Turning ambition into action
Message from Linda Pålsson, President and CEO, AFRY
As the global community continues its journey toward a decarbonized future, the call to move beyond fossil fuels has grown louder and more complex. The past year has brought both encouraging momentum and sobering reminders: while renewable technologies scale and innovation accelerates, structural barriers and societal inertia still hold back the pace of change.
At AFRY, we remain committed to navigating this transformation not only as consultants and engineers, but as long-term partners in shaping a more sustainable future. Our role is to help uncover practical solutions, question outdated assumptions, and guide our clients through the operational, regulatory, and cultural challenges that come with real transition.
"The transition away from fossil fuels and fossil-based materials is no longer a distant ambition, it is becoming a lived reality. As momentum builds across sectors, the challenge is no longer about identifying solutions, but about accelerating implementation, scaling investments, and ensuring that the transformation is just, resilient, and competitive."
Linda Pålsson, President and CEO
What we’ve seen in 2024 is that fossil detox is no longer a future ambition but a present reality. Industries across
energy, transport, materials, and finance are beginning to reorient. Electrification is expanding, bio-based value chains are emerging, and early-stage technologies like clean hydrogen, e-fuels, and carbon removal are entering the conversation at scale. But these advances bring new demands: for infrastructure, permitting reform, reliable policy signals, and, perhaps most importantly, trust.
Because transition is not linear. It involves friction, false starts, and hard decisions. What matters is how we deal with complexity: whether we push it aside, or take it seriously. At AFRY, we choose the latter. We work at the intersection of systems and sectors, helping clients to understand trade-offs, balance risk, and build strategies that are grounded,credible, and future-proof.
This Progress Report reflects where we stand. It builds on the foundation we laid in our first Fossil Detox Report, and offers insight into how transition dynamics are evolving, where progress is accelerating, where gaps remain, and what kinds of leadership are needed next. We believe that fossil detox is not only about technologies, it’s about choices. About the ability to align economic goals with environmental responsibility. And about recognizing that change, while challenging, is ultimately a source of strength.
