Mining and Materials

A Leader in Sustainable Mining

Sweden’s mining industry stands out as the world’s most sustainable due to its strong engineering tradition—one of fostering collaboration between academia, business, and government to drive innovation. With Europe’s largest rare-earth deposit, Sweden will play a crucial role in supplying minerals essential to the technology required to enable green transition.

Sweden has a history of mining and metal refining stretching back more than a thousand years. Today, Sweden is one of the EU's leading ore and metal producers. Sweden’s mining industry stands out as the world’s most sustainable due to its strong engineering tradition—one of fostering collaboration between academia, business, and government to drive innovation. Many Swedish engineering companies have their origins in the mining industry and are today world leaders in mining equipment and mining technology. Besides metal mines, there is also a major industrial mineral production of which a part is directly linked to the production of metals.

Epiroc develops and manufactures drill rigs, rock excavation, and construction tools. In 2022, it launched the first ever battery-electric surface drill rig. Epiroc will offer emissions-free versions of its complete fleet of underground mining equipment by 2025, and emissions-free versions of its full fleet for surface operations by 2030. To further strengthen its presence in the United States, Epiroc recently acquired Oregon-based Stanley Infrastructure Inc. for $760 million.

Renowned for its automated and electric mining equipment, Sandvik is another key player in advancing the sustainability of mining, rock processing, and metal-cutting industries by implementing innovation, digitalization, and sustainable engineering.

Swedish manufacturers and service providers offer a wide range of solutions within electrification, digitalization, and automation, and are actively contributing to green transition and to more sustainable, efficient, and safer mining operations.
Photo: imagebank.sweden.se

65% of the world’s underground mining equipment market is held by Swedish companies.

The HYBRIT technology has allowed SSAB to launch the world’s first fossil-free steel.

In 2022, Sweden exported minerals worth $15,3 billion and iron and steel worth $8,9 billion

Introducing the World to Green Steel

Sweden is revolutionizing the heavy-polluting steel industry with the project HYBRIT, a unique initiative by LKAB, the steel manufacturer SSAB, and the state-owned energy company Vattenfall developing the world’s first fossil-free steel. Other prominent actors in the green steel business are H2 Green Steel and GreenIron.

Mining Industry graphs

The Swedish mining industry has a long history of successful innovation, which has had great significance for the mining industry in Sweden and around the world.
Photo:vinnova.se