Håll Sverige Rent and the Trygga Orten initiative - Sweden

Håll Sverige Rent (translates as “Keep Sweden Tidy) and the Trygga Orten initiative (translates as “Safe Places” are nominated for their inclusive, fact-based, and scalable efforts to engage young people in environmental and societal issues.  

Keep Sweden Tidy, founded in 1983 by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Returpack, is a well-known, engaging, and educational organisation that works to reduce littering and improve both social and environmental well-being. With a particular focus on children and young people, littering is used as an educational approach to help them understand the impact our consumption and behaviour has on biodiversity, well-being, and climate change.  

Every year since 2004, Håll Sverige Rent has engaged between 600,000 and 800,000 children in litter picking days, whereby educators are given age-appropriate educational material specifically linked to the school curriculum.  

The Trygga Orten initiative is a collaboration between Håll Sverige Rent and Stadsmissionen with the aim of making safer and cleaner neighbourhoods in vulnerable areas by involving young people in litter picking and other activities that promote both social responsibility and environmental conservation.  

Trygga Orten creates opportunities for young people to prevent exclusion and littering through a unique development programme in which young people are supported in their personal development, empowered, and given access to employment. The initiative's preventative efforts and environmental work also help to reduce the financial burden on society.  

Since its launch in 2022, the initiative has engaged hundreds of young people in vulnerable areas and reached more than 4 million views on social media. It is a great example of how civil society can mobilise young people for a sustainable future and contribute to a generation of climate-literate and empowered children and young people.