The concept of the Circular Economy (CE) is proposed as a viable solution to the over-exploitation of natural resources with an economic and environmental backing. Although more commonly used in the context of non-renewable industrial materials and processes, there is a growing need to include these concepts into renewable materials that have technical functions. This thesis will discuss the concepts of CE in the context of the wooden furniture sector and how the inclusion of Value Retention Processes (VRPs) and other CE practices result in quantifiable environmental and economic benefits. Companies that are involved in these VRPs are consulted through a questionnaire. This is to better understand the process and limits of their implementations. The issue of furniture waste is highlighted to demonstrate the need for circularity in this industry and how it fits within the context of CE. A case study is conducted utilizing three comparable furniture products to populate the data needed to utilize an established CE model showcasing their quantifiable benefits (IRP, 2018). This research will lead to a basis for continued research, improvements to current CE models, and suggestions for best practices that can be implemented by industry stakeholders and consumers. The results of the company questionnaire showcase that a viable VRP market exists for the wooden furniture industry, with “Reuse” being the most utilized by consumers. The outputs of the CE model revealed that the inclusion of VRPs results in significant decreases in environmental impacts when compared with new product manufacturing.

Background:           Today’s fashion industry is one of the most wasteful and polluting industries, which contributes to a global concern. A transition from a linear to a circular approach is needed, in which consumers play a key role. Clothing rental subscription is among the sustainable business models that aim to reduce the production and disposal of clothes by increasing their utilization and extending their lifetime. Based on the attitude-intention relation from the Theory of Planned Behavior and on current literature, we develop a theoretical framework. Purpose:                  The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of perceived sustainability, perceived enjoyment, perceived financial risk, perceived performance risk, fashion leadership, psychological ownership and perceived convenience on consumers’ attitudes towards clothing rental subscription services and their intentions to engage in this circular fashion business model. Method:                  To fulfill the purpose, we conducted a quantitative study. Primary data was collected through online questionnaires, resulting in 282 responses from German females. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify the influences of the above-mentioned factors on attitude and on intention. Lastly, a linear regression analysis was used to test attitude’s influence on intention. Conclusion:               The results show that consumers’ attitudes towards clothing rental subscription are positively influenced by the perceived sustainability and perceived enjoyment of the business model, and negatively influenced by perceived financial risk and perceived performance risk. Their intentions to participate in clothing rental subscription were shown to be positively influenced by perceived enjoyment and attitude, while negatively influenced by perceived financial risk. Focusing on one clothing rental business model, we contribute to research in the field and provide valuable implications for practitioners.

En los últimos años los países prestan atención con el cuidado y protección del medio ambiente, por ello se dictaminan normas y leyes que incentiven el buen manejo de los residuos sólidos. En el Perú existe el Decreto Legislativo 1278 Ley de Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos, pero la inadecuada disposición de los neumáticos en desuso genera problemas ambientales y de salud. Más aún, no se aprovechan las materias primas de estos bienes para convertirlos en otros productos aplicando la Economía Circular, es decir priorizando la recuperación y valorización de estos productos; lo que conlleva a una reducción en la generación de residuos sólidos. La presente tesis consiste en conocer los beneficios de la implementación del principio de la responsabilidad extendida del productor (REP) en los neumáticos “fuera de carretera”. (OTR por sus siglas en inglés [off the road]). En ese sentido, en el capítulo I se presenta el contexto del problema de investigación, así como la formulación del problema y sus respectivos objetivos. El capítulo II busca contextualizar la situación global, regional y nacional sobre el principio REP en los neumáticos. En el capítulo III se aborda la metodología, los segmentos y categorías referente al tema de investigación. En el capítulo IV se desarrolla los resultados obtenidos y finalmente, en el capítulo V se recaban, interpretan y analizan las conclusiones y recomendaciones de estudio. Asimismo, se detallan las barreras y brechas de investigación. / In recent years, countries pay attention to the care and protection of the environment, so regulations and laws are enacted that encourage the good management of solid waste. In Perú there is the Law 1278, but the inadequate disposal of tires out of use generates environmental and health problems. Furthermore, the raw materials of these goods are not used to convert them into other products by applying the Circular Economy, that is, prioritizing the recovery and valuation of these products; which leads to a reduction in the generation of solid waste. This thesis consists of knowing the benefits of implementing the principle of extended producer responsibility (REP) in “off-road” tires in (off the road]). In this sense, Chapter I presents the context of the research problem, as well as the formulation of the problem and its respective objectives. Chapter II seeks to contextualize the global, regional and national situation regarding the REP principle in tires. Chapter III deals with the methodology, segments and categories related to the research topic. Chapter IV develops the results obtained and finally, Chapter V collects, interprets and analyzes the conclusions and study recommendations. Likewise, the barriers and research gaps are listed. / Tesis

Background: Sustainability is becoming increasingly important from a consumer’s perspective when it comes to their preferences. Simultaneously, mass-market apparel brands are struggling to meet the demand for sustainable clothing and textile products. The industry is in dire need for sustainable development as it is responsible for 8-10% of world’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the cause of 20% of the world’s wastewater. Therefore, it is vital to explore what the barriers are that hinders the development of sustainable business models and the consequences of these barriers.  Purpose: This thesis aims to explore which barriers and subsequent consequences Swedish clothing & textile organizations face when developing a sustainable business model. Method: This study follows the interpretivist approach with inductively inspired reasoning. Qualitative semi-structured interviews are conducted on three different cases, which are analysed and compared using the general analytical procedure. The study used Snoek’s (2017) theoretical framework of internal and external barriers to explore the barriers in the Swedish clothing & textile industry. Findings: This thesis contributes with comprehensive knowledge about barriers and their consequences in the Swedish clothing & textile industry with the help of Snoek’s (2017) framework of internal and external barriers. A total of 24 barriers were classified under four barrier categories; “Costly business model”, “Lack of awareness & low willingness to pay”, “Lack of transparency”, and “Misalignment between policy & regulation within the C&T industry”. Nine were new out of these 24 barriers. A theoretical framework is brought forward illustrating the interconnectivity between “consumer awareness”, “demand and willingness to pay for sustainable products”, “companies match the demand”, and after that “, creating demand for sustainable products”. This study’s findings extend the knowledge about the Swedish clothing & textile industry for organizations that wish to develop sustainability into their business model.

Collaboration is a pervasive element in an organization's departments, various suppliers, and business associates in an advanced manufacturing industry. Cloud Manufacturing (CMfg) is a new service-oriented business paradigm capable of generating this sought-after collaboration. Companies are expected to accomplish cost reductions, maintain quality, satisfy the market, and reduce environmental impacts while growing in sophistication and integration. Implementing the idea of sharing resources and capabilities will ultimately result in cost reduction, boost productivity,and more efficient consumption of natural resources globally. Sustainability, consumption of energy, and waste minimization would thus find an adequate representation within CMfg due to its collaborative aspect. Even though it has been more than a decade since the inception of cloud manufacturing, a broad consensus about the concept, essential characteristics, architecture is still lacking. This thesis addresses the presented definitions, features, and architectures associated with CMfg found in the literature; by conducting a systematic literature review. Thus, 105 papers have been selected to enable the identification of the core components of the CMfg idea, as well as illustrate how CMfg contributes to a more sustainable manufacturing future while its relationship with other relevant manufacturing paradigms, including Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, social manufacturing, E-manufacturing, and Industrial Internet, isinvestigated. Summaries of various definitions of the CMfg concept as well as different layers of its architecture have been presented. This paper investigates the potential contributions of CMfg to sustainability by analyzing solutions that lead to the improvement of collaboration, better automation, and utilizing the 6Rs concept, as well as considering the role of waste valorization and circular economy in today's manufacturing strategies.

Introduction: The unsustainable recycling patterns of various companies in Sweden lead to a waste of possible resources. These resources can create value through re-production in circular processes. The issue that this study address is the recycling behavior among workplaces. There is a gap in the research of understanding influences to recycling behaviors among industrial companies, which is the target in this study. Theory & Purpose: This thesis employs behavioral theories on recycling activity through a framework developed by the authors with the aim of determining factors that affect the present recycling behavior within industries. Therefore, the purpose will be to investigate recycling behavior of companies within the flooring industry in Sweden. Furthermore, its purpose is to broaden the knowledge about recycling among companies and what situational factors that affect recycling behavior. Methodology: For data gathering, the thesis followed a quantitative method through conducting an online survey. The survey was sent out to 190 companies, and this resulted in 55 respondents which is a response rate of 28.9%. The survey data were collected to evaluate the prediction of behavior by the use of statistical regression analyses in STATA. Ordinal and binary data were the primary data types collected and used. Analysis & Results: A Probit regression model tested the survey data followed by calculations of the marginal effects. Marginal effect is used to conclude how much each situational factor provoked the probability of RECYCLING BEHAVIOR when the other factors are unchanged. The analysis made the support that RECYCLING BEHAVIOR is significantly related to the factors INFRASTRUCTURE, CONVENIENCE and ORGANIZATION COMMITMENT. Furthermore, there is an existence of latent factors affecting recycling behavior. This existence is because the statistical model partly explains the connection. Alternative factors should be investigated in further research since there are limited studies done on the topic. Conclusions: Considered benefits are for; the flooring industry as well as other industries and society at large. The understanding of enablers for influencing RECYCLING BEHAVIOR is one of the benefits of this study. Changes in arrangement and mobility of recycling stations, together with an increase of social norms and recycling policies, suggests being practical goals. Moreover, communicating these standpoints are important for companies to gain value. Nonetheless, protecting the environmental boundaries by decreasing the use of raw material in a growing global production market. Understanding how situational factors affect RECYCLING BEHAVIOR will help actors move towards more sustainable and circular acts. Regarding recycling among industries, this study can be used to understand how to gain more value in existing circular economy systems as well as waste management systems. Both economic value and ecological value can be determined, from putting waste material into new products instead of incinerating it. Future Research: Directions for future research include qualitative case studies, experimental testing, and models including internal factors, attitude, habits and subjective norms. Extending this thesis with other approaches will benefit to find further correlations and predictions regarding recycling behavior among companies. Further research should also include economic aspects of the material gained through recycling behavior.

I denna rapport undersöks återanvändnings- och återvinningspotentialen för stommaterial ur byggnader i Sverige. De två materialen som har undersökts är betong och trä. Rapporten innehåller en litteraturstudie över återanvändning och återvinning. En fallstudie har även utförts på två byggnader. Den första byggnaden är ett småhus med träkonstruktion. Den andra byggnaden är ett flerbostadshus med betongkonstruktion. Byggsektorn står för stora mängder utsläpp och har en stor påverkan på miljön. Av allt material som ligger på deponi står byggbranschen för ca 35 % av allt material. Ett alternativ för att minska byggbranschens påverkan på miljön är att återanvända och återvinna material i högre grad. Hantering av avfall ska prioriteras enligt EUs direktiv gällande avfall. I direktivet finns avfallstrappan som rangordnar avfall efter vad som ska prioriteras över andra alternativ. Betong är ett material som både går att återanvända och återvinna. Att återvinna betong är en vanlig process som innebär att betong krossas och sedan används som ballast till ny betong. Denna process kan innebära att betongens kvalitet ändras. Återanvändning av betong utförs inte i samma utsträckning men har stor potential i framtiden. Materialet trä bör följa kaskadmodellen för att förlänga dess livslängd. Kaskadmodellen beskriver hur träets livslängd kan förlängas innan den går till förbränning med energiutvinning. Fallstudien i denna rapport har utförts på två teoretiska byggnader. Byggnaderna har grundats på undersökningen BETSI och ska representera ett medelvärde av byggnader i Sverige. Fallstudien undersöker hur mycket material som går att återanvända och återvinna ur byggstommen. Resultatet visar på att all betong har en stor potential att återanvändas och återvinnas. Allt trä som används i de två byggnaderna bör följa kaskadmodellen där de komponenter som går att återanvända återanvänds.

In the sports industry, the products currently being developed by design teams are degraded over time due to wear and tear. During the last decade, awareness about the global environmental crisis has increased and sports users are now more demanding about the environmental impact of products and services that they are using. Therefore, people are searching for companies that make durable and sustainable products and services. While the importance of durability regarding the development of a circular economy has been recognized, a concrete concept has not yet been specifically addressed in European product policies. Standards are missing and this research aims to develop a method, where companies from the water-sports industry could follow a step-by-step process to assess the normative lifespan of a product, especially in the early design stages of the product development process. The case study of OLAIAN, the DECATHLON surf brand, has made it possible to develop repeatable long-term quality test protocols on neoprene wetsuits and surfboards to characterize the ageing of these products. A product’s resistance is one of the durability factors that are tested in this method, by creating a database containing the number of uses a product has made and its evolution over time. This case study has allowed the testing of different protocols in co- creation with the surf organizations and explores further the study of a testing phase during the product development process. From these empirical findings, a 10-step method has been designed to estimate the normative lifespan of a product. Globally, the outcomes are intended for the design team, in order to know a product’s resistance over time and its weaknesses, thus being able to improve and further its lifespan. A second outcome is to fulfill information to complete studies on durability. Therefore, increase the reliability of Life Cycle Analysis and observe where is the biggest environmental impact in the product’s process (from inception to recycling) to take actions. This also helps to know more precisely the temporal warranty that companies can promise to their customers, and it completes studies on environmental indicators display to guide consumers to more sustainable choices. This study aims to allow in the future, sports organizations certified by Standardization organization for testing of products and the assessment of their durability. Further research on sensors or electronic devices, to more precisely follow the evolution of product during field- testing would be very relevant. As this thesis focused on field-testing for the reliability of products, based on these results further research in statistical models to support failures analysis in accelerated lab-testing must be implemented. Another opportunity is the emergence of platforms and product-service systems in the sports field. This could open up opportunities to have products used at a high frequency and in intense conditions to enable faster feedback on durability.

La industria de la moda es la segunda más contaminante del mundo y se encuentra operando a expensas de factores ambientales y sociales. Debido a eso, la moda sostenible toma un rol importante al posicionarse como una alternativa para el futuro de dicha industria. Esta surge a partir de los años sesenta y se basa en el equilibrio de la Tríada de la Sostenibilidad, compuesta por el ambiente, la sociedad, la economía; y está relacionada a la economía circular o ciclo de vida del producto. Actualmente, la sostenibilidad en la moda ha adquirido mayor importancia y notoriedad en el Perú. No obstante, aún existen desafíos como el desconocimiento sobre cómo operar un negocio de moda sostenible y la comprensión de su concepto. Es por ello que la presente investigación tiene como objetivo general conocer cómo la marca Ayni trabaja la moda sostenible desde el año 2009 hasta el 2020 en Lima. Para ello, se elaborará un estudio de caso cualitativo de la marca mencionada, al ser una con gran reconocimiento y participación en el Directorio de la Asociación de Moda Sostenible del Perú. En este se recogerá información mediante diversas técnicas como la observación, entrevistas a profundidad, revisión de documentación de la marca y revisión bibliográfica para contar con diversos datos que proporcionen información profunda e integral sobre el caso por analizar. Es importante mencionar que este se abordará especialmente a partir del análisis de dos componentes: la Tríada de la Sostenibilidad y la economía circular. / The fashion industry is considered the second most polluting in the world and is operating at the expense of environmental and social factors. Because of this, sustainable fashion takes an important role in positioning itself as a worldwide alternative to the future of this industry. It arises from the sixties and is based on the balance of the Triple Bottom Line, which includes environmental, social and economic factors; and its related to the circular economy or product lifecycle. Currently, sustainability in fashion has become more important and is constantly evolving in Peru. However, there are still challenges such as the lack of knowledge about how to operate a sustainable fashion business and understanding its concept. The present research has as general objective to know how Ayni has worked sustainable fashion from 2009 to 2020 in Lima. For this objective, a qualitative case study of the mentioned brand will be developed, being Ayni one with great recognition and participation in the Board of the “Asociación de Moda Sostenible del Perú”. The information will be obtained through techniques such as observation, interviews, review of brand documentation and bibliographic review to have various data that provide in-depth and comprehensive information on the case to be analyzed. It is important to mention that this will be approached especially from the analysis of two components: The Triple Bottom Line and the circular economy or product lifecycle.

The objective of our thesis was to conduct a pilot study to evaluate if an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles in the EU could be a socioeconomically beneficial policy to complement the EU Waste Framework Directive’s amendment of separately collected textiles. The aim was to investigate if the policy could achieve increased circular design of textiles as well as if it could work as a management plan for the increased collection rates. The evaluation was made with a Cost-Benefit Analysis, using the French EPR-system for textiles as a base. It was further complemented with previously conducted research of EPR-systems for other waste streams in the EU, as well as by previously conducted investigations for other national implementations of producer responsibilities for textiles. In additional support, we used data for differences between the member states in the European Union and conducted an expert interview. The EPR was compared to a situation where the municipalities in the member states would instead be responsible for the separate collection of textiles. The result of our investigation illustrates how both alternatives generate a net-loss, the Municipal Responsibility with - €7,611,410,291 and the Extended Producer Responsibility with - €6,012,109,341 during the first year of implementation. The EPR alternative generates a lower net-loss during the first three years of implementation. The producer responsibility is however the less beneficial alternative four years after implementation, since the decreased opportunity cost of labour generated through the hiring of unemployed assumed under the producer responsibility is deducted. The producer responsibility does however generate benefits through clearly defined responsibility of the textiles placed on the European market and gives incentives for increased fibre-to-fibre recycling and for increased durability of textiles. The initiative therefore generates both higher quantifiable-and non-quantifiable, environmental benefits than the alternative. We conclude that an Extended Producer Responsibility should be further examined as a complement to the regulation of separate collection of textiles, to reach an increased circular textile industry.