| 1. |
- Wickenberg, Björn
(författare)
-
Translation and implementation of nature-based solutions in cities : Experimentation, learning and knowledge production
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- As part of current efforts to work towards sustainable development, find solutions to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt cities to the effects of climate change, such as floods and extreme heat, there are high hopes that nature-based solutions (NBS) can support the transformation needed. Based on the knowledge that implementation and governance of urban NBS is still emerging and constrained by various barriers, e.g., regulatory, institutional, political, financial and cognitive, it is important to improve the understanding of processes that can help overcome the barriers to NBS implementation. NBS is an umbrella policy concept for a range of green space governance approaches. It is derived from the policy sphere and, therefore, needs to be translated into scientific knowledge and practical knowledge. This thesis applies an inter- and transdisciplinary research approach, using qualitative methods to investigate how the NBS concept is translated in science and into local implementation in Swedish municipalities. Since research influences knowledge production and implementation in practice by framing and defining NBS, this thesis also seeks to investigate how research interprets and uses the concept, as well as how it addresses implementation. With a dual focus on research and practice, the aim of this thesis is to study in what ways the processes of experimentation, learning, and knowledge production enable and/or constrain the translation and implementation of NBS. NBS is an emerging concept and still subject to definitional efforts on the boundaries between scientific disciplines and science/policy. Most studies on NBS focus on environmental benefits, in spite of a need to consider all dimensions of sustainability, including issues of justice. So far, few NBS frameworks explicitly address implementation. In those that do, stakeholder collaboration and co-production of knowledge are key elements of NBS implementation, which could be further considered in both formal planning and experimentation. Here, targeted strategies towards collaboration and transformative learning can help overcome barriers to implementation and mainstreaming of NBS. However, this requires reflexive governance and cross-boundary interaction among stakeholders, including action-oriented knowledge production and strategic citizen involvement. Thus, it is important to build trust and foster inclusive communication, which warrants increased focus on relational/emotional capacities. Transformative learning requires supportive institutional structures and resources that safeguard the continuity and evaluation of NBS implementation processes and associated learning. Transdisciplinary and collaborative platforms for experimentation, which include both research and practice, have the potential to stimulate and support further learning and knowledge to build transformative capacity and advance NBS implementation, and ultimately, sustainability, in cities.
|
|
| 2. |
- Schoonover, Heather
(författare)
-
Business Models for Sustainable Consumption : Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Rental and Reuse of Home Furnishings
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is widely recognised that society is consuming at levels and in ways that are unsustainable. Sustainable business models, broadly defined as those that consider economic, ecological and social value, hold promise for shifting consumption patterns. By facilitating activities such as rental and reuse, including second-hand, repair, refurbishment, and upcycling, they can help to provide more sustainable options for consumers to acquire, utilise and dispose of products. This, in turn, can extend product lifetimes, keep products from going to waste, and reduce the need for new production. Yet despite the potential of these business models, there are still relatively few of them in the business-to-consumer market.This thesis aims to understand why we do not see more rental and reuse business models in practice, and how these models can become more prevalent. It does so by addressing two research questions: what barriers rental and reuse business models encounter, and how these barriers can be overcome. It focuses on the home furnishings sector, while also bringing in lessons from and for other consumer goods.Through interviews with consumer goods rental companies, document analysis of company marketing materials, and a case study of Sweden’s pioneering reuse-based shopping mall, ReTuna, the thesis finds that rental and reuse business models encounter a number of barriers regarding finance and economics, product design, capabilities, relationships, consumers, and policy. Home furnishings pose particular challenges due to their bulky nature, wide range of products, and uncertainties regarding consumer use patterns. The thesis also finds strategies through which the barriers can be addressed, including reducing or eliminating the barriers directly through the design of the business models, involving other actors, associating new offerings with concepts that are already familiar to consumers, and outweighing or offsetting the barriers by emphasising added benefits. In addition, it suggests that consumer-related barriers regarding desire for ownership and hygiene concerns about not-new goods may not be as substantial as previous research would imply.The findings in this thesis are relevant for researchers interested in understanding how business models that can facilitate sustainable consumption can become more prevalent, as well as for companies and other societal actors seeking or struggling to offer opportunities for rental and reuse of home furnishings and other consumer goods.
|
|
| 3. |
- Arnfalk, Peter
(författare)
-
Virtual Mobility and Pollution Prevention - The Emerging Role of ICT Based Communication in Organisations and its Impact on Travel
- 2002
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Information and Communication Technologies change the way we work and communicate, enabling us to telework and to have virtual meetings - collaborating without a physical meeting. This can influence the need for commuting and business travel by provision of access to an activity without mobility - virtual mobility. The large environmental impact of travel makes this potential travel reduction interesting, from a societal perspective as well as for individual organisations. However, these technology applications do not necessarily lead to travel substitution. They also have other environmental implications, as they change our need for technical equipment, building space and so forth. Can telework and virtual meetings reduce travel and associated environmental impacts in an organisation? If this is the case, is promotion of these applications justifiable, taking other environmental implications into account? What factors influence the outcome? How can the adoption of telework and virtual meetings be environmentally improved? What does this tell us regarding other virtual mobility applications such as Telemedicine? These questions were addressed through analysis of travel and environmental implications for telework and virtual meetings in several organisations. Drivers and barriers to environmental enhancement are identified, and pathways to 'greening' the applications are provided. On average 64% of the respondents in four organisations studied experienced that videoconferencing had substituted their business travels, and 45% of the teleworkers in one organisation claimed that telework reduced their commuter travel. On average 2% had experienced an increase in business travel due to videoconferencing, and 10% claimed that telework had led to more travel. Estimations of CO2 emissions in different scenarios indicated that telework in 'worst-case' could lead to an overall increase of CO2 emissions, but also a substantial reduction in the 'best-case'. Virtual meetings in both cases led to emission reductions, however, the scenario outcomes differed largely. The main drivers for the organisations were the possibility to save time and money. The benefits for individuals were mainly social. Barriers to more significant environmental gains were identified within organisational, institutional, personal and practical categories. Travel savings are not promoted due to lack of incentives, both on the individual and organisational level. For virtual meetings, lack of training and experience, support, and routines limited the use. Telework was limited by information management and meetings routines not being adapted to telework, lack of acceptance from management, and insufficient technology and network connection. For virtual meetings, enhancing the environmental outcome may include shifting the focus from travel to meetings and communication, training and education of key personnel, and creating incentives for employees. For telework, the key factor is to enable people to work whole days by removing practical and organisational barriers. Some parallel findings and conclusions were found for telemedicine.
|
|
| 4. |
- Curtis, Steven
(författare)
-
Sharing Economy Business Models : Addressing the design-implementation gap
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite sharing being a long-practiced form of consumption, the concept ‘sharing economy’ has emerged only recently. New business models have proliferated, utilising technology to reduce transaction costs and facilitate shared access. Societal actors have taken interest in the sharing economy, to reduce resource consumption, foster social cohesion, and support the economy. However, sharing economy business models facilitate a wide array of consumption practices, including sharing, renting, borrowing, lending, bartering, swapping, trading, exchanging, gifting, buying second-hand, and even buying new goods. Past academic research and media attention tend to focus on unicorns such as Airbnb and Uber. There is greater need to explore the diverse permutations of business models within the sharing economy, especially considering sustainability.However, a gap exists between the design and successful implementation of sharing economy business models. This research aims to advance and structure knowledge about the sharing economy and sustainable business models, by using business modelling methods to study the design and implementation of sharing economy business models. Inspired by design science, this research engages in prescriptive theory-building and design- oriented research to construct and evaluate design artefacts. Incorporating data materials from people, documents, and literature, the research strategies of grounded theory and desk research are utilised to support methods for data collection and data analysis.The research proposes a prescriptive definition of the sharing economy as a socio-economic system that leverages technology to mediate two-sided markets, which facilitate temporary access to goods that are under- utilised, tangible, and rivalrous. From this, four design principles guide the formation of the sharing economy business model framework, which capture three value dimensions, sixteen business model attributes, and eighty- nine configuration options. This research proposes a coherent design theory to support the conceptualisation of sharing economy business models for sustainability.Additional artefacts are developed to support the successful implementation of these business models. First, business model patterns provide the justificatory knowledge to select relevant business model attributes in specific contexts. Then, a systematic framework measures the social impact of sharing platforms across four aspects – trust, empowerment, social justice, and inclusivity. Finally, organisational response strategies to COVID-19 are established in the sharing economy.The primary contribution of this research is conceptual, with additional modest methodological and empirical contributions. Furthermore, the artefacts are intended to be useful for research and practice, including scholars, entrepreneurs, managers, policymakers, investors, users, and concerned citizens.
|
|
| 5. |
- Hansson, Lars
(författare)
-
The Internalization of External Effects in Swedish Transport Policy - A Comparison Between Road and Rail Traffic
- 1997
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Transport is a key factor for economic growth. It has enabled both the economic scale of production and an increase in competition. No one can question this role of transportation. There is, however, a back-side to the coin: the environmental challenge. Present trends show that transportation is not compatible with sustainable development. The need to internalise the external effects from trans-portation has been well documented during the last decade, i.e. the traditional ‘command and control’ approach should be supplemented, where appropriate, by economic and fiscal measures. This is the philosophy of Swedish transport policy since 1988, which states that traffic user-charges for road- and rail traffic should include explicit charges for the external effects of traffic accidents, air pollution, climate change, and noise. The total social costs for road- and rail transportation, in the form of traffic accidents, air pollution, and noise, amounted to 4.2% of GNP in 1995. The external costs for 1995 amount to 8.9 billion SEK for road traffic and 0.3 billion SEK for rail traffic. The total transportation for road traffic is, however, higher than for the railway. Accordingly, for traffic in its entirety the external effects in relation to the traffic work are nearly 6 times higher for road traffic than for railway traffic. The thesis analyses existing taxes and user-charges in order to internalize the external effects in transportation. One of the conclusions is that diesel-driven road vehicles pay considerably less of their socio-economic costs in comparison to petrol-driven vehicles. Also, the difference between the external costs for different diesel vehicles is much too great for one to be able to apply a uniform fuel charge. Only a user-charge system based on variable vehicle-related charges (such as the earlier kilometer tax) can attain an appropriate internalization of the external effects. In general, the conclusion is that fuel taxes are too blunt as steering instruments. The optimal fuel taxes and train-kilometer taxes, etc. vary with a factor of up to ten and more between different vehicles and modes of traffic, so that they correspond to the external costs with a low degree of preciseness. Even if sufficient knowledge exists about the costs and evaluations of external effects in transportation, there is an inertia in the process of implementing necessary measures to cope with the external effects of transportation. It is difficult to gain broad acceptance about the necessity for increasing fuel taxes, for example. In order to overcome the barriers and roadblocks impeding the pursuit of sustainable transportation, it is necessary to consider the following three claims on externality charges: they must be explicit, which means that current petrol taxes must be substituted for traffic accident charges, air pollution charges, etc; they must be distinguished from taxes, which implies, for example, that a reduction of speed limits is coupled to a reduction of petrol price through a reduced traffic accident charge; they must be generally adopted, which means that the charges are not only implemented for externalities in transportation but applied to all other sectors.
|
|
| 6. |
- Karlsson, Mårten
(författare)
-
Green Concurrent Engineering: a model for DFE management programs
- 2001
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Environmental considerations in product development are increasingly dealt with in the framework of certified environmental management systems such as ISO 14001. This allows industry to set objectives and assign responsibility for continuous improvement for DFE activities and environmental performance of products in DFE management programs. This thesis presents a general model for DFE management programs, Green Concurrent Engineering (GCE), which corresponds with traditional and general models for industrial product development, environmental management systems, and tools and methods for design for environment.
|
|
| 7. |
- Kautto, Niina
(författare)
-
Towards More Coherent and Sustainable Biomass Policy: Examining European biomass-to-energy planning
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Coordination of policies embracing biomass use has been called for in order to speed up progress towards the European Union renewable energy and climate change goals. Policy coordination and coherence is also required if the many complex and diverse issues constraining sustainable bioenergy development are to be addressed. To contribute to meeting such needs this doctoral thesis provides insights into how to pursue more coherent and sustainable biomass policy interventions. The work explores planning documents and processes relevant to biomass use for energy at both national and regional levels in the EU. The research also investigates the interaction between policy instruments and their impact on biomass use. This thesis finds that current biomass-to-energy planning is insufficient to deliver coherent, sustainable bioenergy development. The work proposes an approach that can help achieve sound policy and planning processes. This requires adherence to structure, embracing adaptation and continuous improvement, looking beyond a singular focus on energy use, and assessment of policy instrument interactions within the planning framework. Specific actions to overcome barriers in planning processes are delineated. Among other things, these include political and stakeholder commitment to processes that are continuously updated and evaluated, and recognition of regional directions of work in higher level policy-making. The work shows that significant improvements to coordination of, and by, planning can be implemented. Such improvements would help overcome barriers constraining bioenergy progress and consequently assist biomass policy and planning to achieve their intended outcomes.
|
|
| 8. |
- Kisch, Peter
(författare)
-
Preventative environmental strategies in the service sector
- 2000
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Preventative environmental approaches (e.g. Cleaner Production and Pollution Prevention) have been successfully implemented in the manufacturing industry. They are, however, far from being fully adopted by all society actors. It has, for instance, not been fully embraced by the service sector. When this research project started, the initial question was whether it was possible to adopt experiences in using preventative environmental strategies from the manufacturing industry into the service sector, and what would distinguish their application from the manufacturing industry. This thesis shows that there are no indications that the fundamental principles of preventative environmental strategies should not be applicable to service companies and organisations, as well. In fact, it seems that we can directly transfer much of the knowledge and experience from the manufacturing industry and apply it in service organisations, since most of the problems found are very similar to those of the manufacturing industry. The only major difference identified is that customers participate in the "production" of a service; that is, depending on how customers interact in the production, they directly determine the environmental performance of the service system. This also means that educating, "steering" and involving the customers become crucial issues for service management in improving environmental performance.
|
|
| 9. |
- Kiss, Bernadett
(författare)
-
Building Energy Efficiency - Policy, learning and technology change
- 2013
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Experience shows that energy efficiency improvements are the most cost-effective path to meeting global energy challenges. To promote energy efficiency, various policy instruments have been in place since the 1970s. Nevertheless, energy efficiency improvements still lag behind their potential in the building sector, which indicates that there is a lack of knowledge about the performance of policies. To further encourage energy efficiency in buildings, there is a need for ‘policy learning’ to gain knowledge and experience about polices and their performance. This doctoral thesis analyses the role of policy instruments and policy packages in the development of energy efficient end-use building technologies and their emerging markets. Technologies include windows, insulation, heat pumps and passive houses. By using the lenses of innovation theory, the concept of learning, and transaction cost economics, this work analyses the outcome of various policy packages, the development of technologies and markets, and policies influencing such development. The research identifies key policy instruments for technology change. The results show that technology change requires timely, long-term and flexible policy support. This involves diverse policy packages, rather than single policy instruments, designed to support technology development and their emerging markets. The research also highlights the importance of policy support for learning processes in the innovation system and as a determinant of technology change. Building codes, technology procurement and voluntary standards were found to be essential drivers for introducing energy efficient technologies to the market. Beside regulatory and voluntary building standards, testing facilities and networking activities have been identified as key drivers for technology change. Transaction costs, on the other hand, can significantly hinder energy efficiency improvements. Transaction costs of single technologies implemented in passive house renovations can be 200% higher than the transaction costs of conventional technologies. These costs, however, can be reduced. New approaches to transaction cost reduction and flexible, long-term, policy packages have resulted in more energy efficient windows, improved insulation, widespread use of high quality ground-source heat pumps and growing demand for the application of passive technologies and the passive house concept. In Sweden, for example, the thermal performance of the best available windows has improved more than two-fold in the past forty years. In the same period, the market share of energy efficient windows increased from 20% to 80%. Another example of successful policy interventions is the emergence of markets for ground-source heat pumps in Sweden and Switzerland. Since the mid-1990s, the efficiency of ground-source heat pumps has improved by 13-36%, annual sales have increased around 20-30% and costs decreased between 50% and 80%, in Sweden and Switzerland, respectively. As the case of a Swedish passive house-oriented renovation shows new approaches to promote learning, e.g. enhanced organizational awareness-raising and new forms of collaboration and information platforms, ultimately result in significant cost reductions at different actors’ stake. This thesis delivers important inputs to the field of policy learning that can be used to enhance, reshape and improve future policies for the development and diffusion of building-sector energy efficiency technologies. Enhanced policy learning, in turn, will help overcome barriers to energy efficiency to support innovation and facilitate technology change for sustainable energy use.
|
|
| 10. |
- Kogg, Beatrice
(författare)
-
Responsibility in the Supply Chain: Interorganisational management of environmental and social aspects in the supply chain - Case studies from the textile sector
- 2009
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is about the intersection between Corporate Social Responsibility and Supply Chain Management. I call this upstream CSR, the phenomenon that arises when an issue on a company’s CSR agenda becomes an issue for its sourcing and supply management operations. Upstream CSR as a phenomenon is not without controversies, but it also holds an important potential for reducing negative environmental, and social, impacts associated with production and consumption. Companies’ ability to manage, and assume responsibility for, environmental aspects upstream in their respective supply chains is in fact critical if we are to realise the promise of life cycle thinking. A deeper understanding of this phenomenon is therefore of relevance not just for corporate practitioners but also for policy makers and any other group of stakeholders who seek to reduce the environmental impacts of products in a life cycle perspective. Through the means of two in-depth case studies in the textile sector, each covering several tiers of a specific supply chain, this thesis provides a deeper understanding of how companies may address the task of influencing and verifying environmental and social aspects that occur upstream in the supply chain. By combining the findings from the empirical research with an in-depth review of pertinent literature this thesis also provides a framework through which this complex phenomenon can be understood and further explored.
|
|
| 11. |
- Lehner, Matthias
(författare)
-
Sustainability in Store
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Retailers across Western Europe are faced with the challenge to integrate the idea of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) into their operations. The difficulty hierin lies in the the lack of any clear understanding or agreement for what the term implies for retailers and how to implement it in retailers’ daily operations. Instead, retailers need to handle a number of different – at times competing – understandings of SCP among their stakeholders and combine these into a strategy that fits their business interests. In this thesis, I study the interaction between retailers, their stakeholders and market demand to understand how the complexity of the sustainability discourse is translated into concrete action on the shop floor. My results show retailers to be highly flexible in their work with SCP, however also quite unstrategic. Much of retailers’ efforts to integrate SCP into their operations is based on a trial-and-error process with frequent mistakes and change of direction. To approach SCP more strategically more attention must be paid to the sensemaking process of SCP among stakeholders and how it connects to market demand. My research found that rather than focusing on the overall sustainability of products and services, retailers ought to comparmentalize SCP to match specific stakeholder groups in a meaningful way. Retail brands have emerged as particularly useful tool in this respect. Due to the property rights assigned to such brands, they offer the retailer the ability to actively enage with SCP and adapt its meaning to stakeholder expectations. However, sensemaking of SCP is also to a great extent a local process, removed from the national discourse. While brands are well-suited to engage with the macro-discourse, they are not sufficiently able to adapt to the micro-level discourse. My research points to the important role individual stores have in the adaptation process of SCP to the micro-level discourse. Several examples of successful micro-adaptation to local sensemaking of SCP at the store level could be observed in my research. Successful integration of SCP into a retailer’s operation therefore seems to depend on a functioning multi-layer process within the organisation, where both headquarters and stores contribute their strengthes to a functioning internal translation procees of SCP, from global discourse to local enaction. These results have particular relevance for centralized retail organisations. They imply more responsibility for stores in the sensemaking and operationalisation of SCP as a way to achieve a more contextually meaningful approach to SCP.
|
|
| 12. |
- Lindhqvist, Thomas
(författare)
-
Extended Producer Responsibility in Cleaner Production: Policy Principle to Promote Environmental Improvements of Product Systems
- 2000
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The focus of the environmental policy-making has shifted noticeably during the last decade. From having played a fairly insignificant role in the 1980s and earlier, product-related environmental problems have attracted an ever-increasing interest from policy-makers, especially in industrialised countries in North-Western Europe. Considerable attention has been devoted to the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) and today this concept is spread to most OECD countries and also outside this group of countries. This dissertation shows how the concept was developed, presents a model for various types of responsibilities and defines the EPR concept as a policy principle for environmental improvements of products and product systems. Experiences from existing EPR systems are studied and complemented with an analysis of proposed system implementations. The results are combined with a model for how an EPR system can be developed in order to give the incentives for change to the relevant actors. Conclusions concerning how the details of EPR systems should be organised are presented, as well as a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages with involving various actors in the policy development process and the role of these actors in the implementation of the system.
|
|
| 13. |
- Manomaivibool, Panate
(författare)
-
Advancing the Frontier of Extended Producer Responsibility: The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in non-OECD countries
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become a salient issue in non-OECD countries. With a growing awareness about serious damages to the environment and human health from a lack of safe treatment and recycling of WEEE, there has been a search for policy responses in several of these countries. This research finds that extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy principle that underpins WEEE programmes in many OECD countries, can help solve the WEEE problem in non-OECD countries by putting the onus on the producers to ensure environmentally sound management of their end-of-life products and make improvements in their product systems, including change in product design. Although there are challenges to the implementation of EPR in emerging and developing economies, notably the problem of free riders and the competition for materials from the polluting recycling sector, they are manageable. In addition, opportunities exist that can facilitate the development of EPR-based solutions, such as the relatively small stock of historical WEEE and manufacturers that have the commitment and experiences with the principle. What is needed to realise this potential is for the policy-makers to create a policy framework that allows and encourages product and system innovations from the producers.
|
|
| 14. |
- Mebratu, Desta
(författare)
-
Strategy framework for sustainable industrial development in sub-Saharan Africa: Systems-evolutionary approach
- 2000
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The principal objectives of this research were: · to develop a conceptual framework on sustainability and sustainable development and · to propose a strategy framework for sustainable industrial development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The research was done based on systems evolutionary approach having the following methodological principles as a guide. · The dynamic complexity of environmental and developmental issues can be better understood by utilizing transdisciplinary theories such as ‘General Systems Theory’, ‘General Evolutionary Theory’ and ‘Information Theory’. · The ‘add-on approach’ has limited success both at the macro and micro level. At the macro level, sustainable development requires mainstreaming socio-ecological and socio-economic principles in development policies and strategies. · It is crucial to make a distinction between fundamental and facilitating factors of the development process and to understand the interaction within and among these factors. The following are the major conclusions and recommendation of the research. · Systems can be described by the ‘entity factors’, that define the boundary conditions and the ‘significance factors’, that determine the field of significance of the system. · The interaction between the ‘entity factors’ and the ‘significance factors’ provides the basis for fulfilment of the systemic function. · Sustainability is a systemic property of maintaining the positive slope of the systemic functions through evolutionary succession of systems. · The path and pace of the evolutionary succession of a given system is determined by its ability to identify, process, utilize and accumulate survival-relevant (SR) information. · For societal systems, the ‘entity factors’ are ecological space, demography, and culture while the ‘significance factors’ are institutional structures and norms, capital structures and flows, and technological innovation and diffusion. · Sustainable development is a process of maintaining an optimum interaction between the entity and significance factors of a society to achieve evolutionary succession and productive engagement. · Industrial development strategies that have been promoted in SSA have been of ‘transplanting’ nature instead of being ‘transformational’. This has resulted in a mismatch between the ‘entity factors’ and the ‘significance factors’. · The development of the region’s ability to manage SR information is a fundamental prerequisite for promoting sustainable industrial development. · Identification and utilization of the positive elements of endogenous capacities and indigenous knowledge, as essential repositories of SR information, constitutes the core principle of building such a capacity. · Resource depletion, disoriented property rights regimes, sectoral dichotomy and global inertia were identified as the principal challenges. Hence, valorization of resources is the core element of the strategic framework, supplemented with sub-models on property rights regimes, sectoral synergy global momentum and the sustainability function. The promotion of sustainable development as a social transformation process will require a fundamental reorientation of national, regional and international structures. It is believed that a transdisciplinary approaches provide sound bases to undertake such reorientation at a global scale. This thesis contributes to the promotion of sustainable industrial development in SSA through the application and advancement of transdisciplinary approaches.
|
|
| 15. |
- Milios, Leonidas
(författare)
-
Policy Framework for Material Resource Efficiency : Pathway Towards a Circular Economy
- 2020
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The strategic direction of the European Union (EU) over the past twenty years has focused on increasing resource productivity and innovation in the economy, aiming at the efficient use and secured supplies of resources, economic growth and job creation, with fewer environmental impacts. One of the basic premises of the new ‘Green Deal’ for Europe is the promotion of the circular economy. The aim of a circular economy is to create a more sustainable society by decoupling economic growth from resource consumption.The EU Circular Economy Action Plan contains a clear vision that businesses will play a significant role in the shift to a circular economy model, by implementing circular business models that encourage prolonged use of products, components, and materials. The Plan also stresses the importance of appropriate enabling conditions for this shift. Policies that enable the adoption and upscale of such business models play a central role within a framework for material resource efficiency.The overarching aim of this research is to identify gaps in the current EU policy landscape relating to utilisation of material resources, and to investigate appropriate policy interventions. The research uses an interdisciplinary methodology with case studies of Swedish firms adopting circular business models. A ‘bottom-up’ approach is applied, with business input forming the basis of a proposed policy framework for material resource efficiency.Eight distinct policy measures constitute the core of the policy framework, bundled together in a resource efficiency policy package: eco-design rules for product durability, repairability and recyclability; product standards for repairability and standards for secondary raw materials; circularity criteria in public procurement; quality labelling for reused products; a national reuse target; funding measures for capacity, technology and innovation development in recycling and reuse value chains; support for resource and information exchange platforms; and a ban on the incineration of recyclable waste.The analysis identifies the conditions needed to improve implementation of each individual policy measure, but also reveals instrument interdependencies within the policy mix. Possible ways to improve implementation of the suggested policy framework are discussed.Finally, based on theories of the policy process, a number of challenges are identified in the process of integrating resource efficiency policies in the current policy landscape. Potential future research directions are suggested to help remove these bottlenecks in the transition to a circular economy.
|
|
| 16. |
- Mirata, Murat
(författare)
-
Industrial Symbiosis - A Tool for More Sustainable Regions?
- 2005
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Today's industrial systems are regarded to have unsustainable characteristics. In order to acquire a more sustainable state, fundamental changes are needed in the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the resource flows associated with such systems. These need to go hand in hand with a more equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens associated with such resource use. The identification and facilitation of the necessary transformations in resource flows is the main subject of Industrial Ecology (IE) research field. As a sub-field of IE, the Industrial Symbiosis (IS) concept intends a sustainability contribution through establishing synergistic relations among economic activities located in a geographic region. These synergistic relations can increase the efficiencies by which different resources are utilised. There is increasing interest in systematically catalysing the development of IS networks as a means of providing a sustainability contribution. This is motivated by the efficiency gains provided by operational IS networks, the low number of such operational cases, and the increased understanding about the factors that determine the development of synergistic relations among regional actors. There are, however, uncertainties regarding how to facilitate the emergence of IS networks as well as the extent of sustainability contribution such networks can provide. In this research, the issues pertaining to the facilitated development of IS networks in European regions are studied and the effectiveness of different approaches are investigated. Based mainly on the insights gained through the author's involvement in IS programmes in the UK and Sweden, the importance of properly addressing the human related and organisational aspects in IS developments is emphasised. Drawing mostly on empirical findings the influence of policy elements, the regional governance, and organisational history and culture on the IS developments are demonstrated and analysed. The importance of regional capacity building and learning enabled by IS programmes are highlighted and a call is made to properly monitor and communicate progress in these areas. With regards to the sustainability contribution of IS networks, this research cautions that the dominating overemphasis placed in IS programmes on the revalorisation of production wastes will provide limited sustainability contribution at best. It is argued that a more profound contribution can be achieved, if IS developments are set to serve the objectives of an appropriate regional sustainable development strategy that gives proper consideration to social and environmental issues as well as economic ones, and that fosters systemic changes. A strategy informed by the newly introduced Distributed Economies concept is found to be one that can provide the needed guidance to IS while at the same time benefiting from the synergistic relations it catalyses. Specific recommendations targeting IS practitioners, policy makers, regional governance bodies, and academic community are distilled from research findings with the intention of assisting both the development of IS networks as well as improving their sustainability contributions.
|
|
| 17. |
- Mundaca, Luis
(författare)
-
Markets for Energy Efficiency - Exploring the new horizons of tradable certificate schemes
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This doctoral thesis explores the implications of establishing tradable certificate schemes for improving energy efficiency (so-called ‘Tradable White Certificate’ [TWC] schemes). Carrying out different case studies, a set of complementary evaluation methods is applied in conducting ex-ante and ex-post evaluation studies. To analyse the attributes and complexities of TWC schemes, the thesis focuses on several aspects, including (i) the modelling of potential impacts, (ii) the identification and analysis of transaction costs, (iii) the investigation of trading patterns and other flexibilities used to achieve cost-effective compliance, (iv) the level of energy-saving effectiveness under TWC schemes, (v) the use of cost-benefit analysis, and (vi) the application of multi-criteria evaluation. The findings help answer questions concerning the impacts and outcomes of TWC schemes and identify critical endogenous and exogenous conditions that affect their performance. Furthermore, the research assists in developing an understanding of what aspects of TWC schemes need to be evaluated and how.
|
|
| 18. |
- Nawrocka, Dagmara
(författare)
-
Extending the Environmental Focus to Supply Chains. ISO 14001 as an Inter-Organizational Tool?
- 2009
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the wake of preventive thinking, attention has turned towards a life cycle perspective of products. Businesses can no longer ignore the environmental impacts of the products outside the borders of their own facilities. Consequently companies are now extending their environmental considerations beyond their internal production to include the environmental performance of their suppliers and supply chains. At the same time, many companies are implementing environmental management systems, certified according to the international standard ISO 14001. Therefore, the question arises, could the structure of an EMS, as outlined in the ISO 14001 be used as an inter-organizational tool for setting, communicating, and monitoring the environmental requirements in the supply chain. This thesis considers this question and presents the results from recent literature, and practical experiences. It goes on to analyze and discuss the possibilities and potential problems connected to this extended use of the standard. The results establish the importance of building trust and close relationships between the cooperating companies. Trust relates also to credibility of the ISO 14001 and its certification audit. The research suggests better use of the companies’ internal capabilities stemming from implementation of ISO 14001 in order to overcome some of the problems.
|
|
| 19. |
- Nußholz, Julia L.K.
(författare)
-
Circular Business Model Design : Business Opportunities from Retaining Value of Products and Materials
- 2020. - IIIEE Dissertation
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Today our economy is largely based on linear material flows, and many products, such as electronics, furniture,building materials and textiles, are discarded even when they could still be used. Without urgent action, globalwaste is expected to increase by 70% by 2060 and global materials use is expected to more than double. We arestarting to realise that linear material flows are not only a loss of valuable products and materials, but are alsoinconsistent with ‘planetary boundaries’ and are a main cause of sustainability challenges. More than 50% of allgreenhouse gas emissions are estimated to derive from materials management in our economy.One proposed solution is a shift towards a circular economy, in which products are not discarded; instead, their embedded economic and environmental value is retained for as long as possible in a closed-loop system. This is achieved through, for example, reuse, repair and remanufacturing of products, or recycling. Many suggest that a circular economy also offers new business opportunities for companies.This thesis focuses on how companies can devise ‘circular’ business models (CBM) to capitalise on suchopportunities, focusing on CBMs that retain value embedded in products and materials. Based on pioneering companies that have devised CBMs for value retention, the thesis examines what value their business model creates for the environment, business, society, and customers, and how value is created. The thesis also explores how tools to help practitioners integrate circularity in their business model can be developed and improved.A key finding is that CBMs for value retention have significant potential to reduce environmental impact, may have a promising business case, could generate employment, and could produce additional customer value. However, value is not created by default. Recommendations to secure value creation along the various value dimensions are provided. To help practitioners integrate circularity in their business models, a structured overview of CBM innovation tools is presented and a CBM canvas for value retention proposed. A guideline shows how CBM toolscan be developed to more effectively support practitioners.Future research is needed to improve methodology for comparing financial and societal value creation by circular versus linear business models. Implications for value creation if CBM were upscaled need further investigation.Whether the financial value alone will be sufficient to incentivise businesses to shift towards CBMs within the short time window we have to address climate collapse remains doubtful, so research is needed on policy interventions that can help accelerate the transition.
|
|
| 20. |
- Rodhe, Håkan
(författare)
-
Preventive Environmental Strategies in Eastern European Industry: An analysis of donor support for cleaner production
- 2000
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since 1991 cleaner production projects have been pursued by the donors in Eastern European industry. These projects have aimed at demonstrating the benefits of a preventive approach to environmental protection, and to train people within the industry to perform the cleaner production assessments that constitute the core element of the preventive approach. The large merit of the preventive approach is the contribution to economical performance of the organization while at the same time reducing the environmental impact. Despite the benefits, the support for this area remains very small compared to other areas of environmental support. This dissertation shows how the promotion of cleaner production is affected by different factors, both external to the company and internally. Among those factors, the donor-supported efforts, where implemented, constitute an important contribution to the process of restructuring. The contribution in the dissertation lies, besides in clarifying the factors that influence the process of promotion of cleaner production in the region, also in the development of strategies for the donors for the further promotion of cleaner production.
|
|
| 21. |
- Sammalisto, Kaisu
(författare)
-
Environmental management systems – a way towards sustainable development in universities : ”It was difficult at first … then we started talking with our colleagues and we saw it in a longer perspective”
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The economic development in the world today makes increased consumption of goods and travelling available for more people around the world than ever before. This results, however, also in increased production and spreading of substances that are hazardous both to human health and to the ecosystem globally. Therefore, education to increase knowledge, awareness, motivation, and action competence on all levels is important in the strategy for a sustainable development, which satisfies the basic human needs for all people without damaging the life support system of our planet.The challenge for universities is how to assure that their students are exposed to the questions that are relevant for sustainable development from the various disciplinary perspectives so that they will be able to make professional and private “sustainability-promoting” decisions in the future.The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the implementation of environmental management systems in universities and how the systems can be a tool in integrating sustainable development in higher education. The research is motivated by the fact that many Swedish universities have implemented environmental management systems and although there are many studies of environmental management systems in industry and some in public organisations, many features of their use in the university context are still poorly understood.The thesis presents an in-depth evaluation study of the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) in Swedish universities with comparisons to industry. Based on the evidence from the studies the main argument of the thesis is that the environmental management systems can indeed function as an effective means to integrate sustainable development in all university activities, including education. The regular audits required by a certified environmental management system keep the activities on the university agenda and provide opportunities for follow-up, for feedback and for further development. The emerging research on sustainable development can contribute to lifting sustainable development the on the academic agenda from different disciplinary perspectives. The study suggests also that, although internal factors are essential in the EMS implementation, without external follow-up and feedback, sustainable development risks remaining a policy among others without a real change in universities.
|
|
| 22. |
- Sammalisto, Kaisu
(författare)
-
Environmental Management Systems – a Way towards Sustainable Development in Universities
- 2007
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The economic development in the world today makes increased consumption of goods and travelling available for more people around the world than ever before. This results, however, also in increased production and spreading of substances that are hazardous both to human health and to the ecosystem globally. Therefore, education to increase knowledge, awareness, motivation, and action competence on all levels is important in the strategy for a sustainable development, which satisfies the basic human needs for all people without damaging the life support system of our planet. The challenge for universities is how to assure that their students are exposed to the questions that are relevant for sustainable development from the various disciplinary perspectives so that they will be able to make professional and private “sustainability-promoting” decisions in the future. The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the implementation of environmental management systems in universities and how the systems can be a tool in integrating sustainable development in higher education. The research is motivated by the fact that many Swedish universities have implemented environmental management systems and although there are many studies of environmental management systems in industry and some in public organisations, many features of their use in the university context are still poorly understood. The thesis presents an in-depth evaluation study of the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS) in Swedish universities with comparisons to industry. Based on the evidence from the studies the main argument of the thesis is that the environmental management systems can indeed function as an effective means to integrate sustainable development in all university activities, including education. The regular audits required by a certified environmental management system keep the activities on the university agenda and provide opportunities for follow-up, for feedback and for further development. The emerging research on sustainable development can contribute to lifting sustainable development the on the academic agenda from different disciplinary perspectives. The study suggests also that, although internal factors are essential in the EMS implementation, without external follow-up and feedback, sustainable development risks remaining a policy among others without a real change in universities.
|
|
| 23. |
- Sandin, Sofie
(författare)
-
Evaluating for a transition - Advancing evaluation of research and policy for a more sustainable energy system and society
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In response to global sustainability challenges, there are multiple public research andpolicy incentives being implemented to support a more sustainable energy system. These are aimed at advancing technology and innovation as well as guiding citizens tochange behaviour. But are those incentives accurately leading to a transition towards amore sustainable energy system and society?Evaluation of these incentives is key to addressing such a question, and such evaluations need to be able to provide knowledge that is oriented around transformative aspects and effects on system levels, and that is grounded in rigorous assessment approaches. The objective of this thesis is thus to advance knowledge on how the evaluation of research and policy incentives can be further developed to support a transition. The research presented will focus on Swedish evaluation practices of research and policy incentives aimed at energy efficiency in buildings. In order to provide foundations for how transformative evaluation can be designed and conducted, this thesis combines insights from transition research, evaluation theory, sociology of science, and policy analysis. In essence, transformative evaluation, as proposed in this thesis, will consist of two main tracks: it is transformative in that it departs from transition research; and it is rigorous and knowledge-based in that it supports assessments that build on and combine relevant evaluation-oriented insights. As such, transformative evaluation seeks to provide a broader approach that addresses the complexities of a systems-level perspective, and that contrasts and complements more traditional evaluation approaches that have a predominant orientation around the programme level.The review of the Swedish evaluation practices shows that evaluations are largely not currently used for, or focusing on, assessing transformative contributions. Key suggestions for advancing evaluation practices to support transformative insights include articulating the role of the evaluand in relation to societal goals and visions, heeding experimentation, and capitalizing on the learning that can be drawn from it. Suggestions for advancing evaluations towards rigorous and knowledge-based assessments include an increased application of triangulation, counterfactual analyses, and a wider variety of criteria than what is currently seen, including e.g. relevance, legitimacy, acceptability, adequacy, equity and responsiveness. A conclusion is that moving towards transformative evaluation can support both an alignment of research and policy instrument evaluations, as well as an understanding of cascading effects from individual research and policy incentives. In terms of adopting a transformative evaluation approach among Swedish state agencies, both benefits and challenges are noted by state representatives. Benefits include increased collaboration and enhanced evaluation use, while challenges relate to institutional and structural barriers, and issues surrounding agency and mandates to govern change processes.
|
|
| 24. |
- Smedby, Nora
(författare)
-
Local environmental governance: Assessing proactive initiatives in building energy efficiency
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Local governments are increasingly taking the initiative in environmental governance. But can they make any difference in addressing current environmental challenges, which are becoming more and more global in scope? This PhD thesis explores and analyses the outcomes of proactive initiatives in the field of building energy efficiency, and the governance approaches taken. It addresses outcomes both in the socio-technical system that constitutes the building, and in the institutional sphere. The overarching objective is to contribute to knowledge on the role of local initiatives in addressing current environmental challenges. The thesis focuses on a number of governance initiatives in the form of policies or strategic approaches in urban development projects in Sweden, and one in Denmark. The primary focus has been on proactive initiatives for enhancing the energy efficiency of new buildings. Through a case study approach, the research is based on a combination of methods for data collection, including document studies, interviews and participant observation to analyse the governance approaches in local governance initiatives and the different types of outcomes. A key finding is that the local governance initiatives investigated have played a role in environmental governance through outcomes across socio-technical systems and institutional spheres. The combination of different modes of governing, including authoritative and enabling modes of governing as well as governing by provision, was important for fostering the construction of more energy efficient buildings. Another important element in these governing processes was the active governing throughout the development process. In terms of institutional change, it was shown that relation-building and knowledge advancement were fostered successfully, while it was more difficult to actually mobilise for change. The research also showed how local initiatives are shaped by institutions at higher tiers of government and that the local initiatives also contributed to shaping institutions at the national level. Based on this, the thesis argues for national policy frameworks, which better capture the benefits of local frontrunners.
|
|
| 25. |
- Sonnenschein, Jonas
(författare)
-
Green growth and rapid decarbonisation? : Assessing policy objectives, instrument choice and behavioural mechanisms
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- After the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, significant policy and scientific attention has been given to ‘green growth’, which aims at the concurrent achievement of economic growth and GHG emissions reductions via de-coupling. Despite ambitious aims, there is a lack of empirical knowledge about the effects and the potential of green growth climate mitigation policies.This thesis aims at providing new policy-relevant understanding of how green growth climate mitigation policies can contribute towards rapid decarbonisation. The specific policies assessed in this thesis include green fiscal stimulus in the Republic of Korea, public financing for the development of low-carbon energy technologies in the Nordic countries, carbon pricing and minimum energy performance standards for electric appliances in the UK, and carbon pricing mechanisms for personal transport in Sweden with a focus on air ticket taxes. Methodologically, the thesis presents policy assessments that deploy a variety of mainly quantitative research methods. The analysis goes beyond short-term cost-effectiveness and takes into consideration a more behaviourally realistic model of decision-making in response to economic policy instruments.It is found that green growth climate policies have not yet driven the short-to mid-term decarbonisation needed to reach the targets of the Paris Agreement. This is explained by the strong economic growth objectives of green growth climate policies, by insufficient policy-stringency, and by the disregard of behavioural mechanisms (potentially) affecting policy outcomes. Regulatory policies may offer an effective alternative to economic incentives (carbon pricing in particular) in order to achieve a mitigation effect that is consistent with the targets of the Paris Agreement. Careful framing and targeting of carbon pricing can, however, increase its emissions reduction potential, and several behavioural factors are identified that may increase its policy acceptance and effectiveness. These findings confirm that a more integrated policy assessment approach is needed to support the design and implementation of green growth climate mitigation policies.The thesis underlines several policy implications. It shows thatthe simultaneous achievement of both economic and climate objectives is difficult in practice, particularly when policies are not stringent enough. Whereas innovations in low-carbon energy technologies are critical for decarbonisation, behavioural aspectsconcerning the adoption of LCET and sustainable energy use are equally important. Well-designed carbon pricing, both explicit and implicit, should be an important element of the green growth climate policy mix.
|
|
| 26. |
- Tepelus, Camelia
(författare)
-
Destination Unknown? The Emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development of Tourism
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation explores the nexus between sustainable tourism development and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It addresses the scope for CSR to promote sustainable tourism in an international development context. This objective was pursued by exploring three sub-questions: what tools have been used to stimulate social responsibility in tourism; how has ecotourism influenced social responsibility in tourism; and finally, how have various stakeholders approached CSR in tourism? These questions were investigated through case studies within three research cycles, and documented in six published, peer-reviewed articles. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, the author finds tourism to be lagging behind other industries in assuming a responsibility to mitigate its environmental and social impacts. Existent voluntary performance schemes for tourism sustainability, as well as alternative forms of tourism (ecotourism) are reviewed in order to identify their contributions to developing CSR in tourism. A significant deficiency of existent tools is identified in their neglect to address social impacts, especially the ones emerging in the contemporary context of globalization and trade liberalization in tourism.
|
|
| 27. |
|
|
| 28. |
- Leire, Charlotte
(författare)
-
Increasing the environmental and social sustainability in corporate purchasing: Practices and tools
- 2009
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Despite efforts to stimulate the dissemination of green purchasing practices, their uptake in business and industry has so far proven limited. Reasons for the limited progress remain largely unclear. One factor explored in this thesis, is the role of information in the operationalization and dissemination of green purchasing in organizations and supply chains. The importance of knowledge and information for the dissemination and operational possibility of green purchasing has until now remained under-examined in both academic and practitioner-based literature. The research presented in this thesis concentrates on the perspective of the purchasers. The research concludes that that green purchasing practices in private sector organizations in Sweden remain limited, and mainly focus products of strategic importance. The most common approach in applying environmental and social requirements is the supplier performance based approach. Few purchasers use, and are aware of, the range of information tools that are currently available. The obstacles among purchasing managers to use information tools in green purchasing seem to vary with the type of purchasing situation.
|
|
| 29. |
- Sammalisto, Kaisu
(författare)
-
Developing TQEM in SMEs : Management Systems Approach
- 2001
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in all economies today and although their individual environmental impact is often limited, their total impact can be said to be significant due to their sheer number. Environmental management is a way to reduce the impact, but the results obtained by implementing ISO 14001 vary. The point of departure for this dissertation is the hypothesis that, the way SME's differ from the larger companies can be advantageous, defined as the SME potential, and not merely a disadvantage for them. Different approaches to management system implementation are the indentified and discussed; the approach chosen is assumed to play an important role in the implementation process. It is concluded that a company can choose an approach to the management systems implementation, where much of its SME potential can be used, and in that way do a reat deal with its limited resources. What is essential is creating a more holistic view in the company, which can lead to development of Total Quality Environmental Management (TQEM) and sustainable business practices in the future
|
|
