Earlier this fall, Grale's own Cecilia co-hosted a climate-focused gathering onboard SJ’s festival train to Way Out West, in collaboration with Stockholm Resilience Centre. For a few hours, the train became something different: a shared space where people from across sectors could sit down, move through big questions, and build new connections along the way.

This was not a traditional conference. There were no panels, no podiums. Instead, the train itself set the pace. As we passed through towns and countryside, the conversations unfolded naturally; from about microplastics and materials to mobility, circularity, and how we can better align our systems with the planet’s limits. There was openness, and just as importantly, time to listen.

Grale joined not only to take part in the dialogue, but also to support the experience in practice. For this trip, SJ replaced all single-use cups onboard with Grale’s fully compostable, fiber-based alternatives. Every cup of coffee served on the train used materials designed to return to the earth, not end up in landfills. This marked the first time our products were used across an entire national train service, and it offered a real-world glimpse of how low-impact choices can be built into everyday infrastructure quietly and meaningfully.

What stood out most wasn’t any single conversation or quote, but the mix of people in the room. Scientists, festival organizers, food innovators, business leaders, artists. Everyone brought something different, and that mix is what made the event feel relevant, not only to us as a company, but to the wider shift that’s already underway in how we meet, move, and make decisions.

Big thanks to SJ for making space for this to happen, and to Stockholm Resilience Centre for a thoughtful collaboration. Also to LiveGreen and Way Out West, whose commitment to sustainability continues to push what’s possible at the intersection of culture and climate.

We’re proud to have played a part. And we’re looking forward to where the next conversation takes us.

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