Our planet is threatened by a rapidly changing climate, alarming resource depletion and a steadily rising population growth. This calls for intensified sustainable practices within businesses of all sizes and industries. In recent years this resulted in a wholly new model called the circular economy. Inherent to this is the Cradle to Cradle framework which seeks to design and create commodities in such a way that the impact on the environment, i.e. the carbon footprint is neutralised. Significant efforts are currently being undertaken in Europe and the United States in various sectors with a recent focus on transforming the fashion industry. The literature finds that that there is generally still little known in this area, there was barely any evidence of this change taking in New Zealand. The objective of this research is to explore this and to eventually build a theoretical understanding to what extent Cradle to Cradle plays a role within the fashion industry. This was achieved by employing the grounded theory method. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with owners-managers supplemented by secondary data such as sustainability reports. In line with grounded theory principles, open and selective coding, theoretical sampling and constant comparison were used to analyse all data within the Nvivo 10 Software. The theory showed that somewhat severe resource constraints and an occurring loss of transparency by outsourcing manufacturing operations to overseas locations impede the shift towards the circular economy at present. This research contributes to sustainable development literature by providing a comprehensive model of how the uptake of sustainable practices is influenced and dependent on multiple aspects and therefore fosters the understanding of a complex, intertwined and intransparent industry. Furthermore, this research benefits companies and business networks alike.

Idag är klimatfrågan ett av världens mest omtalade ämnen. Majoriteten av forskarna runt om i världen är eniga att klimatförändringen är direkt orsakad av oss människor. Detta har gett en insikt om att klimatförändringen är en av mänsklighetens största utmaningar som behöver tas på allvar. Därför behöver vi människor gemensamt enas och ta ansvar för globala lösningar. Idag är den linjära ekonomin klart dominerande, medan det nya motsatta systemet som benämns cirkulär ekonomi blir allt mer eftertraktat. Den cirkulära ekonomin är ett koncept som möjliggör miljöns välmående på ett hållbart sätt. Begreppet handlar om i korthet att återanvända och återvinna produkter, resurser och material på ett sätt som efterliknar naturens egna kretslopp. Begreppet cirkulär ekonomi är väldigt brett och därför har vi valt att avgränsa arbetet till material inom byggbranschen. Syftet med examensarbetet har därför varit att undersöka utmaningar och möjligheter för implementering av cirkulär ekonomi inom byggbranschen. De frågor vi valt att titta närmre på är: Vad finns det för verktyg som kan bidra till cirkulär ekonomi i byggbranschen? Hur arbetar en stor svensk exploatör idag med cirkulär ekonomi? Vi har använt en kvalitativ forskningsmetod för att kunna fördjupa oss inom ämnet. Arbetet består till en stor del av litteraturstudien som bygger på webbkällor med hög trovärdighet. Vi har även intervjuat flera specialister på Riksbyggen. Vi har varit källkritiska och tagit hänsyn till aspekter såsom validitet, reliabilitet och variabilitet. Resultatet tar fram både privata och statliga verktyg men även olika miljöcertifieringar, som är relevanta inom byggbranschen i förhållande till cirkulär ekonomi. De olika verktyg och miljöcertifieringar fungerar på liknande sätt och alla framförs i syfte att främja den cirkulära ekonomin inom byggbranschen. Verktygen som nämns i rapporten har gett goda resultat och etableras mer i byggbranschen. Dock täcker inte ett verktyg eller miljöcertifiering alla aspekter inom cirkulär ekonomi, utan de fungerar bra som utgångspunkter. För att uppnå goda resultat krävs det att man kombinerar olika verktyg eftersom de kompletterar varandra. Slutsatsen är att det är mer effektivt att kombinera de olika verktygen. Detta för att täcka upp fler aspekter inom cirkulär ekonomi. Med god kunskap inom området och effektiv kommunikation mellan aktörer, optimeras resultatet. Därför är ett gott samarbete nyckeln till framgång. / Today, the climate issue is one of the world's most talked about topics. The majority of scientists around the world agree that climate change is directly caused by us humans. This has given us an insight that climate change is one of humanity's greatest challenges that needs to be taken seriously. That is why we need people to come together and take responsibility for global solutions. The linear economy is today clearly dominant, while the new opposite system called circular economy is becoming more sought after. The circular economy is a concept that enables the environment's wellbeing in a sustainable way. In short, the concept is to reuse and recycle products, resources and materials in a way that mimics the nature's own cycle. The notion of circular economics is very broad and that is why we have chosen to limit the work to materials in the construction industry. The purpose of the thesis has therefore been to explore challenges and opportunities for implementing circular economics in the construction industry. The question formulations we have chosen to look at are; What tools are there that can contribute to circular economy in the construction industry? How does a large Swedish operator work with circular economy today? We have used a qualitative research method where we have been able to immerse ourselves in the subject. The work consists largely of the literature study, which is based on sources from various websites with high credibility. We have also interviewed employees at Riksbyggen. We have been critical to sources and have taken into consideration of aspects such as validity, reliability and variability. The result produces both private and government tools as well as various environmental certifications, which are relevant in the construction industry regarding circular economy. The various tools and environmental certifications produced work in a similar way, and all are presented with the aim of promoting the circular economy in the construction industry. The tools mentioned in the report have produced good results and are more established in the construction industry. However, a tool or environmental certification does not cover the entire area of circular economics, but they work well as a starting point. To achieve good results, it is necessary to combine different tools since they complement each other. The conclusion is that it is more efficient to combine the different tools. This is to cover more aspects of the circular economy. With good knowledge in the subject and effective communication between partners, the result is optimized. Therefore, good cooperation is the key to success.

This study has been carried out at Klättermusen, a Swedish company producing outdoor clothingand equipment with a focus on durability, safety, function and environment. The purpose of thethesis was to investigate if Klättermusen should use Cradle to Cradle (C2C) in their sustainabilitywork. This was reviewed by studying the working procedure, by making a case study, byinvestigating if there are alternative ways to practise C2C, by studying the weak points of theC2C-certification and by investigating the compatibility with other sustainability tools.The C2C vision is inspired by the ecosystems and is based on the three rules Waste equals food, Usecurrent solar income and Celebrate diversity. An important aspect of C2C is the focus on attaining apositive impact on humans and the environment instead of doing things less bad by minimizingemissions. To make it possible for companies to communicate their effort and progress to theircustomers and become more competitive a C2C certification has been elaborated. The core ofthe certification is an assessment of the materials included in the product to make sure they aresecure, healthy and recyclable. Other parts included in the certification are energy, water andsocial aspects.When studying the C2C certification three of Klättermusen’s products were used as references.To certify these products Klättermusen has to gather information from their suppliers and makestrategies regarding Materials, Material Reutilization, Energy, Water and Social Responsibility. Forexample all the substances that contained in the garment at a concentration of at least 0.01 %must be reported, which means that all suppliers must be requested to list their substances. Thecertification cost of a pair of pants investigated in this study was estimated to 54 500 €.An assessment was made to find alternative ways to practise C2C and identify weak points of theC2C certification. It is based on interviews held with Jenny Pfau working for EPEA and threepersons in contact with C2C in their work; Kjersti Kviseth, Magnus Hedenmark and RichardBlume. According to Jenny Pfau Klättermusen can practise C2C by making a screening, a detailedassessment or a workshop. Both Magnus Hedenmark and Richard Blume practise the frameworkof The Natural Step and think that the C2C certification should be used as a tool within theframework. Some weak points found by these persons in the certification are that it is timeconsuming,not transparent enough and lack of a systems perspective.The C2C certification was compared with bluesign, a sustainability standard for the textileindustry, and Eco Index, a sustainability tool made for the outdoor industry. The purpose was toinvestigate if the C2C certification is compatible with other tools and the compared aspects weremainly lifecycle stages, impact categories and level of detail, but also purpose, procedure,workload, required knowledge and experience, cost, credibility and transparency.Both strengths and weaknesses were found when studying the C2C certification. It has got apositive approach to sustainability and develops safe products from a chemical perspective buthas a lack of systems perspective, is costly and time-consuming. The compatibility of the toolswas discussed with the comparison as a basis. Eco Index is modular and could be adjusted tocomplement the C2C certification but both tools have a big workload. bluesign and the C2Ccertification include the same lifecycle stages but have different strengths, which could makethem complementing each but possibly contradictive.Klättermusen is recommended to make a sustainability vision of their future products and thenchoose which tools to use. Since Klättermusen is already a bluesign system partner it could be agood idea to complement bluesign with Eco Index and C2C, but this choice should depend onthe future vision.

Dagens samhälle präglas av en linjär ekonomi som resulterar i utarmning av jordens resurser och ökande avfallsmängder. Cirkulär ekonomi är en alternativ modell till den linjära ekonomin som syftar till cirkulerande flöden av resurser och en övergång till hållbara energikällor. Denna studie undersöker hur och varför svenska kommuner arbetar med cirkulär ekonomi, vilka förutsättningar som krävs för en implementering samt vilka drivkrafter och svårigheter som identifierats i arbetet med att påbörja en implementering av cirkulär ekonomi. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med tjänstemän som varit aktiva inom kommunala projekt som har en koppling till cirkulär ekonomi. Resultatet visar att de främsta drivkrafterna för en kommun att implementera cirkulär ekonomi är att jordens resurser håller på att utarmas och att det därför krävs förändrade resursflöden för att nå ett gott hållbarhetsarbete. Minskade avfallsmängder och att cirkulär ekonomi är nytänkande när det kommer till att se lösningar för dagens miljöproblem är andra drivkrafter som identifierats. Viktiga förutsättningar som krävs för en övergång mot cirkulär ekonomi på lokal nivå är politiskt stöd, finansiering, kunskapsspridning, god samverkan samt goda exempel.

Global urbanization trends and climate changes result in a significant pressure for a future development of urban areas. The construction industry can play a primary role in addressing some of the challenges, but in order to make it happen, the phases of design, construction, use and deconstructio of a building should meet the criteria of sustainability. The closed loop approach can help the construction industry to move in the right direction.  This thesis analysis the closed loop approach to identify its potential contribution in solving the sustainability challenges in urban areas, as well as explores the key aspects helping or hindering the implementation of the approach. The methods used for the research include the framework for strategic sustainable development, case study analysis and interviews with experts in the field. The research exposed several gaps in the use of the approach moving towards sustainability, mainly due to the fact that the unique and shared definition of it is missing and neither actions nor tools are suggested for a successful implementation of the approach. Main barriers are related to the material choice, flexibility of the design, communication and legislation aspects, work with supply chain and interaction with stakeholders. Nonetheless most of them are also seen as potential enablers. Recommendations are provided to help overcoming the existing barriers and valorizing the key enablers, but the clear definition of the approach is necessary to exploit potentialitie of the closed loop approach.

The development of society calls for a new approach to traditional building systems, which no longer meet the demands of today's society. This is mainly manifested in the following points: 1. Traditional buildings, when decayed, generate a large amount of construction waste, which occupies more land and resources in the form of landfills. New buildings should aim to minimize or eliminate construction waste generation, thus reducing environmental damage. The transformation of buildings from "Cradle to Grave" to "Cradle to Cradle." 2. Different ages, social roles, and professions require varying building functionalities and sizes. Buildings should be adaptable to meet these diverse needs. 3. Buildings should not be permanently fixed to a single location but should be in a continuous process of change, even to the extent of being movable. 4. Buildings should have a growth and transformation process, where components can be recycled and reused, similar to how chemical elements can cycle naturally in the environment. 5. Buildings should be designed for rapid transport, assembly, and disassembly. They should not require specialized construction workers for installation. This is in contrast to traditional buildings with long construction periods, poor construction quality, and high levels of complexity. 6. Building design should be simplified and modular, allowing for quick achievement of aesthetic, functional, safety, and livability requirements. Owners should be able to participate in the design process, enabling them to meet their own usage and living needs. This approach differs from traditional building design, which requires extensive involvement from trained architects and engineers, resulting in higher construction costs and resource consumption. 7. New recycling houses should be adaptable for various functions and building types, such as houses, apartments, townhouses, offices, affordable housing, single-story or multi-story buildings, and even high-rise structures. 8. In summary, the concept of recycling houses aligns with the need for sustainable and adaptable buildings that minimize waste, accommodate diverse needs, promote ease of construction, and allow for resource conservation. / Master of Architecture / The development of society calls for a new approach to traditional building systems, which no longer meet the demands of today's society. This is mainly manifested in the following points: 1. Traditional buildings, when decayed, generate a large amount of construction waste, which occupies more land and resources in the form of landfills. New buildings should aim to minimize or eliminate construction waste generation, thus reducing environmental damage. The transformation of buildings from "Cradle to Grave" to "Cradle to Cradle." 2. Different ages, social roles, and professions require varying building functionalities and sizes. Buildings should be adaptable to meet these diverse needs. 3. Buildings should not be permanently fixed to a single location but should be in a continuous process of change, even to the extent of being movable. 4. Buildings should have a growth and transformation process, where components can be recycled and reused, similar to how chemical elements can cycle naturally in the environment. 5. Buildings should be designed for rapid transport, assembly, and disassembly. They should not require specialized construction workers for installation. This is in contrast to traditional buildings with long construction periods, poor construction quality, and high levels of complexity. 6. Building design should be simplified and modular, allowing for quick achievement of aesthetic, functional, safety, and livability requirements. Owners should be able to participate in the design process, enabling them to meet their own usage and living needs. This approach differs from traditional building design, which requires extensive involvement from trained architects and engineers, resulting in higher construction costs and resource consumption. 7. New recycling houses should be adaptable for various functions and building types, such as houses, apartments, townhouses, offices, affordable housing, single-story or multi-story buildings, and even high-rise structures. 8. In summary, the concept of recycling houses aligns with the need for sustainable and adaptable buildings that minimize waste, accommodate diverse needs, promote ease of construction, and allow for resource conservation.

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Denna studies fokus ligger vid de miljöcertifieringar och miljömärkningar som används av tryckerier som ligger i Malmö- och Köpenhamnsområdet. Syftet är dels att skapa en djupare förståelse dels för vilka faktorer som spelar in då ett tryckeri miljöcertifieras, samt att bidra med kunskap om vad en certifiering så som Cradle to Cradle skulle bidra med i förhållande till de miljöcertifieringar som idag är mer etablerade inom grafisk industri. Kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från fem tryckerier genomfördes. Utöver dessa analyserades kravdokument av de av studien berörda miljöcertifieringarna. Resultaten visar att det finns flera olika anledningar som ligger till grund för att implementera en miljöcertifiering. Gemensamt för de medelstora och stora tryckerierna är dock att de kommunicerar ökade kundkrav som en bidragande orsak till valet att certifiera tryckeriet. Resultaten visar även att en certifiering enligt Cradle to Cradle är mer omfattande samt kostsam än de idag redan etablerade miljöcertifieringarna och miljömärkningarna. / This thesis focuses on the environmental management systems and eco-labels that are used in the printing industry. The aim is to get a deeper understanding of if and why environmental management systems and eco labels are implemented into printing firms. The thesis also aims to compare the Cradle to Cradle model with other environmental management systems and eco- labels used in the printing industry. Qualitative interviews with five printing firms in the Malmö and Copenhagen region was conducted through which empirical data was gathered. The result of the study show that there are a number of different reasons why environmental management systems and eco-labels are implemented but increasing demands from customers seems to be a driving force among medium sized companies.

Bakgrund: Under senare år har cirkulär ekonomi fått allt större uppmärksamhet som ett lovande koncept för att öka den globala hållbarheten och motverka resursbrist. På organisationsnivå handlar arbete mot en cirkulär ekonomi, cirkulärt arbete, om att följa nya principer för att bedriva hållbarhetsarbete och en möjlighet att förena detta med ekonomiska fördelar. Cirkulärt arbete kan därför förväntas skilja mellan offentliga och privata organisationer. Konceptet innebär också att nya mål formuleras och nya strategier används för att nå dessa, varför den formella ekonomistyrningen kan komma att behöva anpassas till det cirkulära arbetet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att förklara hur offentliga respektive privata organisationer kan arbeta cirkulärt samt hur och varför formell ekonomistyrning anpassas till cirkulärt arbete. Detta för att bidra med kunskap till organisationer som vill utveckla en mer cirkulär verksamhet samt för att göra ett teoretiskt bidrag till forskningen om cirkulär ekonomi i organisationer och formell ekonomistyrning i cirkulärt arbete. Metod: Studiens metod är en tvåfallsstudie i en offentlig respektive en privat organisation. Slutsatser: Studiens slutsatser är att cirkulärt arbete i offentliga organisationer riktas mycket mot utveckling av cirkulär ekonomi i samhället samt att privata organisationer försöker förena hållbarhetsansvar med ekonomiska fördelar genom att utnyttja resurser i högre utsträckning samt förbereda sig inför ett samhälle som stödjer cirkulär ekonomi. Det cirkulära arbetet kan också skilja på grund av organisationens förutsättningar. Den formella ekonomistyrningen anpassas främst genom man försöker påverka medarbetare till att engagera sig i cirkulärt arbete. Vidare krävs tydligare planering samt nya mått för att driva och utvärdera det cirkulära arbetet. Planering och beslutsfattande kräver också en ökad detaljnivå och ett längre tidsperspektiv i styrning mot cirkulärt arbete. / Background: In recent years, circular economy has gained increased attention as a promising concept for global sustainability and solution for resource scarcity. Moving towards a circular economy in organizations is about following new principles for increased sustainability which can lead to economic benefits. The work towards a more circular organization may differ between public and private organizations. The concept also leads to new goals and strategies, which may lead to a need for the formal management accounting and control to be adapted in organizations that adopt the concept. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain how public and private organizations can work towards a circular economy and how and why formal management accounting and control is adapted to this work. This can lead to a contribution of knowledge for organizations that want to adopt the concept and a theoretical contribution about circular economy in organizations and formal management accounting and control. Method: The method is a case study in two cases: one public and one private organization. Conclusions: The conclusions of this study are that public organizations aim for a development of circular economy on a societal level and private organizations try to accommodate social responsibilities with economic benefits by increasing recourse utility and prepare for a society where circular activities are supported. Preconditions in organizations determines what circular activities are possible. The formal management accounting and control has been adapted mainly in cultural controls to engage co-workers. Clear goals and measures are developed to drive and evaluate the circular work. Planning and decision-making are also more detailed and have longer time perspectives.

This report describes how a car sun visor can be designed in order to meet a sustainability certification called Cradle to Cradle Certified® (C2C). The thesis is a final project for the university program Mechanical Engineering: Product Development and Design at School of engineering, Jönköping University. The thesis is in a collaboration with Polestar, a performance electric car brand with the goal to build sustainable electric cars and help create a sustainable society. One way to take this sustainability work forward is to apply C2C certifications to their products. The aim of the project was therefore to present how a sun visor from a Polestar model would meet the C2C requirements, and to develop a concept and prototype that can potentially receive a C2C certification. The project also aimed to present important conclusions about how C2C affects the product development process. The project was divided into two main sections, one deeper study of C2C and one conceptual design study. The work began with examining the structure and requirements of C2C. These were then compared to Polestar’s sun visor. Several product development phases were carried out with Bootcamp bootleg and the C2C process to develop concepts that could meet C2C´s and Polestar´s requirements. The concepts were then presented to a focus group in order to select a concept for further development. The result is a conceptual sun visor that is well adapted for C2C. The concept has a big focus on sustainable and safe materials, functions for circularity, with an extra focus on a simple disassembly process. According to the project group, the concept is assessed to possess the potential for the third highest ranking in the C2C certification. The project also resulted in a prototype to present the concept, functions and materials. / I denna rapport redovisas hur solskyddet i en bil kan designas i syfte att uppfylla en hållbarhetscertifiering kallad Cradle to Cradle Certified® (C2C). Examensarbetet är ett slutprojekt för högskoleprogrammet Maskinteknik: Produktutveckling och design vid Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping. Examensarbetet genomförs i samarbete med Polestar, ett prestanda elbilsmärke som arbetar med att skapa hållbara elbilar för att bidra till ett hållbart samhälle. Ett sätt att föra detta hållbarhetsarbete framåt, är att tillämpa C2C-certifieringar på sina produkter. Målet med projektet blev därför att presentera hur ett solskydd från en Polestar modell uppfyller C2C-kraven, samt att ta fram ett koncept och prototyp som potentiellt kan få en C2C-certifiering. Projektet syftade även till att presentera viktiga slutsatser om hur C2C påverkar produktutvecklingsprocessen. Projektet delades in i två huvuddelar, en djupare studie av C2C och en konceptuell designstudie. Arbetet började med att undersöka uppbyggnaden samt kraven för C2C. Dessa jämfördes sedan mot Polestars solskydd. Flera produktutvecklingsfaser genomfördes med Bootcamp bootleg- och C2C processen för att ta fram koncept som kunde möta kraven från C2C och Polestar. Dessa presenterades sedan för en fokusgrupp i syfte att välja ut ett koncept att utveckla vidare. Resultatet är ett konceptuellt solskydd som är väl anpassat för C2C. Konceptet har stort fokus på hållbara och säkra material, gedigna funktioner för cirkuläritet, med ett extra fokus på en enkel demonteringsprocess. Konceptet bedöms enligt projektgruppen besitta potentialen för den tredje högsta rankingen i C2C certifieringen. Projektet resulterade även i en fysisk prototyp för att presentera konceptet, funktioner och material.