Local stakeholder meeting: Kaigu bog green industrial area

On December 5th, the stakeholder meeting for the “GreenIndustrialAreas” project took place, where project manager Raitis Madžulis shared updates and outlined the next steps.

The project spans the countries of the Baltic Sea region, each with its unique characteristics. Latvia, Germany, Poland, and Scandinavia face distinct challenges, yet we share similarities with Finland. One of the project’s activities involves developing unified certification criteria. Following peer-visits to the project’s pilot areas and analysis of the proposed criteria, initial conclusions have been drawn.

As part of the study, six criteria were developed for certifying industrial zones, including the share of energy resources, CO2 emissions, mobility, biodiversity, and more. However, some criteria are not applicable to all areas, making it crucial to select two mandatory criteria: the use of green energy and the reduction of CO2 emissions, while the other criteria would remain optional.

A meeting with the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) is planned for January to discuss potential next steps. Furthermore, on April 1st and 2nd, project partners will meet in Riga and visit the “Laflora” (Kaigu bog) area (also the pilot site).

“Our goal is to develop a certification system and a unified brand for all participating countries. This initiative will help businesses leverage green energy as an effective marketing tool, yielding positive outcomes for both the environment and business development,” noted R. Madžulis.