Sustainability has over the years been of interest and not least to the fast fashion industry. The phenomenon of sustainability reports has therefore occurred by small and large companies produced for society today. Companies present a list of past, present and future sustainable activities to suppliers, competitors, shareholders and customers. Furthermore, the fast fashion industry has grown and consumption tends to be higher than ten years ago. The information shared is therefore important to see how these activities are communicated to society, not at least to customers. Sustainability awareness is today a valuable tool for sustainable trust in companies. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to investigate which sustainability issues are presented  in sustainability reports by companies and by customers. Empirical results were obtained using a qualitative multi-method, where Critical Discourse Analysis was adopted by the authors to interpret sustainability reports from seven Swedish companies interpreted as fast fashion. The authors then analysed the results of CDA of sustainability reports with the aim to find out how the sustainable issues are presented to society in variants, differences, images and language. In addition, semi-structured interviews with questions based on CDA and literature review were conducted to gain perspectives and a deeper understanding of the customers.The conclusion of this thesis showed that customers can be involved in companies' sustainable activities, although it tends to differ. Customers perceived sustainability reports in today's situation as low transparency and the trust is not as high as it could be. The GIOIA method was therefore conducted to see how these first concepts from customer interviews relate to the second theme of CDA. Furthermore, four dimensions could be constructed with further suggestions for companies that produce sustainability reports to customers on the issues of trust, transparency, customer awareness and important sustainable issues. The thesis further identified both general factors and problems within sustainability reports that can be used for future guidance and implementation of sustainable awareness for customers in the fast fashion industry.

The method framework for quantifying the carbon emissions and removals from land, plants and products for cotton is developed in this study, which is feasible for most cotton supply chains. Collected defaults and suggested sources for required data inputs are provided. Current data gaps are defined, including the knowledge gap found in the storage time of cotton in the product pool, which requires further investigation in the future. Based on the quantification results of IKEA's case in 2019, there is a net 2.9 kg carbon stock increase per kg purchased cotton on average, equivalently offsetting 10.2% of global warming potential caused by cotton lint production emissions. Analysis results indicate that land-based carbon removals can be a cost-effective approach to achieve climate mitigation for cotton corporations. The amount of removed carbon can be greatly improved by avoiding emissions from land use change, adopting a higher level of conservation tillage to improve mineral soil carbon sequestration, and increasing carbon storage time in products to enlarge the climate benefit of cotton products carbon removals. Based on case study results, the carbon removals potential of global cotton production is estimated to be 5.4 Mt CO2-eq in 2019 and projected to reach 6.2 Mt CO2-eq in2029, which can mitigate over 0.01% of the GWP caused by the total worldwide anthropogenic emissions. Though this climate mitigation is relatively small, it breaks out the general cognition of agriculture carbon removals and provides us preliminary insight into cotton carbon sequestration capability and its potential.

Describing novel ideas and solutions that more effectively meet people’s needs than existing products, processes, or structures, social innovation (SI) is a promising concept to address the pressing issues of the sustainability challenge that society faces. Social innovation education (SIE) is a recent field in higher education that has gained attention regarding its potential contribution to sustainable development (SD); as such, SIE is nested within the system of education for sustainable development (ESD). The Sustainability Competencies Framework (SCF) suggests key competencies that equip students for work in SD. This thesis assesses the presence of sustainability competencies in SIE programs to provide insights on how SIE can strategically contribute to SD. A global sample of ten SIE programs has been qualitatively investigated; the findings map the content and pedagogies within the programs and provide recommendations for curriculum design that successfully teaches key sustainability competencies. Following a strategic approach for SD, the researchers take the nested system of ESD into consideration and suggest a science-based definition of sustainability across the diversity of programs to facilitate a common discourse and mutual contributions for successful education. The research addresses both educators and institutions of SIE and ESD programs.

Global, as well as local environmental problems, demand a transition of the current fossil-fuel dependent transport system. On the urban level, the bicycle as a sustainable transport mode is gaining importance, as in Berlin. To what extent Berlin is facing a transition of its transport system is discussed in this thesis. The multi-level perspective on societal transitions by Geels and Schot (2007) serves as the theoretical framework. A literature review made it possible to present factors stabilising as well as destabilising Berlin’s current transport regime. Even if it is considered to be robust against change, there are severe pressures from the macro-level, like environmental and health impacts and growing mobility demand. Berlin’s new Mobility Act is even one example of a successfully broken through innovation that has led to regime changes. Hence, niche-innovations, like the cycling project Radbahn are considered to be important for transitions. But there are aspects complicating a breaking through of such niche-innovations. Through semi-structured expert interviews with stakeholders, identified through a stakeholder analysis in advance, barriers to realising theRadbahnare identified. The results show realisation difficulties related to the legislative context and to the administrative system in Berlin. In addition, there are other aspects connected to the innovative nature of the project, its design and the routing that may cause difficulties.

Global warming is widely reported to be a cause of water scarcity and increased water con-sumption. As a consequence, it becomes harder for water suppliers to be prepared for increaseddemands. It is possible to predict the upcoming demand with the help of machine learningtools, however, a preliminary analysis of water consumption patterns is important for a goodprediction. This work focuses on water consumption patterns and studies their change withtime as well as the effects of meteorological factors on it.In order to aid the investigation and scrutinization of the patterns, a new semi-automatedtool was developed. Its algorithm is based on the Mann-Whitney U statistical test and performsgrouping of the weeks with similar sets of hourly water consumption. It helps to frame off theseasons of the year within which the patterns are similar. Along with that, K-means clusteringwas applied to the data to retrieve the patterns and to compare the performance with the newlydeveloped algorithm. On top of that, the effects of the population growth and meteorologicalvariables on water consumption were studied.K-means clustering showed more robust performance than the newly developed algorithmand therefore the ways of improvement were discussed along with the significance of gooddata quality and thorough data pre-processing. It was detected that municipalities with thedifferent housing situation had different persistent summer patterns of water consumption. Ingeneral municipalities with prevailing individual housing tend to consume more water duringthe summer per capita than others. Furthermore, municipalities with prevailing individualhousing were observed to be less robust against temperature growth and humidity decreasethan those with prevailing apartment housing as the latter increase their water consumptionless significantly in response to mentioned meteorological variables change. Therefore, consid-ering the population growth, the benefits of planning new multi-apartment dwelling areas inpreference to individual housing were discussed in the context of sustainable water use andclimate change. / Global uppvärmning kan orsaka både vattenbrist och ökad vattenförbrukning. Som en kon-sekvens blir det svårare för vattenförsörjningsföretag att förberedda sig på de ökande kraven.Det är möjligt att förutsäga den kommande efterfrågan med hjälp av verktyg för maskininlärn-ing, men det är viktigt att analysera vattenförbrukningsmönster för att få en bra förutsägelse.Detta arbete fokuserar därför på att analysera, samt studerar effekterna av meteorologiskafaktorer och hur semesterperioden påverkar vattenförbrukningen.Ett nytt halvautomatiskt verktyg utformades för att extrahera dagliga vattenförbrukn-ingsmönster från förbrukningstidserier. Algoritmen anger vilka veckor på året som har liknandemönster och grupperar dem i så kallade konsumtionssäsonger. För att utvärdera prestandan förverktyget användes en grupperingsmetod den så kallade K-means clustering på samma data.Utöver det studerades även effekterna av befolkningstillväxten och meteorologiska variabler påvattenförbrukningen.K-means klustring visade sig ha en mer robust prestanda än den nya framtagna utveckladealgoritmen och därför diskuterades olika sätt att förbättra algoritmen samt vikten av god rå-datakvalitet. Det upptäcktes att kommuner med olika bostadssituation reagerade olika på varmtoch torrt väder samt vissa semesterhändelser. I allmänhet brukar kommuner med enbostadshu-sområden förbruka mer vatten under sommaren per capita än andra. Fördelar med att planeranya flerbostadsområden som ett mer hållbart alternativ till enbostadshusområden diskuteradesi kontexten av befolkningstillväxt och klimatförändringar.

International climate mitigation agendas increasingly focus on the conservation of tropical forests such as the Amazon due to their high potential of sequestering large amounts of carbon. At the same time, Peru’s Amazonian frontier is increasingly subject to market pressures and other factors contributing to deforestation and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. In the face of these processes, the perspectives of local people and indigenous communities are often rendered invisible. Therefore, it becomes increasingly relevant to align goals of forest conservation with strategies to not compromise livelihood needs for rural populations. This thesis explores unheard perspectives of local people and the corresponding struggles to make a life in the Peruvian Amazon. More concrete, it is a case study on livelihoods in the indigenous community Naranjal in San Martín, one of the upper eastern jungle regions of Peru. Through using the conceptual lens of the ‘Extended Livelihood Framework’ and theories rooted in political ecology, the different livelihood activities are analysed both on the village and household level as well as in relation to wider political trends influencing these. Methodologically, qualitative PRA tools such as semi-structured interviews with households and key informants were used. The Findings demonstrate household complexity and livelihood diversity in which tensions between the different activities followed by villagers arise. The contested institutional landscape around Naranjal forms part of this puzzle. A crucial concern is the access to livelihood resources such as old-growth forests and farming land. These are in turn influenced by external ecological and demographic changes as well as political interests by the Peruvian state. Access mechanisms such as social networks and social identity in terms of indigeneity as well as farmer’s local knowledge on ecologies were highlighted, among others. It is argued that political and development actors should consider features of these mechanisms and livelihoods found in Naranjal, as they hold potential to contribute to a more sustainable future for indigenous communities in rural Amazonia. Equally, more collaboration among different development interventions should be aspired to build on synergies and head towards an integrative development approach which includes and considers villager’s own concerns and perspectives.

With a constant increase of the datasphere so does the need for proper management of this data in order to minimise potential inefficiencies when it comes to the usage of this data. Geodata is no exception to the need of management.  The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the current challenges of geodata management in Swedish companies and public authorities through qualitative analysis by interviews. Geodata- and GIS-users from the public and private sector made up the pool of interviewees and a total of 20 interviews were conducted. Despite a large diversity of daily tasks at hand, from data transfer for a customer in a system change process to updating attributes in NIS tools, all of the interviewees had some degree of challenges with respect to management of geodata. The results showed that the main challenges regarded inadequate or lack of quality geodata and its metadata as well as clarity of the location of these datasets. Scarcity of common understanding of geodata and GIS-systems among colleagues of geodata- and GIS-users causes these colleagues to often deliver incorrect, poorly formatted or low quality geodata and metadata. A large number of geodata file formats also contributes to confusion amongst geodata- and GIS-users and non-users which directly and indirectly causes some inefficiency. It was determined that the challenges of geodata management are highly abundant in the Swedish public and private sector. Furthermore, it was evaluated that the possible solutions would be to simplify geodata with less file formats as well as better and more clear coordination at organisational levels. Educating non-geodata and GIS-users in the workforce as well as in higher educational institutions that have majors related to geodata was also suggested as a possible solution to minimise challenges.

Because of its specific qualities, lithium is a key element for making lithium-ion batteries, which is of great relevance since the battery sector is the fastest growing user of lithium to date and with the transition towards a fully electrified transportation sector due to the current climate agenda and an even bigger increase in demand for lithium is anticipated for the coming decades. The two main sources for lithium to date are mines and brines, with brine water composing around 87 % of the world’s lithium reserves in terms of contained lithium. Salars, dominantly large salt flats in South America, provide the type of brine water that has a high concentration of lithium. These salars occur primarily in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile (the ABC-triangle), where solid lithium-compounds occur dominantly as evaporate minerals such as lithium carbonates. Lithium from salars is recovered with natural evaporation and salar-derived lithium-salts generally have a higher purity than lithium derived from pegmatite mining. However, the process of lithium extraction from salars much slower than mining lithium from pegmatite, although large amounts of energy are required and large amounts of waste rock material is produced in the process. Lithium also occurs in geothermal waters and in seawater, but at far lower concentrations then in pegmatites or salar brines, which thus requires large processing efforts to be economically attractive.The purpose of this study is to provide a modern update based on the lithium production data in metric tons from recent years and interpolate the lithium production for the remaining part of the century. Then I will assess the difference between the projections from the study by Vikström et al. 2014, that were previously used to estimate possible future production rates annually, and current production and availability estimates. To achieve this, the present study will compare the different sources of lithium all over the world, mainly hard rock and brine, with a focus on the geological aspects and the EU from a financial aspect. This thesis thus aims to assess future production trends based on most recent data on geological availability, which will be retrieved from The United States Geological Survey, and earlier forecasts with the purpose to investigate if and how previous forecasts will need to change in respect to various resource availability. The production data ranging from 1900 to 2010 from the previous study by Vikström et al., on which the previous forecast production is based on, is updated with data from 2011 to 2019. With the addition of the more recent data, a similar forecast projection will be made using the same mathematical models (logistic, Gompertz and Richards).

The End-Triassic Extinction (ETE) has long remained one of the lesser known among the so-called “Big Five”. There exist several hypotheses regarding the probable cause of this extinction, which can mainly be divided into  events of  a decline in the rate of diversification  in the late Triassic contra a sudden and significant extinction event. Primary amongst the sudden events is the one of outgassing and climate/environmental change induced by Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) volcanism. This  study  aims to  describe  the ETE using  fluvial, lacustrine, deltaic  and  marginal-marine  microbial sedimentary  structures (MS), carbonatized microbial mats (CMM) as well as  wrinkle structures, microbially  induced  sedimentary  structures (MISS) from the latest  Triassic-  earliest  Jurassic  (TJB: Triassic-Jurassic boundary interval, Rhaetian to Hettangian) of Skåne, Southern Sweden. The MISS in these sites show a high diversity of structures, indicating microbial communities with high diversity in an environment usually dominated by bioturbating invertebrates. We observed structures that include top-surface (“Elephant skin”) and subsurface (“Kinneyia”) structures, carbon-rich fossilized microbial mats, microbial sideritic concretions, sideritized microbial mats, stromatolite-like layers and oncoids. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) sampling also revealed structures related to the presence of both coccoidal and filamentous cyanobacteria.  Overall,  the diversity in observed structures indicate a thriving microbial community, with diversified and abundant ichnofossils or body fossils of possible bioturbators only observed in the early Rhaetian and younger Mid-Late Hettangian samples of deltaic or marginal-marine affinities. The lack of metazoan communities to such an extent indicates that the local environment could have reversed to a pre-Substrate Revolution state. The occurrence of abundant and  diversified  microbial structures in the studied  TJB  section,  representing  a relatively  short time interval, reflects anachronistic facies and development of abnormal biota. This supports the occurrence of several environmental distresses (abnormal hydrochemical and physical conditions) on the Triassic-Jurassic boundary interval, in turn lending credence to the hypothesis of an abrupt climactic event such as possibly that of CAMP volcanism. / <p>Presentation was carried out online over zoom due to the at the time ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.</p> / Resurrecting a lost world in Skåne: new light on the end-Triassic mass extinction and the origin of the dinosaur dominated ecosystem / Dinosaur grave from Skåne: microbiology, taphonomy and paleomolecules of exceptionally preserved theropod remains

The escalating demand for metals driven by advancements in renewable energy technologies and hightech products has underscored the significance of understanding and characterizing ore deposits. This study focuses on the Ertelien Ni-Cu deposit in Norway, a region rich in nickel, cobalt, and copper resources—essential components for the transition to a sustainable energy future. The deposit, located within the Kongsberg belt, holds substantial economic potential due to its Ni-Cu-Co sulfide mineral enrichment. Previous assay results from drill cores, optical microscopy, and electron probe micro-analysis were employed to characterize the mineralogy and based on this interpreter the formation mechanisms, and enrichment processes that formed the deposit.  The Ertelien deposit represents an igneous origin with significant Ni-Cu-Co content estimated at 2.7 million metric tons, with grades of 0.83%, 0.69%, and 0.06%, respectively, within a gabbronorite intrusive body. Optical microscopy and electron probe micro-analysis revealed a complex mineral assemblage including common silicates such as plagioclase, pyroxene, amphibole, mica, olivine, and others, as well as sulfides such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite.  The primary objective of this study is to conduct an in-depth examination of the geological, mineralogical, and enrichment aspects of the Ertelien deposit. Specifically, primary magmatic and assimilation processes involved in the formation of Ni-Cu-deposits were be evaluated, as well as any potential metal redistribution resulting from secondary processes. Mineralogical studies, facilitated by combining optical microscopy and electron microprobe analysis provided important information on the mechanisms contributing to metal enrichment in or deposits. Optical microscopy and electron probe microanalysis revealed a complex mineral assemblage including common silicates such as plagioclase, pyroxene, amphibole, mica, olivine, and others, as well as sulfides such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, pentlandite.  The analyzed rock suite spans a range of compositions from gabbroic to tonalite, with MgO concentrations varying from 0.38 to 22.96 wt.%. Overall, there is a discernible trend of sulfur enrichment in or near samples characterized by low MgO and high Na2O and CaO contents, suggesting that sulfide saturation is likely associated with the assimilation of S-bearing gneisses into which the Ertelien gabbronorites intruded. Ni concentrations exhibit an increasing trend with depth. The nickel-to-cobalt ratio (Ni/Co) displays a discernible pattern that correlates with sulfide crystallization during the process of magmatic fractionation. Notable distinctions observed among groups characterized by differing Ni/Co contents in chalcopyrite, pentlandite, pyrrhotite, and pyrite reveal distinct trends in Ni concentrations. In conjunction with the presence of sphalerite and Ag-pentlandite, which are indicative of lower temperature origin compared to magmatic activity, all these observations provide compelling indications of diverse potential sources, including variations in magma compositions and the influence of hydrothermal processes.  Investigating ore formation conditions enhances the mining sector's ability to identify high-potential mineralization areas, vital for ensuring a stable supply of metals essential for renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. / Den eskalerande efterfrågan på metaller som drivs av framsteg inom förnybar energiteknik och högteknologiska produkter har understrukit betydelsen av att förstå och karakterisera malmfyndigheter. Denna studie fokuserar på Ertelien Ni-Cu-fyndigheten i Norge, en region rik på nickel-, kobolt- och kopparresurser – väsentliga komponenter för övergången till en hållbar energiframtid. Fyndigheten, som ligger inom Kongsbergsbältet, har en betydande ekonomisk potential på grund av dess Ni-Cu-Cosulfidmineralanrikning. Tidigare analysresultat från borrkärnor, optisk mikroskopi och elektronsondsmikroanalys användes för att karakterisera mineralogin och baserat på denna tolk för bildningsmekanismerna och anrikningsprocesserna som bildade fyndigheten.  Ertelien-avlagringen representerar ett magmatiskt ursprung med betydande Ni-Cu-Co-innehåll uppskattat till 2.7 miljoner ton, med halter på 0.83%, 0.69% respektive 0.06% inom en gabbronorit-intrusiv kropp. Optisk mikroskopi och elektronsondsmikroanalys avslöjade en komplex mineralsammansättning inklusive vanliga silikater som plagioklas, pyroxen, amfibol, glimmer, olivin och andra, såväl som sulfider som pyrit, kolopirit, pyrrotit, pentlandit.  Det primära syftet med denna studie är att genomföra en djupgående undersökning av de geologiska, mineralogiska och anrikningsaspekterna av Ertelienfyndigheten. Specifikt utvärderades primära magmatiska och assimileringsprocesser involverade i bildandet av Ni-Cu-avlagringar, såväl som eventuell metallomfördelning till följd av sekundära processer. Mineralogiska studier, underlättade genom att kombinera optisk mikroskopi och elektronmikrosondanalys gav viktig information om de mekanismer som bidrar till metallanrikning i eller avlagringar. Optisk mikroskopi och elektronsondsmikroanalys avslöjade en komplex mineralsammansättning inklusive vanliga silikater som plagioklas, pyroxen, amfibol, glimmer, olivin och andra, såväl som sulfider som pyrit, kolopirit, pyrrotit, pentlandit.  Den analyserade bergsviten sträcker sig över en rad kompositioner från gabbroic till tonalit, med MgOkoncentrationer som varierar från 0.38 till 22.96 viktprocent. Sammantaget finns det en urskiljbar trend av svavelanrikning i eller nära prover som kännetecknas av lågt MgO och högt Na2O- och CaO-innehåll, vilket tyder på att sulfidmättnad sannolikt är associerad med assimileringen av S-bärande gnejser i vilka Ertelien-gabbronoriterna inträngde. Ni-koncentrationer uppvisar en ökande trend med djupet. Förhållandet nickel till kobolt (Ni/Co) visar ett urskiljbart mönster som korrelerar med sulfidkristallisation under processen för magmatisk fraktionering. Anmärkningsvärda skillnader som observerats bland grupper som kännetecknas av olika Ni/Co-halter i karbonat, pentlandit, pyrrotit och pyrit avslöjar distinkta trender i Nikoncentrationer. I samband med närvaron av sfalerit och Ag-pentlandit, som indikerar lägre temperaturursprung jämfört med magmatisk aktivitet, ger alla dessa observationer övertygande indikationer på olika potentiella källor, inklusive variationer i magmasammansättningar och påverkan av hydrotermiska processer.  Att undersöka malmbildningsförhållanden förbättrar gruvsektorns förmåga att identifiera mineraliseringsområden med hög potential, avgörande för att säkerställa en stabil tillgång på metaller som är nödvändiga för förnybara energisystem, elfordon och avancerad elektronik.