Globally, the transport system faces a paradigmatic shift where, in addition to increased local traffic problems, climate change and depletion of fossil oil reserves will foster a successive transition to renewable fuels and a need for more resource-efficient mobility management and communication alternatives. Foresighted countries, cities or companies taking the lead in adapting to these tougher conditions might well not only solve those problems, but also turn the problems into business advantages. This thesis is based on six studies that attempt to develop future strategies based on rigorous principled emission and energy efficiency targets and to modulate the impact of travel policies, technical components and behaviours in economically advantageous ways. The modelling frameworks developed throughout the thesis build on a target-orientated approach called backcasting, where the following general components are applied: (1) target description at a conceptual level i.e. the potential for sustainable energy systems, emissions, costs, behavioural patterns, preferences, etc.; (2) mapping of the current situation in relation to target description; and (3) modelling of alternative sets of policies, technologies, behaviours and economic prerequisites to arrive at target achievement. Sustainable travel strategies are analysed from two main viewpoints. The first four studies focus on company travel planning, where behavioural modelling proved to be an important tool for deriving targetorientated travel policies consistent with employee preferences. The latter two studies focus on strategies and preconditions to meet future emission targets and energy efficiency requirements at a macroscopic regional level by 2030. Backcasting’s role as a generic methodology for effective strategic planning is discussed. / QC 20100816

The Personal Transportation System safeguards peoples’ cultural understanding of freedom: to move individually without being dependent on others. However, the increasing number of private vehicles driven on fossil fuels contributes to unsustainability and one of the most urgent issues, climate change. The authors explored electric vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuel driven vehicles as a way of moving strategically towards sustainability in the Personal Transportation System. In order to increase demand of electric vehicles, barriers need to be overcome. The authors identified perceived barriers and enablers through literature review, interviews with automobile dealers and other stakeholders of the EV sector in Southeast Sweden, as well as through an electronic survey of individuals living in this region. The outcome of the thesis is a pilot strategy using behavior change tools from Community-Based Social Marketing in order to address the perceived barriers and enablers on the demand side of the electric vehicle market. With highly positive attitudes towards electric vehicles in Southeast Sweden, the strategy may be successful in the region; however, it needs to be combined with further measures on the supply side of the market which cannot be addressed with behavior change tools.

Contaminated sites in low prioritized regions demand remediation technologies that are cost- and energy-effective and locally adapted. Parameters such as the time frame during which bioremediation degradation needs to occur may not be as restraining as in urban environments. This licentiate project aims to explore opportunities and constraints for appropriate soil remediation based on organic by-products in tropical developing countries and sparsely populated areas in industrial countries. Ecological Engineering and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development were explored as planning tools to steer bioremediation methods towards sustainability. The use of the five concepts of Ecological Engineering within the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development can steer bioremediation in low prioritized regions towards sustainability. Pilot-scale and laboratory experiments were undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of such bioremediation methods. Experiments carried out at the experiment station in Chontales, Nicaragua showed some promising results, but also revealed problems associated with the clay rich soils, which are typical for tropical regions. Treatment of diesel contaminated ultisol with 6 mL whey kg-1 dw in a pilot-scale experiment considerably increased the degradation rate of diesel constituents, but no effects on the degradation rates were observed after treatment with compost tea or pyroligneous acid.The soil columns study suggests that despite a favorable particle size distribution for microbial transport, the sandy loam retained a greater fraction of the microorganisms present in the ACT in the top 10 cm than the clay loam, presumably because the lower bulk density and higher SOM in the clay loam aided transport and growth of microorganisms.

The current global economic paradigm, centred on growth, is a significant barrier in the transition towards a sustainable society. Business-as-Usual companies operating within this paradigm are perceived to prosper at the expense of society and environment which is not viable on a finite planet. The need to rethink the purpose of business is inevitable as maximising shareholder value, has been deemed insufficient to create asustainable society. This study aimed to explore: how business models can be used to create value that supports Strategic Sustainable Development. Previous research proposed that the concept of Business Models for Sustainability helps business place sustainability at the core of all consideration. A qualitative research was chosen for which we employed the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and combined a literature review with an investigation of three expert groups to answer our research question. Our findings showed that, compared to other value forms, system value is the most appropriate concept for businesses striving towards sustainable development. Based on our findings, six themes emerged that businesses need to address to accelerate the speed of change towards sustainability. To make a relevant contribution to the intended audience,a prototype has been developed based on our findings.

The global food system plays a significant role in the sustainability challenge. One way to approach such a complex problem is to provide a science-based, functional definition of success, and then to find leverage points in the system that can force change. Because they are accessed by all children, we see food education and responsibly sourced school food as such leverage points. Farm-to-School is a US concept which encourages schools to provide classroom food education, a garden, and locally produced food in the school restaurant. We explored how the Farm-to-School concept might move the Swedish public-school system, in a strategic way, towards sustainability, using the municipality of Karlskrona as an example. We interviewed stakeholders in Karlskrona to understand the current system, and what the benefits of Farm-to-School and the obstacles to implementation might be. We also interviewed stakeholders in the US, to gain knowledge about their experience of Farm-toSchool. We found that in Karlskrona there are some initiatives but restrictive regulations hindered innovation and local procurement, insufficient leadership meant there was no unified vision to work towards, collaboration was absent and not encouraged, and there was a shortage of resources. We therefore do not advise implementing Farm-to-School at present.

This research proposes a socially sustainable impact sourcing model (SSISM), pertinent to the field of socially responsible outsourcing and offers recommendations for integrating immigrants in Sweden by using this model. The model brings businesses, communities and people together to create benefits for all stakeholders in a sustainable way.   Sweden has a long history of accepting immigrants, yet, has a comparably low success rate of integrating non-Swedish people into society. If SSISM is applied in Sweden, there is a potential for businesses to save money, for challenges like the integration problem to be mitigated, and for communities to benefit from an increased tax base as well as building stronger, more diverse communities.   The universal model for SSISM was developed through the analysis of existing practices and the use of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), a sustainability planning tool. The research process included informal interviews with businesses, communities and government agencies, formal interviews with businesses, and a survey with immigrants. The interviews and survey helped maintain relevance to the Swedish context and identified potential obstacles and enablers for implementation. From the results, recommendations on how to best apply the model for integrating immigrants into Sweden were developed in the discussion.

Increasing environmental and social pressure caused by human activity requires action toward a sustainable society. As our population grows and the proportion living in urban areas increases, cities are in a unique position to affect change. This has led to Circular Economy (CE) gaining momentum in municipalities as a tool for their city. Despite this momentum, there is lack of clarity about what CE is, how it can be most effectively implemented, and its relationship to strategic sustainable development (SSD). This research synthesized definitions of CE used in the field and investigated 21 cities worldwide to see how their municipalities have implemented CE practices. Using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), the implemented actions were critically examined for their strategic contribution toward a sustainable society. The findings suggest that CE is defined broadly, and interpreted differently by different users. In some cases, this presents challenges for its strategic use. The CE actions examined are concluded to be within the boundaries of a sustainable society, as defined by the FSSD. Their strategic approach is determined to be largely positive, with some exceptions. Depending on its application, CE is concluded to be a useful, albeit insufficient, tool for municipalities working toward SSD.

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This thesis explores how the Planetary Boundaries (PBs), as derived from the Planetary Boundary Framework (PBF), and the Sustainability Principles (SPs), as derived from the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD), can be integrated. It presents and discusses how the PBs and SPs intersect and provide additive value, with the purpose to inform the development of strategic guidelines towards sustainability. Agriculture was used as a case context due to its significant contribution to the sustainability challenge. The methods include the development of a matrix, populated with agricultural contributions to SP violations and PB transgressions, and a series of qualitative interviews with sustainability experts to validate the matrix and provide further insight into how an integrated approach can be used in practice. Results show that intersects exist on both driver and impact levels, and that the matrix provides an enhanced understanding of the system. Researchers conclude that there are various benefits from integrating the SPs and PBs, including aspects such as easing communication, informing prioritisation of urgent issues, and the development of strategic transformation approaches. Integrating SPs and PBs provides an enhanced definition of sustainability, from which explicit goals, criteria and strategic guidelines can be developed towards solving the sustainability challenge.

Organisations and especially multinational companies play a key role in addressing social sustainability challenges as they significantly influence the wellbeing of millions of people across borders. The term “social sustainability” has become a common topic in the last decades, however clear guidance on how to implement it in a holistic and strategic way is still lacking in the organisational context. This research analyses how multinational companies can implement social sustainability strategically. In collaboration with a case study company, the authors evaluate the current reality using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Building on their findings, the authors developed a five-phase guidance to support the case study company in implementing social sustainability. Based on the challenges that literature on social sustainability within companies identifies, the designed guidance might also support other multinational companies in tackling the social sustainability challenge and help them contribute to move the social system towards a sustainable future.