions. Together with Kalmar, RFTB will be launching a parallel reed project starting in Summer 2025. Around 50 hectares of reed will be harvested (both summer and winter). Also, the BalticReed project group released a project film that has been in production for the last few months. 

The PortSHAZ project's kickoff with project partners, including Port of Elbląg, K2 Solutions, Ptpi, and the Institute for Sustainable Economy and Logistics, took place in Q4. The team planned upcoming activities and conducted a study visit to the Vistula Spit. In November, the first work package activity, "EcoPort," was approved, highlighting frameworks and tools for dry bulk handling in Baltic ports. Q4 also saw the re-design and successful presentation of the Catalogue of Best Practices at the BPO Ports for Climate Conference in Tallinn, generating strong interest. Additionally, prevention covers were installed at Fabryka Zieleni and the Port of Gdańsk, advancing efforts to protect the Baltic Sea, with more covers set to be in place in Q1.

Race For The Baltic in partnership with Fabryka Zieleni and the Technical University of Koszalin, has launched a project to reduce phosphorus inflow into the Odra River and the Baltic Sea. Initial analyses are underway, with plans for targeted measures to follow. Additionally, under the Production project, our Project Managers have engaged in multiple meetings with with German academia and companies is exploring the recycling of phosphogypsum, addressing a gypsum shortage caused by reduced coal burning and natural gypsum mining in Germany. Together with our partners, we are exploring opportunities for cooperation to identify potential companies interested in Polish phosphogypsum, aiming for sustainable, long-term solutions.

The first of three years of the GYPREG project has past and many project activities are running. Field trials, research screening, calculations of potential and dialogues with farmers, advisories and Swedish authorities are some of them. Gypsum treatment is a rather unknown measure in Swedish agriculture, while it is wider spread in Finland. We have started  Swedish farmers using gypsum and have started to collect the existing experience. In the end of October, we visited Fredrik Andersson in Gamleby, Västervik. Fredrik used gypsum as an alternative to structural lime, which is prohibited in ecological farming, on all his land in 2011-2014. The gypsum treatment was one of several measures Fredrik implemented to decrease nutrient runoff from his fields. Still today he experiences better soil structure and less problems with drowned fields, more than ten years after the treatment. 

En heldag om vassfoder organiserad av Race For The Baltic, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) och Axfoundation. Dagen kommer att äga rum på Axfoundation, i centrala Stockholm.

Fokus kommer att vara på användningen av vass som ett hållbart foder för hästar och nötkreatur. Dagen samlar aktörer från hela värdekedjan, inklusive experter, branschledare, skördare och entreprenörer, för att dela insikter, erfarenheter och strategier för att främja en innovativ och hållbar foderproduktion.

What measures are being taken in the agricultural sector, compared to potential and need? This is analysed in a new report from Vattenmyndighterna/The water authorities, released 8th of October.  Agriculture plays an important role in solving the eutrophication problem and there are mainly two large support systems for farmers: LOVA and Strategical plan (EU). This evaluation focus on subsidized measures. It shows that the rate of action needs to increase significantly, especially for phosphorus, and the accuracy of the supported measures needs to be significantly better.

In GYPREG, gypsum amendment is evaluated as an alternative to structural liming for tackling agricultural phosphorus load. Since beginning of September, the Swedish field trials with gypsum amendment are up and running. The field trials are an important part of the project and in Sweden the trials include a comparison between gypsum treatment and liming. As a great introduction to the trials, we were honoured with a royal visit during a demonstration at Sättra gård. Additionally, we are increasing the dialogue with stakeholders in both Sweden and Poland. 

RFTB harvested a total of 15 hectares of reed during July and August, the reed was mainly used as horse fodder and soil improvement. It was an important step in establishing proof of concept for reed-based soil as well as building capacity and market demand for reed-based horse fodder. Furthermore, in August the BalticReed project- and steering group convened in Mariehamn Åland Islands, to host a dynamic workshop where entrepreneurs, researchers, and financiers explored innovative approaches to utilising reed as a raw material in different purposes.  

The Baltic Sea's herring stocks have been in a critical state for years, and now Coalition Clean Baltic (CCB) – a network of environmental NGOs - has taken the battle to the highest legal level in Europe. CCB has indeed appealed to the European Court of Justice, demanding that the EU Council´s decision on EU fishing quotas for 2024 for the Baltic herring be declared invalid due to the severe collapse of its population. 

In the third quarter of 2024, RFTB signed a new cooperation agreement with Fabryka Zieleni (Fosfan). Additionally, we engaged in another productive meeting with Grupa Azoty Police to set new cooperation goals and participated in the Baltic Sea Conservation Foundation meeting in Gdańsk. 

In Q3, we finalised the Port project. As the one of the last activities we ensured that some of Poland’s largest ports implemented our Catalogue of Best Practices and Technologies for Handling Dry Bulk Fertilizer into their port guidelines. Also, finally, our prevention covers in West Pomerania have started to be produced. As the Port project ended, we started our new project “Dry Bulk” in July. This project will focus on reducing the leakage of other phosphorus rich dry bulk materials such as seed, fodder etc. The project is co-financed via the Interreg South Baltic Programme ("PortSHAZ")." In line with this new project, we made visits to a few Baltic dry bulk terminals and attended the Baltic Port Organization Conference in Klaipeda.

It's encouraging to witness the continued growth and impact of Baltic Sea Day, which is gaining more recognition each year. On the international level, this year's celebration spanned 8 countries and 40 cities, with 200 partners contributing to the creation of 225 news stories - with a potential reach of 20 million people! 

In connection with Baltic Sea Day 2024, our foundation, in collaboration with partners, had the honor of hosting HRH Crown Princess Victoria for a field visit at Sättra Gård, as part of the newly launched #GYPREG project (2023-2026).

RFTB participated in a workshop organised by LIFE IP Rich Waters, focusing on internal loading in the coastal zones of the Baltic Sea. The workshop featured several presentations, including “Thriving Bays in the Baltic Sea,” which discussed aluminum application in a shallow bay, and the project to improve lake Öljaren through low-flow dredging and reduction fishing.

During the second quarter of 2024, we wrapped up our Port Project by organising a significant event “port roundtable” — a meeting focused on developing the Best Practices and Technologies Catalogue for the transshipment of dry bulk goods (particularly fertilizers and phosphates). Additionally, in June, we attended the largest maritime conference in Poland, “Congress Polish Ports 2030,” in Sopot. In May, we also travelled to Klaipeda to meet with port and terminal representatives. Furthermore, we made significant progress with the prevention covers.