Title: How can circular economy contribute to social sustainability on a district level? Social sustainability is an idea that is key in further developing sustainability programs which highlights the importance of the actions of individuals in society. In the process of determining whether circular economy can contribute to social sustainability on a district level, two important theories were identified; social capital and place-based identity. This was due to the fact that they embody the major aspects that make up social sustainability. The theories will be studied by analyzing literature and an interview to strengthen the facts taken from the studied literature. The thesis concerns the concepts sustainable development, planetary boundaries, Doughnut Economics, regenerative cities and Doughnut Districts that together create a context for the further analysis regarding circular economy, social capital and place-based identity. These theories are the main focus of the study, and will therefore be studied more thoroughly. In this thesis, sustainable development is defined as the kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The theory of Doughnut Economics encompasses key limiting factors such as the limited natural resources available and the power of social behaviour, which constitutes the boundaries for human living space. Neighbourhoods developed and shaped by the concept of Doughnut Economics are referred to as Doughnut Districts. Regenerative cities can be described as cities that are in harmony with their surroundings, as well as the ecosystem. Circular economy is an economic model which aims for a circulation of resources while achieving economic growth in combination with a minimal environmental impact. Meanwhile, social capital involves the intricate relationships between individuals in society, which allows the society to function more efficiently. This includes organizations and communities that through establishing norms and utilizing their influence produces positive changes. Place-based identity is characterized by an individual’s cultural and emotional connection to a specific place. The unity and pride of individuals within a certain city can be important indicators for how socially sustainable the aforementioned city is. This is a major root for good social relationships within a district, which in effect make individuals feel more welcome and provides a sense of belonging. Combined with the aspects of circular economy, solutions that strengthens circular resource flows, while allowing communities to be used as sharing networks in purpose of maximizing the use of products are suggested. This would create an environment in which a growing ground for innovation comes naturally. This will be achieved by utilizing an accessible compound system and commercial actors, which includes local creative competences. This provides a local anchoring that leads to positive norms and trust by thrust between habitants and their influence on their local environment. The real estate firm Vasakronan is joining forces with Urban Minds to develop a community, Norra Kymlinge, to become a district driven by the aforementioned sustainable principles. This concept can be combined with ideas about the circular economy model. As for the relation between circular economy and social sustainability, the recommendations aim to support the model which constitutes a framework for the district.

The globally dominant form of business organisation, the Investor-Owned Firm or the Corporation, has been challenged in both academic settings and the wide world for falling short on ensuring environmental and social justice and sustainability. Alternative business models like co-operatives, with a rich though somewhat less known history and presence around the world, might prove a better fit for a thriving world and a sustainable future. This study investigates ways in which worker co-operatives can contribute to a more sustainable world, using the theoretical lens of Doughnut Economics (DE) to place enterprises, as a supporting pillar of our economies, at the intersection between meeting social needs and operating within planetary boundaries. A descriptive multiple case study of six worker co-operatives in the UK indicates that this model can contribute to sustainability primarily by embodying a core purpose of fulfilling the needs of workers and their communities, rather than aiming for financial gains. The research suggests worker co-operatives are enterprises with highly generative design traits, distributive of the wealth they generate, and to some degree regenerative by design. Where challenges occur, either internally or wider in their industry or the co-operative movement, the co-operatives appear willing and interested to work on improving themselves by learning from their peers, experimenting and welcoming change. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainability in worker co-operatives, employing DE as a holistic framework which so far has been seldom used in business research.

The production of food has increased over time due to modern agriculture methods. However, thisincrease has partly occurred at the expense of environmental and human health. There are severalenvironmental labels for food products, both at national and international levels, that try to create amore environmentally and socially sustainable agriculture by going beyond current legislation. Thisinvestigation is based on an analysis of rules connected to coffee, cacao and coconut oil for theenvironmental labels: EU Organic, Fairtrade, KRAV, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. The purpose is toinvestigate if these environmental labels have rules that can contribute to an agricultural system withinthe planetary boundaries and also fulfill social conditions for a basic standard of living. The analysisof rules has been done based on the planetary boundaries and social conditions from the doughnuteconomics model. The five environmental labels have rules that can contribute to a more sustainableagriculture in different ways, but none of them cover all the planetary boundaries and socialconditions. Nor can they assure that none of the planetary boundaries won’t be exceeded since no oneknows exactly where the thresholds are. The environmental labels can be combined since they, tosome extent, have rules for different areas. Today, several combinations of environmental labels existon coffee, cocoa and coconut oil. The combination that occurs most often based on a sample in Coopsonline store is: EU Organic, Fairtrade and KRAV. This is not the combination that covers the greatestnumber of planetary boundaries and social conditions based on the result of this study, but it coversthe most problematic environmental and social aspects connected to production of coffee, cocoa andcoconut oil. / Produktionen av mat har ökat till följd av det moderna jordbrukets metoder, men denna ökning har iflera fall skett på bekostnad av miljö och mänsklig hälsa. Både nationellt och internationellt finns ettflertal miljömärkningar för livsmedel som driver på utvecklingen av ett mer miljömässigt och socialthållbart jordbruk genom att gå längre än nuvarande lagstiftning. Denna undersökning baseras på engenomgång av miljömärkningarna: EU ekologiskt, Fairtrade, KRAV, Rainforest Alliance och UTZregler kopplat till kaffe, kakao och kokosolja. Syftet är att undersöka om miljömärkningar har reglersom kan bidra till ett jordbruk som håller sig inom de planetära gränserna samtidigt som socialavillkor för en grundläggande levnadsstandard uppfylls. Regelgenomgången har gjorts utifrån deplanetära gränserna och sociala villkoren i donutekonomin. De fem miljömärkningarna har regler sompå olika sätt kan bidra till ett mer hållbart jordbruk men ingen av dem har regler som beaktar allaplanetära gränser och sociala villkor. Miljömärkningarna kan inte heller säkerställa att de planetäragränserna inte kommer att överskridas då ingen vet exakt var gränserna går. Eftersommiljömärkningarna delvis har regler för olika områden kan de med fördel kombineras. Olikakombinationer av miljömärkningar förekommer på kaffe, kakao och kokosolja idag, den kombinationsom förekommer mest utifrån ett stickprov i Coops e-handel är: EU ekologiskt, Fairtrade och KRAV.Denna kombination täcker inte in flest planetära gränser och sociala villkor utifrån resultatet i dennaundersökning men kombinationen har regler som berör de mest problematiska miljömässiga ochsociala aspekterna kopplat till odling av kaffe, kakao och kokosolja. / <p>2021-06-04</p>

In a rapidly changing world, sustainability is becoming more and more of a priority for organizations. This paper evaluates the possibility of using the Doughnut Economics Model (DEM) as a tool to implement sustainability within an organization on the firm-level, highlighting the potential opportunities and limitations that it poses. Through case studies conducted with two organizations (Apotea AB &amp; Proton Group), both common and firm-specific gaps within sustainability strategies are identified, and the applicability of the DEM is appraised as a tool to help fill these gaps. A qualitative research method was employed, and interviews were held with sustainability managers from Apotea AB and Proton Group. A qualitative thematic analysis process led to the generation of initial codes, themes, and patterns that emerged throughout the interviews held. The results from this study highlighted the illustrative and visual nature of the DEM, and how it could help firms view sustainability from different perspectives. The visualisation of the model helps stimulate conversations about sustainability within the firm, and raising awareness on the topic of sustainability, promoting it within organizational culture. This study additionally concluded that the implementation of the DEM in only a firm-specific, directly impacted area, could help the firm with pinpointing niche areas where the enterprise can make its largest contribution towards a safe and just space for humanity. On the other hand, this study found and supported existing claims through past research on the model’s limitations in terms of its downscaling, as the planetary boundaries are designed for a global scale. Moreover, the model lacks in defining policies, indicators, or measurements regarding areas of improvement. The opportunities that lie in the DEM are plentiful, however, the downscaling process on a firm-scale is extremely challenging, and little-to-no existing research or literature exists on the topic.

The world is simultaneously facing social and environmental sustainability issues. There is a decreasing window of opportunity to limit global warming in accordance with the Paris Agreement, significant biodiversity loss, and mounting inequality. This raises questions about our current economic systems’ ability to tackle the problems, which has given rise to new economic approaches. One such approach is Doughnut Economics which functions as a compass for a safe and just space for humanity and prescribes seven shifts in economic thinking for getting there. Given the urgency to identify and implement solutions to current sustainability issues, it is paramount to gain an understanding of Doughnut Economics' transformative potential by engaging with examples where the approach is used. To build on the knowledge of Doughnut Economics' transformative potential, this thesis investigates the case of Bannau Brycheiniog in Wales through the lens of the three spheres of transformation: the practical, political, and personal. The methods employed were semistructured interviews with a purposive and snowball sampling method. Additionally, one workshop with stakeholders was attended and the park’s Management Plan was analyzed. The results show that there are several factors in the practical, political, and personal spheres enabling the use of Doughnut Economics. These include data availability, favorable national legislation, and values that resonate with the Doughnut. Challenges include using proxies and indicators, resistance from some parts of the political sphere, and other priorities stemming from shortfalls in the social foundation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the Doughnut has impacted, and has the potential to further impact the three spheres in numerous ways. For example, by expanding the BB National Park’s horizons and contributing to a holistic understanding of the park, legitimizing existing ideas, and inspiring other actors to follow suit. The study concludes that the use of Doughnut Economics shows potential for change in a sustainable direction in all three spheres and their interconnections. However, the use of the Doughnut without explicitly implementing its wider theoretical background as described in the seven shifts mitigates the transformative potential. Thus, the study recommends an explicit use of all the seven shifts.

This research explores the perspectives of the opinion leaders of the activism movement in Tenerife on tourism on the island and the solutions proposed by these stakeholders to the current sustainability problems related to tourism. These issues include tourist's misbehavior in natural protected areas, waste, submarine emissions of residual water sewage, water shortage, gentrification, overtourism, overpopulation, 14,6% of unemployment in 2022, decline of agricultural land, high population density, etc. Furthermore, this study looks into how sustainability is articulated by the activism movement. The information was gathered from seven semi-structured interviews with opinion leaders of the activism movement with backgrounds in different fields including terrestrial biology, marine biology, archaeology, apiculture and agriculture. A thematic analysis was used to catalogue their responses into common topics to gain an overall picture of their perspective. The activist movement perceives the current tourism model as part of a system that needs to change by controlling and setting boundaries to tourist flows, immigration, construction and real state. Furthermore, they suggest a societal change towards valuing the natural and cultural heritage of the island. Sustainability is articulated by the activists as a balance between humans and nature, which should be obtained through a democratic decision-making process that assesses a common sustainable vision in line with scientific evidence. The activists further suggest that the transition towards sustainability requires cooperation between top-down changes and bottom-up changes, which will ultimately also transform the type of tourism on the island.