[DELETED ON YOUTUBE] Future Solutions and Public Affairs: Innovation of Policy and Product - Mikael Börjesson #116

This week, we sit down with Mikael Börjesson, Future Solutions and Public Affairs Director at Swegon Group, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about sustainability in the HVAC industry: What if the biggest transformation in ventilation isn't about technology or performance anymore—but about fundamentally rethinking how we manufacture, install, use, and reuse the systems that keep our buildings breathing? Mikael works at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and public policy, with deep roots in the sector and vast experience in stakeholder engagement, industry collaboration, and EU regulatory frameworks. He brings a rare perspective—someone who sees both the internal pressures on manufacturers to decarbonize their supply chains and the external pressures from investors, policymakers, and end users demanding transparency, circularity, and accountability. Key Topics Discussed: The Two Wallets Problem: How sustainability has moved from a marketing exercise to a genuine accounting challenge. There's the traditional wallet—cost, performance, energy efficiency. And now there's the sustainability wallet—embodied carbon, circularity, material choices. Both need to be satisfied, and they don't always align. Embodied Carbon is the New Battleground: In renovations, HVAC installations can represent 40 to 60 percent of the total carbon footprint of a project. Suddenly, ventilation manufacturers are no longer a marginal cost—they're a major driver of sustainability outcomes. That changes the conversation entirely. Circularity is Here—And It's Real: Swegon has already completed its first fully circular project—air handling units, diffusers, and dampers refurbished, remanufactured, and reinstalled alongside new low-carbon components. No extra cost. No performance compromise. Just a fundamentally different way of doing business. The Stakeholder Chain is Broken: The traditional construction supply chain—investor, designer, installer, service technician—is built for linear consumption. Circularity requires a completely different model, with new roles, new relationships, and new risks. Some stakeholders will become obsolete. Others will emerge. The transition is messy. The Harmonization Problem: Environmental Product Declarations are becoming the standard way to communicate embodied carbon. But they're calculated differently across different standards, different product categories, different regions. The result: you can't compare products. The industry needs harmonization urgently GUEST: Mikael Börjesson Future Solutions and Public Affairs Director, Swegon Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikael-b%C3%B6rjesson/ https://www.swegon.com/ https://www.swegonairacademy.com/ The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Particles Plus https://particlesplus.com/ Lindab (https://www.lindab.ie/) - Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) - Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) and Inbiot (https://www.inbiot.es/?utm_campaign=simon&utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones). Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Meeting Mikael Bowieson from Swegon Group 00:02:23 The Sustainability Evolution: From Energy Efficiency to Embodied Carbon 00:11:52 The Two Wallet Problem: Balancing Cost and Carbon 00:14:20 Having Difficult Conversations: When Sustainability Meets the Supply Chain 00:19:39 The Consumption Paradox: Growth vs Sustainability 00:26:28 Scope Emissions and the Middle of the Supply Chain 00:30:02 The Circular Economy Journey: Reuse, Remanufacture, and New Business Models 00:39:12 The Real Project: Circular HVAC in a Swedish School 00:41:00 Breaking the Chain: What It Takes to Scale Circular Business Models 00:44:00 The Carrot and the Stick: Policy, Incentives, and Market Drivers 00:46:12 Renovation Reality: Where HVAC Becomes 40 to 60 Percent of Carbon Impact 00:33:12 The Harmonization Problem: Making EPDs Comparable 01:13:32 Future Solutions and Public Affairs: A Dual Role Explained 01:17:21 Innovation Hunting: Finding the Next Generation of HVAC Solutions 01:27:47 The Interoperability Challenge: Making Complex Building Systems Work Together 01:31:18 Learning from Cars: Why Buildings Need Self-Diagnosing Systems 01:02:37 The Indoor Air Quality Awareness Gap: Why We Track Outdoor but Ignore Indoor 01:09:46 The Public Health Case: Indoor Air Quality Equals Smoking in Health Impact 01:11:48 The Investment Problem: Who Benefits vs Who Pays 01:41:53 The Weakest Link Paradox: When the Strongest Part of the Chain Holds Back Progress