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! 

RFTB hosted a two-day project partner meeting in Stockholm, with internal workshops at Boston Consulting Group, a study visit to RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, which highlighted innovative methods of transforming reed into sustainable packaging solutions. The following day, a seminar focused on the untapped potential of reed-based value chains, was held at Mannheimer Swartling. A recording from the seminar can be found here. Together with partners, potential reed harvesting sites have been identified for the harvest, which is planned for summer ‘24. Additionally, a survey has been distributed to Swedish municipalities along the Baltic Sea coast, aiming to gather data on local reed harvesting practices.

The blue economy was the overarching theme at the full-day conference "Baltic Sea Solutions," a forum aimed at highlighting how the business sector can reduce its negative impact and contribute to a healthier Baltic Sea. The conference, organised by Race For The Baltic in cooperation with strong partners, was held in conjunction with Baltic Sea Day. Baltic Sea Day is an annual event taking place on the last Thursday of August. 

Östersjön, känt både för sin biologiska mångfald och som ett av världens mest förorenade innanhav. Baltic Sea Solutions, ett unikt forum i samband med Östersjödagen, siktar på att förändra detta. Med visionen att belysa och främja konkreta åtgärder och lösningar för att bevara och revitalisera detta kritiska vattenekosystem. Samtidigt erbjuder havet stora möjligheter till lösningar. Med rätt förvaltning har haven potentialen att hjälpa mänskligheten genom att producera protein och energi. Evenemanget, understött av betydande aktörer, syftar att skapa en mötesplats för att kunna accelerera innovativa och skalbara lösningar för ett friskt Östersjön.