Rapporten beskriver utförandet av ett examensarbete på högskoleingenjörsnivå. Arbetet utfördes på företaget WA3RM AB, vars affärsidé är att skapa värde från industriers outnyttjade resurser, genom att knyta samman olika aktörer och uppnå cirkulär ekonomi med syftet att minska klimatpåverkan och uppnå de globala målen för hållbar utveckling. WA3RM upplevde att arbetssätt i produktutvecklingsprojekt behövde kartläggas eftersom företaget i framtiden ville industrialisera fler produkter. Som ett led i WA3RM:s kartläggning av produktutvecklingsprojekt var examensarbetets syfte att skapa en process för konceptval i produktutvecklingsprojekt. Processen utformades efter WA3RM:s behov och examensarbetets mål var att besvara hur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv kan införas i fasen för konceptval i produktutvecklingsprojekt. Examensarbetet har skett med stöd av metoden Plan, Do, Check, Act, med syftet att strukturera och dela upp arbetet i delproblem. Problemområde och avgränsningar definierades och en kartläggning på företaget gjordes. Det gjordes en litteraturstudie utifrån kartläggningens resultat där verktyg och stöd för metoder identifierades till det slutliga förslaget, en process för konceptval. I kartläggningen identifierades tre huvudområden, krav & mål, hållbarhet samt cirkulärekonomi, vilka utgjorde grunden för litteraturstudien och förslaget, processen för konceptval.Processen för konceptval utgörs av fyra faser, där applikationer sorteras ut, rangordnas, kombineras till olika produkter, vilka slutligen rangordnas. I slutet av processen ska projektgruppen ha ett diskussionsunderlag som stöd för rekommendation till organisationen om konceptval för vidareutveckling i produktutvecklingsprojekt. En slutsats av examensarbetet var att metoderna och verktygen i processen ger möjlighet för att ta hänsyn till hållbarhetsperspektiv. Det anses dock viktigt att ta hänsyn till andra perspektivsom marknad och finansiering för att utveckla realiserbara och konkurrenskraftiga produkter, så att WA3RM kan fortsätta industrialisera produkter som minskar klimatpåverkan och inspirerar fler aktörer. / This report describes the execution of a bachelor's thesis. The work was conducted at the company WA3RM AB, whose business idea is to create value from unused resources in industries by connecting various stakeholders and achieving circular economy with the aim of reducing climate impact and achieving the global goals for sustainable development. WA3RM identified the need to map the work processes in product development projects, as the company intends to industrialize more products in the future. As part of WA3RM:s mapping of product development projects, the purpose of the thesis work was to create a process for concept selection in product development projects. The process was adapted to WA3RM:s needs, and the goal of the thesis work was to answer how a sustainability perspective can be established in the concept selection phase of product development projects. The thesis work was conducted using the Plan, Do, Check, Act method to structure and divide the work into sub-problems. Problem areas and limitations were defined and a mapping at the company was performed. A literature review was conducted based on the results of the mapping to identify tools and methods for the final proposal, the concept selection process. The mapping identified three main areas: requirements and goals, sustainability, and circular economy, which formed the basis for the literature review and the proposal, the concept selection process. The concept selection process consists of four phases, where applications are divided, ranked, generated to products, and finally ranked again. At the end of the process, the project team should have a basis for discussion to provide recommendations to the organization, regarding concept selection for further development in product development projects. A conclusion drawn from the thesis work was that the methods and tools in the process allows for consideration of sustainability aspects. However, it is important to consider other perspectives such as market and financing to develop feasible and competitive products, so that WA3RM can continue to industrialize products that reduce climate impact and inspire more stakeholders.

The Circular Economy is a growing research field and policy agenda. Yet, integrating the social dimensions of sustainability into the Circular Economy remains a challenge. The significance of reactions to an implemented Circular Economy is poorly understood.  Contrary to the narrative that consumer demand shapes supply, affordance theory stresses the significance of considering the exogenous physical context that shapes user decisions. Building on affordance theory and insights from the social sciences, this study develops an agent-based model, TransportTransform, to analyse the interactions of the individual-, meso-, and system-levels. The agent-based model connects individual mobility choices with network decision-making mechanisms. Looking at user decision-making on transportation modes, the model yields insights into the interaction of mode occupancy and social norms to assess system patterns of user behaviour. The model design was informed by eleven interviews with researchers in the field and is initialized with data from an empirical survey conducted in Germany. The TransportTransform agent-based model confirms the importance of affordances as an important factor in modal choice. Model results show the relevance of including habitual behaviour when modelling transport mode choice, with the car being the most popular mode, followed by biking and public transport. Incorporating mode occupancy significantly reduces car usage, offering potential policy avenues for redirecting mode capacities towards desired modes. The impact of social norms on mode choice was less pronounced, highlighting the need to further explore norm internalisation and the indirect effects of social norms in future model iterations. The study emphasizes the need for further model expansions to better understand the impact of Circular Economy policies on user decision-making. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering the social dimensions of sustainability in the Circular Economy and provides a valuable framework and implemented agent-based model for analysing user behaviour in this context.

Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to identify Swedish foundries’ challenges regarding circularity and sustainability demands and explore how SME foundries can be more sustainable and circular. Method: The research approach used in this study is an exploratory multiple-case study. The research questions are answered by using qualitative data through interviews and observations as data collection methods. Findings: The study’s findings present many challenges for Swedish foundries. The main challenges identified are fluctuations in demand, Just-in-Time, extra transports, and the availability of suitable supply chain partners. The challenge of demand fluctuations for SME foundries resulted in a recommendation on how SMEs can face the challenge. The recommendation aims to reallocate capacity by warehousing, followed by increasing communication in the supply chain. The study concludes that Swedish foundries are far from achieving circular supply chains but strive for sustainable foundries. Practical Implications: Organizations could use this thesis as a point of reference to compare and reflect on their foundry operations. Since SMEs are targeted for facing challenges in the industry, practical implications could provide a recommendation for organizations and managers in the foundry industry to collaborate more efficiently with OEMs. Theoretical Implications: This study contributes to the existing knowledge with a new perspective as the challenges connected to sustainability and circularity have been a gap for academia in the foundry industry. Delimitations: This thesis delimitates within the supply chain of one SME and two OEMs in the Swedish foundry industry. The SME’s role in the supply chain is a supplier of casted components, while the OEMs are both a producer of castings and a customer of components. The areas within the supply chain studied are castings, materials, logistics, production, and sustainability & circularity.

Businesses are gradually extending their attention towards including sustainability activities in their business practices. Current linear approaches are outdated and new long-term sustainable options are being investigated. Circular economy (CE) has gained momentum during the past few years after the publication of a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2013. Since then, scientific articles have presented different aspects of the concept, proposing various frameworks on how to address circular product design or circular business models. However, a framework visualizing CE from a holistic perspective and how it should be implemented is lacking. Therefore, this master’s thesis aims at developing a practically applicable framework for CE on a strategic level, as well as a tool for implementing circularity practices in an organization. Since large manufacturing industries seem to find it especially difficult to change from linear to circularity practices, the focus of this study will be on large manufacturing companies. Previous literature within the area was analyzed to interpret existing findings and to enable a creation of a new holistic CE framework. A case study was carried out to enable analyzing theoretical findings with a practical case. The conducted studies resulted in the development of a holistic CE framework, presenting areas necessary to address to accomplish a successful CE implementation. An implementation model was also developed, based on the stage-gate process, as well as the British Standard for implementing CE. The case study results show a status quo based on categories within the developed CE framework. The proposed implementation tool along with three defined focus areas to guide the case company’s continued transition was defined as 1) to introduce product-service systems to close resource loops and increase control of company resources, 2) to improve organizational culture to increase knowledge and thereby also the company’s market position, and 3) to establish product-focused partnerships to strengthen value chain relations.

Undersökningen syftar till att ge en bild av vilka förutsättningar och möjligheter det finns för uppförande av en försorteringsanläggning där plasten i avfallet kan sorteras ut. Detta sker genom att undersöka ekonomiska besparingar genom minskat behov av utsläppsrätter, identifiera lämplig utsorteringsteknik, utreda hur avsättningen för utsorterad plast kan se ut genom att identifiera potentiella mottagare samt kostnader för avsättning och transport. Undersökningen tyder på att NIR-teknik är den mest lämpliga för en försorteringsanläggning. Med Svensk Plaståtervinning som mottagare beräknas en framtida försorteringsanläggning kunna minska mängden plast som går till förbränning med 48%. Detta motsvarar en kostnadsbesparing i utsläppsrätter på 7 670 000 kr per år med dagens utsläppsrättspriser och 9 850 000 kronor per år med estimerade värden för framtidens utsläppsrättspriser. En medförd årlig transportkostnad av den utsorterade plasten till mottagare beräknas uppgå på 632 000 kronor per år. Det finns idag ett flertal potentiella mottagare av den utsorterade plasten men ett pris för denna hantering är svårt att få och kräver vidare utredning och diskussion. Ett ungefärligt europeiskt marknadspris för hantering av utsorterad förpackningsplast är givet till cirka 250 €/ton.

This thesis sits at the relationship between an architecture, and the landscape that produces and is produced by that architecture, recognising that the way we build is often profoundly damaging to the land and its inhabitants, not only at the site of construction but across a vast network of extraction, transportation and processing. We need a new material culture that rethinks of the built environment as an extension of the wider ecosystem and social context, able to be maintained in good health through a symbiotic, seasonal and regenerative cycle of matter and energy.  The project uses an architectural proposal for collective living in the countryside, to explore how rural areas - responsible for the majority of our resource production - could set a precedent for new patterns of resource consumption and practice a Convivial* Construction.  *where conviviality is the building of long lasting, engaging and open ended relationships with non-humans and ecologies (Buscher & Fletcher, 2021)

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to explore the required criteria for sharing an electric machine and explore how PSS as a BM could be adapted to share an electric machine. This resulted in the following research questions: 1. From the customers’ perspective, what are the criteria for changing the ownership of an electric machine?  2. How could PSS as a business model be adapted to share an electric machine?  This study was of a qualitative nature based on an abductive approach. This enabled interaction between the theoretical framework and empirical findings. The theory was mainly based on scientific articles and the study was limited to investigating one organisation, which is described as a case study. Empirical data collection was conducted through five semi- structured interviews with customers from Industry A and three unstructured interviews with employees from the case organisation.   In the first research question, the most discussed and mentioned criteria from the customers during the semi-structured interviews were the economic gain, service quality, and accessibility. In the second research question, scenario 3, out of the five presented scenarios, is the one that could mostly be adapted to share an electric machine.

This research investigates whether the implementation of a curbside recycling system has an effect on the behavior of households with regard to the recycling of packaging material in Sweden. Previous research presented in the literature points out that the decision to engage in recycling behavior, rather than free-riding on the contributions of others, is based on the perceived contribution of others. Complying with social norms and the experience of warm-glow constitute forms of utility that are derived from engaging in recycling behavior. The recyclable packaging materials glass, paper, plastic, and metal, as well as the total of these materials, are considered in this study. Recycling data from 247 municipalities for the years 2010-2020 are used to research this topic. The analysis is carried out using a difference-in-difference model with multiple time periods and a model presented by Callaway and Sant’Anna. A positive and significant change in household recycling was found for plastic packaging waste, amounting to an average increase of 1.57-2.92 kilograms per resident per year when the curbside recycling system was introduced. The change in recycling was also positive for paper, but this result was not robust to changes in the original model specification. Significant increases in recycling were found for total recycling, glass, and metal as well. However, it is considered uncertain whether the identifying assumptions that have to be fulfilled to establish causality of the results are satisfied. The introduction of a curbside recycling system increases household recycling because the time and effort that are required to recycle decrease. The results presented in this study are in line with this notion.

Plastics have become an integral part of modern life and global use is expected to grow almost two- fold until 2040. 40% of European demand for plastic raw materials is driven by the packaging industry and being a cheap material, focus on waste management has historically been neglected. Sweden introduced a law on extended producer responsibility in 1994, due to which a national recycling system for plastic packaging was introduced, arranged by the producer owned organisation FTI. By 2017, official data stated that the national recycling rate reached 46%, surpassing the target of 30% recycling. However, this figure has been disputed by both governmental and industry reports stating that the true recycling rate could be as low as 14%. With stricter recycling targets arriving in the upcoming decade, framed by the EU circular economy package, new strategies for managing plastic packaging waste are needed.  Alongside the recycling system arranged by FTI, Sweden also has a national deposit return system for the collection of PET bottles. This system continuously generates higher recycling rates than the FTI system, and extending the deposit return system to include other types of plastic packaging could be a way of reaching future targets for plastic packaging recycling. This thesis aims to evaluate the environmental impact of an extended deposit return system in a comparative LCA, with the recycling system organised by FTI as a baseline scenario (S0). Two scenarios with an extended deposit return system have been developed; one based on the current system for PET bottles with national collection (S1), and one based on reuse practices on a local scale, with take-away packaging from restaurants and cafés (S2). The LCA focuses on three impact categories related to circular economy targets – global warming, terrestrial ecotoxicity and fossil resource scarcity. With little previous research on extended deposit return systems and reuse practices in a Swedish setting, this thesis is a first attempt to explore possible extended deposit return system configurations and their associated environmental impacts.  The results show that S2 generates the lowest environmental impact in the analysed impact categories, whereas S0 generates the highest environmental impact in the analysed impact categories. Production of virgin packaging and incineration of waste packaging are the most contributing processes toward global warming results. For terrestrial ecotoxicity, incineration of packaging along with break wear emissions from transports contributes most. For fossil resource scarcity, production of virgin plastic granulate is the most contributing process.  To reduce the environmental impact of plastic management in Sweden, the results highlight the importance of lowering demand for virgin plastic packaging production and minimising incineration of waste plastic packaging. This can be achieved by increasing reuse practices, increasing collection rates and facilitating greater recycling rates by improving packaging design. An additional conclusion is that access to regional and site-specific data needs to be better, to increase the reliability of studies of Swedish waste management systems. / Användningen av plast har ökat explosionsartat under de senaste 70 åren och är idag en oumbärlig del av samhället. Nära 40% av plastråvaran i Europa går till plastförpackningar, men endast en mindre del av materialet återanvänds eller återvinns på årsbasis. Både inom politik och näringsliv diskuteras därför nya mål för återvinning, för ökad resurseffektivitet och minskad miljöpåverkan. I Sverige har ett producentansvarssystem, samordnat av FTI, funnits för insamling och återvinning av plastförpackningar sedan mitten av 90-talet, och nuvarande mål för plastförpackningsåtervinning är 30%. Den officiellt sammanställda statistiken visar att materialåtervinningsmålet uppnås, men på senare år har flera studier uppmärksammat att det råder dålig förståelse av flödet av plaster i Sverige, och att materialåtervinningsgraden i själva verket kan vara så låg som 14%.  Som ett parallellt insamlingssystem i Sverige finns pantsystemet, dit enbart flaskor av PET får lämnas. Pantsystemet har en högre återvinningsgrad än det system som ordnas av FTI och en utökning av pantsystemet till att inkludera andra typer av plastförpackningar kan vara en möjlig väg öka materialåtervinningsgraden för plastförpackningar i Sverige. Syftet med den här studien är att utvärdera miljöpåverkan från ett utökat pantsystem jämfört med nuvarande system som ordnas av FTI i en jämförande livscykelanalys. FTI:s återvinningssystem har modellerats som ett basscenario (S0). Två scenarier för ett utökat pantsystem har tagits fram, ett på nationell nivå baserat på det nuvarande pantsystemet (S1), och ett som fokuserar på återanvändning av plastförpackningar på lokal nivå (S2). Studien fokuserar på tre effektkategorier som relaterar till övergripande mål inom cirkulär ekonomi – global uppvärmning, marktoxicitet samt användning av fossila resurser.  Resultaten visar att S2 har lägst påverkan i de tre undersökta effektkategorierna, samtidigt som S0 har högst miljöpåverkan i de tre undersökta effektkategorierna. De processer som bidrar mest till effektkategorin global uppvärmning är tillverkning och avfallsförbränning av plastförpackningar. För marktoxicitet bidrar partikelutsläpp från lastbilars bromsar vid transport tillsammans med förbränning av plastförpackningar mest. För användning av fossila resurser är tillverkning av plastgranulat den största bidragande processen. De åtgärder som gör mest nytta i förhållande till att minska miljöpåverkan från hanteringen av plastförpackningar är minskad efterfrågan på plastgranulat genom återanvändning, att undvika förbränning av plastförpackningar genom ökad insamling samt att förbättra möjligheterna till materialåtervinning genom bättre förpackningsdesign.