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The implementation of an environmental management system such as the standard ISO 14001 is a common way to manage environmental responsibilities in an organisation. In 2015 ISO 14001 was updated with some major changes like Annex SL, management engagement, strategic engagement, risk-based thinking, life cycle perspective, improved environmental management and interested parties. The purpose of ISO 14001 is to improve the environmental performance of the organisation, but also to increase the degree of employee involvement and with that sustainable development can be supported through the implementation of the standard. The involvement of employees in an organisation with an environmental management system was studied at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU). By law a Swedish university must have an environmental management system. SLU has implemented ISO 14001 as their environmental management system and was chosen for the research. The applied methods were a literature review and case study where interviews and a survey were used. The changes in ISO 14001:2015 were investigated as a part of the literature review. In this method, review studies were investigated to see if any of the changes were discussed before the standard was updated. There was no found research that discussed if drawbacks of version 14001:2004 were actually taken into account when the newest version of the standard was produced. This subject therefore makes the study important to perform. Environmental coordinators were interviewed to find out if the changes in 14001:2015 supported increased participation in the standard. A survey was conducted with environmental coordinators at SLU to investigate how the changes in ISO 14001:2015 were viewed and if the results differed if performed from those obtained from a similar comparison at companies. The reason to study the effects of the changes in the standard at a university and to compare the results with companies is important since it is not optional for the university to adopt an environmental management system as it is for another type of organisation. Most of the discussed shortcomings from ISO 14001:2004 did match what was changed in the version from 2015. However, the review studies that were investigated did not discuss the life cycle perspective which was considered to be a major and important change. Therefore, this lack of discussion is viewed as a weakness in the review studies. It was also concluded that, even though employees did become involved to a greater extent in the environmental management system at SLU, it could not be made sure if it was because of the implementations of the changes in ISO 14001:2015. It was most likely because of the major work SLU had done the last three years when certifying the whole organisation. Instead, the conclusion was that it is important to work inclusively with the environmental management system and it seems that the more it is discussed in an organisation, the more employees will become involved. Lastly, it was seen in the thesis that a university and the studied companies viewed the environmental work both similarly and differently. Both thought that only small benefits would be the result of the implementation of the changes in ISO 14001:2015. What differed between the two groups of organisations was that SLU thought that the changes would not give any major difficulties while the companies on the other hand thought that it would create substantial extra work.

Gentrification, a process conceived to result in displacement of lower-income urban residents, is difficult to measure quantitatively due to its qualitative, social impacts. Additionally, the phenomenon is a wicked problem, with no decisive definition or a set list of causes. Whereas researchers have instigated attempts to numerically measure gentrification, there is a lack of a systematic and universal approach to evaluate the concept. To investigate this issue, an iterative process took place using gentrification theory and explorative work. A test index was created using the inner boroughs of the UK’s capital, London, aiming to use data which should be available within all cities. Indicators for the index based on the two main theories of gentrification were attained for three different time periods from governmental and census records, creating a longitudinal study to establish how an area has changed, and whether gentrification has occurred. The technique presents evidence of increasing socio-economic status within many of London’s inner  boroughs, with evidence of rising employment rates, house prices and managerial role residents. The highest scoring boroughs were areas considered to be undergoing super-gentrification. From the index, the next borough to super-gentrify will be Hammersmith & Fulham. For first time gentrifying boroughs, their index changes sit within the middle of the borough rankings. It is believed that further analysis and advancements are required on the index to ensure prevention of data misuse, conclusive results, and further consideration of cultural, political or social changes, however new contributions have been made within this topic from considering gentrification from a wicked problem viewpoint.

The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in environment originating from human consumption has received increased scientific attention during the last decades due to concerns regarding their combined environmental effects in aquatic and terrestrial environments, in flora and biota and by extent in human health. In this review, I summarized the existing knowledge on the entire life cycle of pharmaceutical substances, from their exposure (sources) and fate to their effects on the natural environment. Since the negative effects of several drugs along with the environmental damage they entail are now known, it can be suggested that pharmaceutical companies make greener pharmaceutical products to reduce these effects to the terrestrial and aquatic environment. The present review could provide suggestions to improve the pharmaceutical environmental management globally, such as methodologies for monitoring systems, that need to be put in place for consistent data collection. Another area of research that is important is the release of pharmaceutical compounds in manufacturing plants as well as from landfill effluent. Finally, one more area with need for further research is green chemistry which could reduce or even eliminate the potential hazards of pharmaceutical compounds that enter the environment, irrespective to the source of entry.

Sand and gravel are compounds that are directly needed in the fine fraction of making concrete. Concrete is used as a foundation in 90 % of the cases when establishing new buildings in Sweden. Usually, sand and gravel are taken from land based areas. These land based areas with sand and gravel are also needed for the cleaning of the groundwater. Groundwater is the source of drinking water in big parts of Sweden and should therefore not be jeopardized. In the marine environment, there are areas that possess sand and gravel that could be used instead of land based material, and therefore will not jeopardize the quality of drinking water. By learning how the law is regulated in marine sand and gravel extraction cases, looking at existing maps of the marine geology’s structure, learning about the environmental impacts and by looking at the technique that are used for extracting the material of the bottom of the ocean - this report shows the possibilities of marine sand and gravel extraction of the ocean floor outside of Umeå’s coastline. The result shows that there are a few areas that have the right material and lies on the right depth of the ocean floor, but these areas did not have the right thickness. Therefore, an extraction of marine sand and gravel at these areas (Area A and B) would affect the volume percentage. This could lead to a change of the bottom structure that destroys the recovery after the extraction and damage the marine environment.

Pollinator biodiversity and abundance is an ecosystem service vital for humans, provisioning a range of essential goods including food, fibre and medicines. Despite this, pollinators are under threat and are experiencing global declines. Habitat loss is a driving force behind such declines and, as such, the potential to provision more pollinator habitat is of interest. Currently, urban areas host abundant unused space in the forms of roofs and walls, which could be utilized to provision some pollinators with additional forage, and possibly nesting sites, without compromising human use of the land. While several studies exist regarding the habitat potential of living roofs, the impact of living walls on biodiversity is little studied. This paper sets out a theoretical approach on whether living walls could be used to host pollinator habitat by surveying living wall manufacturers regarding the physical properties of the living wall systems they use and their plant choice.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggest that out of all food that is produced, 1/3 ends up as food waste. In high income countries, such as Sweden, the food waste mainly originates from the last stages of the food chain, e.g. at food stores and households. Sweden is a member of the EU as well as the United Nations, and follows the common legislation for waste in the EU and has adopted the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations. In the Sustainable Development Goal number 12, food waste in terms of reduction is addressed, although Sweden does not have a clear goal that addresses how to reduce food waste. Food banks have globally been a strategy to redistribute surplus food from the retail sector to people in need, something that has not been common in the Nordic region of Europe (including Sweden) until the 1980’s. However, in Sweden, food banks have not been used as a way to prevent food waste but as a way to help people in need, perhaps because there is a well-established well-fare system in the country. Recently, initiatives that redistribute surplus food from the retail sector have been developed - working towards different consumer groups and solutions. This study aimed to map out the different surplus food redistributing initiatives in Sweden, categorise them and analyse some of the initiatives that represented different solutions and consumer groups. The chosen initiatives were ReFood, City Mission Uppsala (Matkassen and Mikaelsgården), City Mission Stockholm (Matmissionen), Food2change, Foodloopz and Allwin. The methods used for analysing the chosen initiatives were Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, Social Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing. To weigh the environmental-, social- and economic impacts against each other, a total sustainability ranking system was used to point out the most favourable option for a redistributing surplus food initiative, in terms of sustainability. The results showed that the environmental impacts (Green House Gases (kg CO2 equivalents/functional unit)) were the lowest for, in this order, ReFood, Mikaelsgården and Allwin, Foodloopz, Matmissionen and Matkassen, and Food2change. For the social impacts, the results showed that Allwin is the initiative that redistribute the largest amount of surplus food to the consumer group “exposed people”, followed by Matmissionen that redistribute the second largest amount of surplus food to “people with low income”. Allwin is also the initiative with the highest capacity and largest yearly environmental savings, as the company redistributes a much larger amount of food than the other initiatives. The results for the economic impacts showed that all but one initiative, Food2change, have monthly financial losses. The overall sustainability ranking showed that the initiative that is the most favourable is Matkassen followed by Matmissionen and Allwin, Food2change, Foodloopz, ReFood and Mikaelsgården.

This thesis applies the food security concept to assess the significance of seagrass-associated invertebrate gleaning for providing food security in Kaole, Tanzania. It assesses the availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability over time of this food source. To explore this, a multi-strategy research design was used. Structured interviews were held with 30 gleaning women in Kaole, using a self-developed questionnaire designed to address the four components of the food security framework. Two focus group discussions were thereafter held to explore how local ecosystem services, in particular seagrass meadows, and their food provisioning services have developed over time. The findings show that a great majority of the women who engage in seagrass- associated gleaning in Kaole rate this activity as important or very important for providing food to the household. The seagrass-associated gleaning activities were perceived as important, despite the fact that most women also glean in the mangrove area and that almost all women have alternative incomes. However, seen from a strict food security perspective, it is questionable how significant this activity currently is for food security. The study found that availability has decreased and it is not a food source that is stable throughout the year. The findings also suggest that the mangrove-associated Terebralia palustris may be easier to utilise, considering that you can store it in a sack, without being kept cold. If mangrove related gleaning hence seems to play an increasingly important role in local food security, and is a fishery that is available in all seasons, this area is less accessible to potential gleaners with small children, elderly and people with physical disabilities. The study also found that the decline in seagrass-associated gleaning activities have coincided with a number of human stressors and deteriorating seagrass meadows. Despite its’ declining signinficance for food security, most women rate the seagrass-associated gleaning as important and want to protect this food source. Action should therefore be taken to sustainably preserve this provisioning resource. Bearing in mind the fine balance between ecological and food security needs, such measures need to be interdisciplinary. It also needs to involve different community members, as well as other stakeholders. More research would be needed to determine the nutritional content and potential toxic contents in the most fished invertebrate species.

The European Union has since the 1970s shifted their focus towards environmental policies and today they aim at the adequate implementation of environmental sustainability initiatives across all member states. The process of the implementation of sustainability reporting and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the achievement of the SDGs require a multilevel governance paradigm-shift, provides a framework for all involved parties to act and perform accordingly. The Directive 2014/95/EU on non-financial and diversity reporting is an incentive to achieve higher environmental, social and economic sustainability and transparency amongst European corporations. However, deriving from the nature of a directive, it does not offer a clear guideline to follow nor actual legislative guidance. Even though directives are mandatory to be implemented in national legislation, the way and form of it may vary to a great extent due to the fact that it is sufficient for the EU if the directive is translated into the countries’ law. This, however, results in different levels of efficiency and performance in different countries.This research contributes to the understanding of the implementation of environmental EU directives with the goal of achieving sustainable development within the EU member states. Throughout a multilevel governance and deductive approach, the comparative case study highlights the differences and identifies leverage points for policy makers and future research to develop common best practices for such purposes.In order to answer the research question Why do countries perform in significantly different ways within the field of sustainability, given they are all following the same directives issued by the EU?, the comparison of the two selected countries, Hungary and Sweden was conducted through two sub-questions, which aimed at identifying the differences and similarities in their governance framework to reach the SDGs and legislation following the Directive 2014/94/EU. In conclusion, clear differences can be identified between the countries’ political commitment, integrational and holistic approach of sustainability into policy-making and; and the “extra mile” and commitment that Sweden manifested to improving the sustainability and transparency level of corporations in applying stricter measures in national legislation following the Directive 2014/95/EU and handling sustainability as a concept as a crucial, essential and integrated part of life.

The increased concern of protection of nature in recent days creates more opportunity and prospects in the natural fibre sector. Jute is a natural fibre. Jute plants mostly grow in the Ganges delta region comprises Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh produces the finest quality of jute in the world. It contributed robustly in the economy of Bangladesh earlier, therefore it was considered as the ‘golden fibre’ of Bangladesh. But with the increased use of synthetic fibre, jute industry lost its glory. Therefore, provoked by the problems of decreased use of jute and the current environmental concern, this research has been conducted. The paper aims to find out the environmental benefits of jute as a natural fibre. Along with that, the economic benefits from the jute industry and value-added diversified products are also examined. To narrow down this study, Bangladesh has been chosen to find out the economic prospects and social factors there, considering Bangladesh is the second largest producer of jute and its emerging economic condition. However, the main goal of this study is to consider the environmental, economic and social factors of jute as a whole and jute’s contribution to sustainable development. To carry out the study, research questions has been set up according to the aim of the study. Literature review has been chosen as a primary method. Interviews have been taken from important key personnel associated with jute sectors playing important role in the research. Qualitative method has been chosen for data analysis. From the literature review and interview outcomes, the results have been formulated. It is found in the study that jute has lots of contribution in the environment. It purifies air, preserves forest, produces natural fertilization, increases fertility of the soil, produces biogas or renewable energy, holds strong biological efficiency and so on. Those benefits are found both in the scientific literatures and also from interviews. Increased demand of natural fibres creates market opportunity of jute. Along with this, the new application with enhanced value make jute products more attractive and economically worthy. Especially in the geotextile, automobile, infra structure and packaging sectors, there is a bright future prospects of jute. The enhanced economic opportunity along with environmental benefits, the jute industry will extend that will create more employment opportunity. Already, in Bangladesh, almost twenty-five million people are associated directly and indirectly with jute industry. Therefore, there is a social influence of jute to the people associated with it. Farmer’s social sustainability depends on the successful jute cultivation. The local entrepreneurs are also getting social access by making themselves independent and confident. Thereby, the relations among these three parts of sustainability-environment, economy and society in relation to jute are attempted to find out through this study.