| 1. |
- Arvidsson, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Cirkulära möbelflöden : Hur nya affärsmodeller kan bidra till hållbar utveckling inom offentliga möbler
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Sverige har en stark möbelindustri och en stolt tradition av att tillverka tidlösa och högkvalitativa möbler, ofta av naturmaterial. 2016 producerade Sverige möbler för 22,8 miljarder SEK, varav kontorsmöbler stod för nästan en fjärdedel1. Det saknas idag statistik över vad som händer med dessa möbler när de inte längre används, men det står klart att många av dem slängs i förtid när verksamheter flyttar eller när deras behov ändras. Samtidigt syns en tydlig utveckling mot att kunder mer och mer efterfrågar återbrukade eller renoverade möbler som en del i sitt hållbarhetsarbete. Denna utveckling var startpunkten för projektet ”Affärsmodell-innovation för cirkulära möbelflöden”. Affärsmodellinnovation för cirkulära möbelflöden är ett Vinnovafinansierat projekt som under åren 2015-2017 arbetat med att utveckla och testa koncept för cirkulära affärsmodeller för i första hand offentliga möbler. I projektet har tjugo aktörer från hela värdekedjan, från underleverantörer, möbelproducenter, återförsäljare och användare till forskare och branschorgan, samarbetat kring affärsutveckling, kundincitament, produktdesign, logistik, hållbarhets- och certifieringsfrågor. Den här skriften belyser hur nya affärsmodeller för mer cirkulära möbelflöden kan bidra till en mer hållbar utveckling och ger smakprov på slutsatser från projektet. Skriften riktar sig framför allt till producenter och återförsäljare av möbler för offentliga miljöer, men även kunder och inköpare tror vi kan ha stor nytta av skriften. Vi hoppas att den även kan fungera som inspiration för andra industrier och branscher som funderar på en övergång till mer cirkulära affärsekosystem.
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| 2. |
- Linden, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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LCM development : focusing on the LC promoters and their organizational problem-solving
- 2019
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Ingår i: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0948-3349 .- 1614-7502. ; 24:2, s. 297-309
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Life cycle management (LCM) implies a specific sustainability perspective which extends environmental management along the product life cycle, with the aim of decreasing negative environmental impact throughout the product chain. Research has identified that the adoption of LCM in the industry depends upon its situational adaptation to the organizational context. Even so, little is known about the specifics of this adaptation. With this paper, our aim is to add knowledge on LCM adoption and adaptation. Methods: A systematic analysis of empirical material on life cycle (LC) activity in six multinational corporations (MNCs) is conducted, by applying a secondary analysis of qualitative data (Heaton 2008). In order to study instances of LCM adoption and adaptation, we focus on the acts and situations of LC promoters. The identified instances are analyzed through the lens of situated problem-solving (Kuhn and Jackson 2008). Results and discussion: Sixty-seven instances of LC promotion were identified and analyzed, resulting in the identification of eight categories of problem-situations typically encountered by LC promoters. The identified problem-situations represent different situations when the organizational appropriateness of the LC approach is at stake and to which responses tailored to the organization are put forward by a LC promoter. The results bring to the fore the ubiquity of organizational and creative problem-solving, highlighting the role of LC promoters as change agents for LCM adoption, and depict the development of LCM as an emergent practice, rather than an implementation process. Conclusions: This paper provides a first systematic analysis of LC promoters enacting a variety of responses to organizationally challenging LC situations, thus detailing the adaptation necessary for embedding LCM in the industry. Findings show that the development of LCM to a great extent is about the promotion of a LC approach, and that LC promoters need organizational knowing, in addition to LC knowing, to make the LC approach relevant to management and business.
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| 3. |
- Rex, Emma, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Towards increased impact of life cycle information in product and service innovation
- 2018
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Ingår i: <em></em>.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many businesses of today now recognize the need for a life cycle perspective, for use not only in accounting but also for innovative purposes. However, while availability of data and understanding of the life cycle concept as such continues to grow, there is still inertia in life cycle information having practical implications on decisions and actions throughout the everyday work in the company.In a project aimed at a better understanding of company internal uses of life cycle information, the existence and use of life cycle information in four large companies (all having with extensive experience of life cycle thinking) were studied. Data collection was made in case studies with two main purposes; to a) follow and illustrate flows of life cycle information within large companies, and to b) understand the role of life cycle information in decision-making outside of the environmental departments. The case studies covered applications such as development of new product concepts, introduction of new materials, and market introduction of eco designed products and services.The study reveals other dominant barriers than normally assumed; not having or understanding the life cycle information provided. The barriers found were rather related to other aspects of the decision process: Complementary data important for the decision (such as material availability or economic implications for alternate designs) could be missing, recommendation of the most preferred alternative not being clearly presented, concerns about e.g. increased uncertainties and risk not being met, or guidance on how to handle tradeoffs such as between economic and ecologic goals absent. Sometimes information was also not provided in the timeframe needed to change the particular process, or existing routines and tools did not allow the inclusion of life cycle information in a systematic manner. Insights from the study point to the importance of understanding the broader context in which the life cycle information should be used, in order to reach impact as decision support. To assist in this, a short guide has been designed to support life cycle proponents in having a more holistic view of the decision making situation and to highlight common pitfalls hindering life cycle information to influence company practices.
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| 4. |
- Rex, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Välkommen in i det cirkulära : Erfarenheter och slutsatser från projektet ”Affärsmodellinnovation för cirkulära möbelflöden”
- 2020
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Projektet ”Affärsmodellinnovation för cirkulära möbelflöden” startades med syfte att visa hur en bransch konkret kan ställa om till en mer cirkulär ekonomi. Vi ville möta samhällets behov av minskat resursbehov och mer hållbar industriell utveckling, genom att ge förutsättningar för en produktion och konsumtion av offentliga möbler som var mer resurseffektiv, mindre miljöbelastande och samtidigt stärkte företagens internationella konkurrenskraft.Projektet har pågått i tre steg, finansierade genom Vinnovas program Utmaningsdriven innovation under åren 2014-2020. Under steg 1 identifierades intresse, behov, potential och affärsmöjligheter för en ökad cirkulär ekonomi inom svensk möbelindustri gällande främst möbler/inredning för offentligt bruk. I steg 2 utvecklades och testades de identifierade affärsmodellkoncepten, och nytänkande affärsrelationer och affärsmodeller togs fram. I detta steg kunde vi också visa att det gick att förena stark konkurrenskraft med en mer hållbar samhällsutveckling. I steg 3 har fokus varit på att gå från enskilda goda exempel till industriell skala, med nya erbjudanden, ändrade affärsmodeller, ökad efterfrågan och nya rutiner och normer där cirkulärt är det nya normala. Genom alla steg har projektet stävat efter att cirkulära erbjudanden och affärer ska bli ett stolt och självklart inslag hos de som erbjuder och efterfrågar möbler för offentligt bruk i Sverige.Nu är vi där. Tillverkare, återförsäljare och återbrukare tävlar idag om att visa upp sina cirkulära erbjudanden och inredningsarkitekter och kunder – inom offentlig såväl som privat sektor – inför nya upphandlingsföremål, roller och rutiner till förmån för cirkulära flöden.I den här skriften ges en sammanfattning av den utveckling vi gjort tillsammans inom projektet, och ni får även stifta bekantskap med många av våra partners och deras cirkulära resa. Vi vill på detta sätt visa att det går att ta steget från enstaka återbruksexempel till cirkulära affärer i stor skala – i alla fall om man jobbar tillsammans!
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| 5. |
- Røyne, Frida, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment Roadmapfor Emerging Bio-based Technologies : Identifying Sustainability Prospects with Multiple Perspectives
- 2019
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Ingår i: Life cycle Management Conference 2019. - Poznan, Polen.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many bio-based technologies are emerging technologies, with the characteristics of being radical and fast growing. The 2018 Nobel prize in chemistry is based on enzymatic bio-based conversion as a green alterative for several conventional technologies. Overall, the transition to a bio-based economy is seen as a mean to reach sustainability, energy independence and economic growth. Bioeconomy strategies have however also been criticized for focusing too much on economic growth and too little on sustainability. Assessing potential life cycle sustainability risks and benefits early in the development of technologies – when still at lab or pilot scale – provides valuable insights about how to prioritize research activities and to potentially avert unintended consequences. The lack of knowledge and high uncertainty in early development however also makes such assessments challenging. On the social sustainability side, bio-based technologies create new jobs, while the social acceptance can hinder the market growth even in an innovation country like Sweden. Emerging technologies like for example artificial intelligence might reduce jobs and gene therapy in medicine might bear risk for coming future generation. The questions and risks are manifold. Therefore, it is essential to have a roadmap for guidance that takes a holistic approach to sustainability with a life cycle perspective. To add to the complexity, the possibilities for assessment approaches are extensive. Different perspectives can be assessed in numerous ways and with many different methods. The goal of this study is to contribute to a sustainable transition to the bioeconomy, by serving as a roadmap for research and innovation (R&I) on emerging bio-based technologies.To suggest a general roadmap for holistic and interdisciplinary assessments, this study identifies, and describes the use of multiple perspective assessments in selected R&I projects on emerging bio-based technologies. The projects include virgin and waste raw materials, biotechnology conversion processes and products such as bio-based chemicals, building materials, soil amendment, and pellets for heat. The findings are, in combination with existing frameworks on biomass- and bio-product prospect models, used to suggest an assessment roadmap for identifying sustainability prospects of emerging bio-based technologies.The result consists of an “assessment roadmap” including the perspectives resource-, economic-, environmental-, social- and market potential. Each perspective is accompanied by questions targeted to identify benefits and risks, such as “What valorization routes currently exists, and are under research, for the feedstock?”; “Is the feedstock available, also in the future?”; “Is the production technology socially accepted?”. The roadmap for bio -based emerging technologies also provides advice on the procedure for sustainability assessments, such as organizing an initial workshop with expert knowledge and highlight the importance of scanning before allocating resources for in depth analyses.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Rex, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring reluctance to circular business models – the case of light as a service
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The circular economy does not only require new product designs but also business models that provide enough incentives for both suppliers and customers to shift to more circular practices. Selling “light as a service” is a classic example of a service-based business model that could enable a more circular economy. However, despite a growing interest to become more circular, there is still hesitation among customers to change the way they meet their need for light. In an ongoing project, we explore this reluctance and seek to identify obstacles and driving forces for large customer organizations to buy “light as a service”. An interview study was made to identify current perceptions and practices among the broad range of stakeholders involved in the supply and demand of lighting in Sweden; lighting manufacturers, suppliers of light as a service, light designers and architects, private and public customers, collaborative bodies and sector organizations. The focus was on indoor lighting e.g. offices and schools in large customers (municipalities and property companies). 20 semi-structured interviews were made and results from the interviews were presented and discussed in a subsequent stakeholder workshop to validate results and add complementary perspectives. The results show a broad range of factors affecting the stakeholder’s attitudes and actions towards light as a service, from uncertainties in legal and technical liability to expectations on increased wellbeing and productivity among users. The preliminary analysis points to the importance of reducing uncertainties and creating trust between actors in the business ecosystem to decrease barriers to change. It also seems like extending the value proposition and increase the emphasis on social and/or environmental benefits (e.g. through enhanced light ergonomics and increased resource efficiency) is key for light as a service to become competitive to traditional business models.
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| 9. |
- Rex, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Framtidsscenarier för cirkulära möbelflöden 2030
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna rapport beskriver tre olika framtidsbilder av hur vi på ett cirkulärt sätt tillgodoser behov av möbler inom företag och offentlig sektor år 2030. Scenarioberättelserna beskriver ”lyckade” och rimliga utvecklingsvägar, där branschen tydligt gått från en linjär till en cirkulär logik, men på olika sätt. Scenarier utgår ifrån två områden där det råder osäkerhet i på vilket sätt och hur snabbt branschen och relationerna mellan aktörerna däri kommer att utvecklas: (1) graden av digitalisering och informationsdelning och (2) hur affärsrelationen mellan aktörer utvecklas i olika centraliseringsgrad i värdekedjan.Som en del av analysen diskuteras även risker och möjligheter för svensk möbelbransch som varje scenario medför och utvecklingsbehov för att lyckas ställas om till en cirkulär ekonomi till år 2030. Sammanfattningsvis finns behov av nya och utvecklade kompetenser, förbättrad informationsdelning och förändrade roller. .
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| 10. |
- Rex, Emma, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Tailored for decision – Knowing your target group prior to adaptation
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Life cycle thinking is but one perspective - if at all considered -, in everyday business decisions throughout the organization; in the selection of suppliers, in the strategy of new product ranges, and, in what information is chosen to be highlighted to the customers. Tradeoffs are constantly made between e.g. environment, quality, price and other company goals. Before any successful adaptation and visualization of life cycle information, it is important for internal life cycle experts to identify and understand how other functions of the company perceive and value life cycle information in their specific working situations.To get a better understanding of these internal users of life cycle information, life cycle experts in four multinational companies (Akzo Nobel, Vattenfall, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group) have joined forces with researchers in life cycle management and behavioral science to create a graphical map of how life cycle information is spread and used in different parts of an organization. The aim of the map is to be used as a basis for discussions and recommendations on how to tailor life cycle information in order to support decision making throughout a company.The map is constructed by combining a) inventories on how quantitative data seeks its way to internal users through databases, reports and KPIs, with b) qualitative interviews on goal framing and decision weights of e.g. environmental and economic information. As a result, the map illustrates both the “physical” flows of life cycle information and the “cognitive logics” of this information for different users (e.g. how values, attitudes and norms influence the target groups’ likelihood of including life cycle information in their decision processes).Based on the map, each company can identify and discuss who the main users of life cycle information are and what premises for life cycle thinking these users have: In what decision making situation is, or can, life cycle information be used? How is the information understood? What other sources of information and rationales for decisions are used in parallel to, or in conflict with, LCA-results?Initial analyses on the usefulness of the map point to a better understanding of how life cycle experts can tailor information for decisions in different parts of the company, as well as on its usefulness in illustrating to people outside of the environmental departments the widespread use of life cycle information that already exist in the company. The latter is not least important for creating an understanding in how the organization respond to ongoing external pressure to focus more on a life cycle approach, e.g. new requirements in ISO 14001, new EU Directives on public procurement and current EU work to establish a common LCA methodology.
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