Around 65 per cent of the city’s transport runs on renewable energy, for instance. And if people aren’t hopping on and off the trademark blue and white trams, they choose to go by foot along the tributaries of wide, leafy avenues, lined by neoclassical architecture.

Buses to and from the airport run on renewable fuels, and almost every hotel has received an environmental diploma, which comes with strict rules that must be adhered to.

Gothia Towers, for example, is Europe’s largest hotel, with 1,200 rooms and five restaurants – but it consistently pushes the boundaries when it comes to sustainability.

It’s an impressive feat for a hotel of its size, but it’s not unusual – this level of achievement is mirrored city-wide.

Its head chef Sofia Olsson discovered that the very same species of oyster used in restaurants and usually imported from France were actually available on Sweden’s west coast, and subsequently made it her mission to prove local is best. It took a year and a half before anyone agreed to harvest them for her, but eventually she succeeded.

She went on to start a trend for local oysters throughout Sweden and scored a prize for being the most innovative, sustainable supplier. “I like to find new ways of doing things,” she explains. “It’s about problem solving, and finding produce that’s logical to serve.”

At Natur, a cosy little bistro lit by candlelight, locally sourced vegetables are the focus of the majority of dishes and only natural wine is served. “Winemakers are becoming more experienced and beginning to realise that more or less everything we do with industrial wines is unnecessary,” explains restaurant manager, Bjorn Boman.

And at Gaveriet, a restaurant-cum-bakery and organic shop located in Floda, in the lush, green outskirts of Gothenburg, owner Matts Johansson proves that sustainable is best by serving zero waste plates piled high with organic and delicious fish, meat, and veggies. He’s also looking to cultivate his own fish stocks onsite, aware that it won’t be long before the seas are irreversibly plundered.

The same conscious ethos applies to fashion too. Nudie Jeans was founded in Gothenburg and has been pushing a strong sustainable message for years – every pair is made using 100 per cent organic cotton, for example, while every store has a dedicated repair shop offering free fix-ups, and there’s always a rail of previously loved jeans available to buy.

More recently, pop-up stores like Atacac are aiming to change the way garments are designed, produced and sold. Their system of showcasing items using digital, 3D visualisations means that each piece of clothing is priced and produced according to demand, ensuring minimum waste.

What connects each of these schemes is a fresh approach to innovation and a series of inspired souls determined to make a difference through action – on both an individual and a collective scale.

That’s perhaps the most important lesson you take from visiting this quirky, welcoming city – here, social and ecological sustainability are equally important. And by encouraging an environment in which everyone feels supported to try out new things, incredible ideas can blossom.

Visiting Gothenburg doesn’t cancel out carbon emissions, but it does demonstrate viable solutions for living sustainably, and that in itself is invaluable when we all have so much to learn.