This study aims to investigate whether sectorial free allowances and sector emissions have any effect on a firm's stock return under the newly introduced EU ETS (Emission trading system). In doing so, the data have been structured as panel data and are gathered for a sample period of 10 years measuring from 2012-2021, looking at 6 sectors (Aviation, Combustion of fuels, refining of mineral oil, production of cardboard/ paper, production of pig iron and steel and production of bulk chemicals). The main empirical results indicate that free allowances have a positive effect on stock returns while sector emissions are insignificant. When categorizing the firms into low, medium and high emitters the results indicate that the medium category follows the main results, while low emitters are negatively affected by sector emissions with free allowances being non-significant. We observe no effect on either free allowance or sector emissions on firms’ stock returns within the high emitting category. To conclude, we find evidence indicating that free allowances have a positive effect on stock return while sector emissions do not.

Föreliggande studie tillämpar diskursanalys i syfte att förstå var det råder samstämmighet eller konflikt kring huruvida Sverige ska sälja, spara eller annullera överskottet på utsläppsrätter inom EU:s och FN:s utsläppshandel. Genom kritisk diskursanalys har vi kategoriserat och kodat tio riksdagsdebatter mellan åren 2010 och 2014, i vilka en ekologisk diskurs och en ekonomisk diskurs kämpar om tolkningsföreträde. Bortsett från samstämmigheten att handel med utsläppsrätter – vilken kan ses som ekologisk modernisering – är ett viktigt verktyg för att minska klimatförändringar; råder öppen kamp kring hur ett överskott på utsläppsrätter ska hanteras. Kampen har delats in i sju kategorier baserat på huruvida: 1) ett beslut om annullering kan tas direkt eller om det krävs en utredning först, 2) en annullering är en symbolisk handling eller styrs av marknadens logik, 3) en försäljning leder till ökade utsläpp, 4) på vilket sätt överskottet ska fungera som förhandlingsstrategi under klimatmöten, 5) Sverige förlorar sitt klimatanseende vid en försäljning av överskott på utsläppsrätter, 6) utsläppshandeln i högre grad borde styras av politiker eller marknadsmekanismer, och slutligen 7) huruvida överskott på utsläppsrätter bör ses som ett lyxproblem. Eftersom det ännu inte finns en fixerad diskursiv entydighet angående hur överskott på utsläppsrätter ska hanteras, menar vi att ingen av diskurserna kan ses som helt hegemonisk. Den ekonomiska diskursen har dock patent på rationaliteten eftersom den, till skillnad från den ekologiska diskursen, har accepterat ekomodernismen. Om den ekonomiska diskursen blir hegemonisk är det sannolikt att ytterligare överskott på utsläppsrätter säljs.Nyckelord: klimatförändringar, EU-ETS, Kyotoprotokollet, ekologisk modernisering, diskursiv kamp. / The following study uses insights derived from discourse analysis to examine whether there is consensus or conflict regarding if Sweden should sell, save or invalidate the surplus of allowances within the emissions trading systems of the EU and the UN. Through critical discourse analysis, we have categorized and coded ten parliamentary debates between the year of 2010 and 2014, in which an ecological discourse and an economic discourse can be derived. Aside from the consistency that the emissions trading systems – which can be seen as ecological modernization - is an important tool to mitigate climate change; an open struggle can be seen regarding how a surplus of allowances should be governed. The struggle has been divided into seven categories based on whether: 1) a decision of invalidation can be taken directly or if an investigation is necessary, 2) an invalidation is a symbolic act or controlled by the logic of the market, 3) a sale directly leads to an increased amount of emissions, 4) in what way the surplus of allowances should serve as a negotiating strategy during international climate meetings, 5) Sweden’s climate profile will be lost in case of a sale, 6) the emissions trading systems to a higher rate should be controlled by politicians or mechanisms of the market, and finally 7) whether the surplus of allowances should be seen as a luxury problem. Since there is not yet a fixed unity regarding how surplus of allowances should be governed, we argue that none of the discourses can be seen as completely hegemonic. However, the economic discourse have positions on rationality due to that it, unlike the ecological discourse, has accepted the ecological modernisation. If the economic discourse becomes hegemonic it is likely that additional surplus of allowances will be sold.Key words: climate change, EU-ETS, the Kyoto Protocol, ecological modernisation, discursive struggle.

De flesta forskare är överens att den mänskliga påverkan på klimatet i form av växthusgaser är ett faktum. För att minska den mänskliga påverkan har ett system med utsläppsrätter för att reglera utsläppen införts. Tanken är att utsläppen ska minskas successivt av alla inblandade och att detta ska redovisas inom varje land i särskilda rapporter. Inom redovisningen av företags finansiella status såsom årsredovisningar finns det i dagsläget ingen reglering som styr om och hur dessa utsläppsrätter ska redovisas. IASB utreder redovisningspraxis för att kartlägga vilka metoder som används. Genom denna kartläggning undersöker de om det är genomförbart att ge ut finansiella rapporteringskrav för ett potentiellt stort antal system och förbättra jämförbarheten. Liknande studie har gjorts i Europa av PwC och IETA år 2007. Denna studie behandlar hur företag i Sverige valt att redovisa sina utsläppsrätter. En genomgång av de 267 företag som omfattas av handelssystemet för utsläppsrätter i Sverige och innehållsanalys av deras årsredovisningar för år 2014 har gjorts. Därefter har strax över 20 procent av företagen granskats ytterligare för att utreda varför företagen valt att redovisa sina utsläppsrätter på visst sätt. Den insamlade data har sedan analyserats mot tidigare forskning och finansiella redovisningsteorier som behandlar oreglerade finansiell rapportering. Det som har framkommit i studien är att av de företag i Sverige som redovisar utsläppsrätter, redovisar de flesta sina utsläppsrätter framförallt som immateriella tillgångar eller omsättningstillgångar. Tidigare forskning ihop med teorierna kan förklara dessa val av redovisningspraxis som ett nationellt mönster som förmodat skapats i brist på internationell vägledning och med grund i IFRIC 3 för de av företagen som redovisat sina utsläppsrätter som immateriella tillgångar. De utav företagen som har valt att redovisa sina utsläppsrätter som omsättningstillgångar kan förklaras av avsikten med utsläppsrätterna. I studien uppmärksammas även de företag som valt att inte redovisa sina utsläppsrätter som valt att ha upplysningar som beskriver deras utsläpp på annat vis. Företags val av redovisningsmetod av utsläppsrätter förklaras av institutionell teori för företag som redovisat sina utsläppsrätter som immateriella tillgångar och som en överlappning mellan intressentteorin och legitimitetsteorin för de företag som inte redovisar sina utsläppsrätter men har upplysningar om utsläpp. Studiens resultat påvisar både skillnader och likheter med tidigare undersökning av hur stora företag i EU redovisar sina utsläppsrätter och kan därför påvisa att IASB torde kunna utge finansiella rapporteringskrav av utsläppsrätter som redan stämmer överens med redovisningspraxis idag. Detta behöver dock undersökas vidare för att kunna generaliseras till alla länder som omfattas av EU ETS. / Most scientist agree that human influence on the climate in terms of greenhouse gas emissions is a fact. To reduce the human impact, a system of emission rights to regulate emission have been introduced. The idea is that emissions should be reduced gradually by all involved entities and that this should be recognized in every country in special reports. In recognition of the company’s financial status, such as annual reports, there is currently no state regulations governing whether and how there emission rights should be reported. IASB is investigating accounting practices to identify the methods used. Through this survey they try to identify the feasibility of issuing financial reporting requirements for a potentially large number of systems and improve comparability. Similar studies have been made in Europe by PwC and IETA in 2007. This study discusses how companies in Sweden chosen to report their emission rights. A review of the 267 companies covered by the emission trading scheme in Sweden and content analysis of their financial statements for 2014 have been made. Subsequently about 20 percent of the companies have been further examined to determine why companies have chosen to report their emission rights in a certain way. The collected data were analyzed against past research and financial accounting theory such as unregulated financial reporting theory. What has been found in this study is that among companies in Sweden that do report their emission rights, the majority reported their allowances primarily as intangible assets or current assets. Previous research together with the theories can explain the choice of accounting practices as a national pattern that supposedly been created by a lack of international guidance and due to IFRIC 3 for those companies that reported their emission rights as intangible assets. Those companies that have chosen to report their emission rights as current assets can be explained by the intent of the allowances. The study also addresses the companies that have chosen not to declare their allowances and have chosen to have disclosures that describes their emission in other ways. Companies’ choice of accounting method of allowances is explained by institutional theory for the companies that reported their emission rights as intangible assets and an overlap between stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory for companies that do not report their emission rights but have emission disclosures. The study’s results demonstrate both similarities and differences with the precious survey of how large entities in the EU report their emission right and could thereby demonstrate that the IASB should be able to issue financial reporting requirements of allowances that already is consistent with the accounting practices today. This needs to be investigated further in order to be generalized to all countries covered by the EU ETS.

Getinge AB is a global medical technology company. This master’s thesis is based on the outflow of capital equipments from Getinge’s factory in Växjö to four different sales and service units. The purpose of this thesis is to give Getinge a deeper insight of why the customers and the own organization do not know when they can expect their products. This makes most requests urgent and thus prohibits them from using the best environmental and cost efficient modes of transportation. Two sub-problems have been created in order to investigate this. Sub-problem 1 originates from an organizational perspective. The aim of this problem is to examine the possibilities to achieve less urgent transportations by improving the communication between sales and service units, factories and logistics services. This is evaluated based on semi-structured interviews containing both qualitative and quantitative questions with employees rep- resenting the different functions at the company. It appeared that different phrases, explaining the same thing, were used internally leading to confu- sion. Further, the different functions have harmonized follow-up sessions but do not share the information between each other. The resulting information vacuum creates trust issues and unnecessary time margins and buffers. Sub-problem 2 concerns the trade-off between the economic and environmen- tal impacts in relation to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 3. This trade- off is evaluated by a multi-objective optimization model, where emissions are priced based on the EU ETS market valuation. Current research argues that the choice of transportation mode is the simplest emissions abatement option in terms of implementation. This study indicates that it is possible for Getinge, in the short-term, to decrease costs and emissions by just chang- ing between current transportation modes. However, a long-term strategy should include evaluation of consolidations, alternative fuels and electrified vehicles since the cost of decreasing one kilogram of emissions by changing between current transportation modes will increase. Finally, increased transparency and communication between sales and ser- vice units, factory and logistics services could be achieved via a one point of contact solution. This could avoid unnecessary time margins and buffers and hence open up the possibility of better over all lead time utilization. This could make it easier to use more environmental friendly transportation modes and thus lower emissions and costs, while still satisfying the customers.

The European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) is the cornerstone of the EU's transition to climate neutrality by 2050. Significant carbon price increases and ambitious changes to the ETS make phase four (2021-2030) uncharted territory. This thesis exploratively investigates how the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) currently affects Swedish firms’ competitive position within the European Union and how these firms respond to the carbon price. This is done through a qualitative approach with a thematic analysis of findings from interviews with nine Swedish firms within the sectors: Combined Power and Heat generation (CHP), Electricity production, Mining & Refining, and Smelting of iron and steel and of ferroalloys. Our findings show unanimous support for the Emission Trading System as an instrument to reduce carbon emissions, yet significant differences in each firm's response to the carbon price. Uncertainty related to future price development is found to cause difficulties in pricing among firms within the CHP sector. In contrast, firms with free allocation of EU Allowances have limited financial impact. Across the board, the ETS drives clean technology innovation by making fossil technology less appealing. Nonetheless, two instances of competitive losses stemming from system design were recognised: 1) Swedish CHP producers bear emission costs that other European producers do not, as a result of Sweden’s opt-in of the CHP sector, potentially causing carbon leakage within the EU; 2) The maintained division between the manufacturing of iron pellets (NACE 07.10) and sinter (NACE 24.10) keeps benchmarks for sinter high, resulting in less incentive for abatement efforts within EU. This thesis adds to the existing literature by identifying skewness in the harmonisation of the EU ETS and investigating signals to which the firms respond. / Europeiska unionens system för handel med utsläppsrätter (EU ETS) är hörnstenen i EU:s övergång till klimatneutralitet till 2050. Betydande koldioxidprishöjningar och ambitiösa förändringar av ETS innebär att fas fyra (2021-2030) är outforskat territorium. Denna avhandling undersöker explorativt hur EU:s system för handel med utsläppsrätter (ETS) för närvarande påverkar svenska företags konkurrensposition inom EU och hur dessa företag reagerar på koldioxidpriset. Detta görs genom ett kvalitativt angreppssätt med en tematisk analys av resultat från intervjuer med nio svenska företag inom sektorerna: Kraft och Värmeproduktion (CHP), Elproduktion, Gruvindustrin, samt Smältning av järn och stål samt ferrolegeringar. Våra resultat visar enhälligt stöd för systemet för handel med utsläppsrätter som ett instrument för att minska koldioxidutsläppen, men ändå betydande skillnader i varje företags svar på koldioxidpriset. Osäkerhet relaterad till framtida prisutveckling visar sig orsaka svårigheter i prissättningen bland företag inom kraftvärmesektorn. Medan företag med gratis tilldelning av EU-utsläppsrätter har begränsad ekonomisk inverkan. Överlag driver ETS ren teknologiinnovation genom att göra fossil teknik mindre tilltalande. Icke desto mindre erkändes två fall av konkurrensförluster till följd av systemdesign: 1) Svenska kraftvärmeproducenter bär utsläppskostnader som andra europeiska producenter inte, som ett resultat av Sveriges val av kraftvärme-sektorn, vilket potentiellt orsakar koldioxidläckage inom EU; 2) Den bibehållna uppdelningen mellan tillverkning av järnpellets (NACE 07.10) och sinter (NACE 24.10) håller riktmärkena för sinter högt, vilket resulterar i mindre incitament för minskningsinsatser inom EU. Denna avhandling kompletterar den befintliga litteraturen genom att identifiera skevheter i harmoniseringen av EU ETS och vilka styrsignaler som företagen reagerar på.

Unaccountable corporate polluters profit short term at the expense of global economic sustainability. The purpose of the study was to determine if carbon dioxide (CO2) penalties on the airline emissions would result in financial statement disclosure and emission mitigation. Contributing to environmental accounting, the study was based in corporate social responsibility with a conceptual framework based on economically-centered CO2 studies. A random sample of 69 global airlines, taken from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) memberships, was stratified between EU bound and non-EU bound airlines. The research questions explored (a) the frequency mean differences in disclosed CO2 costs between the strata based upon the European Union's environmental trading scheme (EU-ETS) and (b) whether international financial reporting standards (IFRS) influenced the financial statement reporting of CO2 emissions costs. Financial statement data were analyzed in a 3-year longitudinal, ex-post, quasi-experimental, repeated measures factorial ANOVA and ANCOVA, pretest-posttest control group design. The results showed significant CO2 disclosure differences between the experimental (EU bound) airlines and control group (non-EU) airlines and for those airlines with IFRS prepared statements. These results should convince accounting practitioners that the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas pollution can become the catalyst for improved operations and commercial sustainability. Positive social change to mitigate anthropogenic pollution should result and should promote normative accounting practice to hold those responsible to a higher global accountability.

The increasing volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has led to the creation of European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). This system should also fulfil an incentive function to reduce emissions. The EU ETS also participates in revenues of the state budgets. This master thesis deals with impacts of EU ETS on revenues of state budgets for each member states of this system. The thesis is compiled with calculations of revenues of state budgets. This methodology is then applied to the assessment of the impact of auctioning of emission allowances on the Czech state budget and is demonstrated on three possible scenarios.

Emission trading allowances are one of the new instrument of the environmental protection, which is, as an EU ETS component, influencing almost 400 czech companies with just about 500 air polluting sources in the Czech republic. This diploma thesis deals with the main impact of the EU ETS on the czech companies. The analysis is focused on the first trading period 2005 -- 2007 and on the first year of the second trading period 2008 -- 2012. Methodology of the analysis is based on the qualitative research with individual in-depth interviews with czech companies and is focused on the research of induced costs and diverse approach and motivations of the large and small companies within the EU ETS

Reducing CO2 emission in air transport is the main theme of this master´s thesis. As the public interest in aviation and climate change is world´s growing it could be consider as a hot topic. As a response to public interest was the creation of contracts, standards and limits of carbon dioxide emissions. The master´s thesis is divided into several parts. The first is mapping of global air traffic and carbon dioxide emissions. The second part deals with European approach to solving problems of reducing CO2 emissions follows by description of ICAO Aeroplane CO2 emissions standard. The part of the thesis is the overview of the use of biofuels in aviation and their price. The conclusion summarizes all knowledge learned while working on this thesis.

Emission trading is a tool for achieving the European commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The aim is to create an effective European emissions trading market with the least possible negative impact on economic development and employment within the Union. Waste incineration plants in Sweden were added into this systemin2013andthe general situation has been a non-functioning market with a surplus of allowances where the emission cap was not tight enough to drive a significant reduction in emissions. For the upcoming trading period starting 2021 the cost for emission allowances is expected to increase due to the reformation, and the challenge is to allocate the cost for allowances in a fair and sustainable manner. The aim of this thesis is to present options on how to allocate the cost for emission allowances related to waste incineration plants with energy recovery in Sweden. The aim is further to understand how the cost allocation can result in a decrease of CO2emissions and thereby a lower climate impact. The initial idea for the research topic was proposed by the case study company and further developed in conjunction with the author, supervisor and examiner. The research is based on a case study of Tekniska Verken AB, an energy recovery company in Sweden. A case study approach was chosen as the research questions focuses on investigating a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context. Data collection consisted of a literature review, semi-structured interviews and field visits, where the interviews were the main source of data for this research. The overall understanding is that the cost for emission allowances should be allocated further up the waste supply chain, all the way to product producers. By allocating the cost to waste providers by increased waste incineration treatment-price, the cost is pushed one step upstream. In this case, differentiating the waste providers by divide them into categories(such as municipal waste for example)and allocate the cost for emission allowances based on the performance of each category is a realistic and feasible solution aiming upstream. The cost can be allocated differently among waste providers depending on which category the waste derives from or on an overall level, tentatively using radiocarbon method. The radiocarbon method is considered reliable and practical to use compared to other options. Adopting polluters pay principle identifies the polluters and by allocating the cost for emitting carbon towards them plants an incentive to improve sorting and to decrease the share of fossil content. This can eventually contribute to a lower impact.