Common challenges, common solutions – knowledge sharing between Denmark and Brazil

In October, Denmark welcomed a visit from the Brazilian water delegation as part of the Brazil–Denmark Water Network project. The network brings together partners from both countries to strengthen cooperation in water management, circular economy, and climate adaptation. The visit marked an important step in the development of joint projects that can translate common challenges into concrete and usable solutions.

Learning from Danish experiences

Workshops at Clean’s office in Copenhagen focused on collaboration and project development, where Danish and Brazilian experts could identify financing opportunities and discuss concrete collaboration on sustainable technologies and circular solutions.

The week also featured a walk and talk in Copenhagen Harbor, where Danish partners presented the city’s work with water management. The delegation gained insight into how Copenhagen separates rainwater and wastewater to prevent flooding while keeping the harbor clean enough to swim in.

For the participants, the visit was a living example of how long-term planning and investment in environmental technology can make a difference. Discussions focused, among other things, on how similar solutions could be adapted to Brazilian conditions – for example, in the work to improve water quality in Guanabara Bay.

One of the topics the network has focused on is sustainability in ports. Copenhagen has a very attractive port where people can swim, and we would like to bring that knowledge to Rio de Janeiro. Here, for example, we have Guanabara Bay, which is almost twice the size of the Øresund – but completely polluted due to poor waste management infrastructure. The bay is not only surrounded by nature that needs to be protected, but also by poor local communities – so we need to find solutions that both clean the water and improve the quality of life in these areas. – Lais de Rezende Valenca, Project Manager, Clean.

Exchange and cooperation

Throughout the week, partners from Clean, Greennova Hub, SEAS – Secretaria de Estado do Ambiente e Sustentabilidade (Rio de Janeiro), Firjan SENAI, OceanPact/OceanImpact, Aalborg University, University of Southern Denmark, and Roskilde University met to share knowledge and discuss opportunities for future collaboration.

The atmosphere was characterized by curiosity and mutual respect. Danish and Brazilian experts compared approaches to waste management, environmental monitoring, and climate adaptation – and identified areas where existing initiatives can be developed into joint research and demonstration projects.

Denmark is a small country with great innovative power, and Brazil has a larger area to test it on and so much local knowledge that Denmark can benefit from—there is so much knowledge to share. – Lais de Rezende Valenca, Project Manager, Clean.

Her statement summed up the essence of the week: Innovation occurs when countries learn from each other and develop solutions that can work globally – and that is precisely why it is so important to establish this network.

The best thing about the Brazil-Denmark Water Network project is the exchange of knowledge and perspectives. Thanks to Clean, we have an open dialogue and the opportunity to discuss future projects and common directions here in Denmark. – Jacek Fiutowski, Associate Professor, SDU.

The discussions also focused on how the circular economy can change our view of resources. Several participants pointed out that waste can become a resource if it is handled early in the process.

The plastic that ends up in the environment does not always stay where it was produced – and that is a global challenge. In Denmark, we do not see many plastic bottles thanks to the deposit system – this is an example of how regulation can have a positive effect on the aquatic environment. – Claudia Lorenz, Assistant Professor, RUC.

Her observations showed how local solutions can inspire global action. At the same time, the Brazilian partners pointed out that Denmark’s experience with technology and data can be used to address large-scale challenges, for example in coastal areas.

There are some top researchers here in Denmark who are working on topics that are highly relevant to Brazil. We are trying to bring local Brazilian challenges here in order to develop high-impact solutions. – Thiago Santiago Gomes, Specialist in Technology Management, FIRJAN SENAI.

Wrapping up at the Brazilian Embassy

The week was rounded off at the Brazilian Embassy in Denmark, where Marcus Vinícius, and Míriam Leitão hosted a presentation of the results and discussions on the next steps in the collaboration. The talks clearly showed that Denmark and Brazil—despite geographical differences—share both challenges and ambitions. Together, they can develop new solutions that improve local water and waste systems while contributing to global progress in sustainability.