BalticReed: Study trip to Estonia and new reed project in Kalmar
In October RFTB co-arranged a study trip to Estonia, focusing on reed as a sustainable building material. In December RFTB organised a conference exploring reed as sustainable fodder together with Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Axfoundation. Together with Kalmar Municipality, RFTB will be launching a parallel reed project starting in Summer 2025. Also, the Baltic Reed project group released a project film that has been in production for the last few months.
Study Trip to Estonia – focus on building material
Together with architects, thatchers, harvesters, and entrepreneurs from Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Estonia, a two-day study trip was carried out. The program included a seminar together with Architecture Unit at Tallinn University of Technology and visits to local reed entrepreneurs. Highlights were visiting roof thatching sites and also UKU - Pure Earth´s showroom, displaying high quality reed insulation boards. Reed has been utilised in construction for centuries, and visits like these are an important step in preserving and sharing knowledge and expertise.
Reed Fodder Day
With the aim to accelerate the market for reed animal fodder, we gathered experts, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss innovative solutions for harvesting, processing, and distribution. The day was full of knowledge sharing, inspiration, solution-oriented discussions and rendered a number of concrete actions.
New reed project in Kalmar – “Den Värdefulla Vassen”
Visit at UKU - Pure Earth´s showroom, displaying high quality reed insulation boards.
RFTB and Kalmar Municipality will be launching a parallel reed project during 2025-2026, it will build on the knowledge and experience from the BalticReed-project, with enhanced focus on developing commercial value chains of reed-based products. Around 50 hectares of reed will be harvested (both summer and winter), which corresponds to roughly 200 kg phosphorus (P) and 2000 kg nitrogen (N). The reed will be used for various commercial applications, in collaboration with local- and regional stakeholders. The project is co-financed through LOVA (lokala vattenvårdsprojekt) funding approved by the County Administration Board of Kalmar.
Project Film
The film described the benefits of harvesting reed connected to the health of the Baltic Sea, the opportunities around commercial uses, and examples of different use cases that exist or are being developed. Watch movie here.