Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a widely used method for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle. As a decision-making tool, LCA allows decision-makers to identify the environmental hotspots in a product or process, and to explore opportunities for improvement. However, while LCA has many potentials, it also has several limitations that need to be considered. One of the main limitations of LCA is the difficulty in obtaining accurate data, particularly for the upstream and downstream stages of a product's life cycle. Another limitation is the challenge of interpreting the results, as LCA involves complex calculations and assumptions that can be difficult for non-experts to understand. Despite these limitations, LCA remains a valuable tool for informing decision-making, and efforts are being made to address these limitations through the development of standardized methods and improved data collection and interpretation techniques. This paper provides an overview of LCA as a decision-making tool in the context of vaccine manufacturing, its potential and limitations, and the current state of research in this field.

Produktionen av textila fibrer ökar varje år och domineras idag av bomull och polyester. Denna industri innebär en stor miljöpåverkan, inte bara genom användandet av kemikalier tidigt i värdekedjan utan även utsläpp vid transport av råvaror och textila produkter över långa sträckor. Ett alternativ till denna globala värdekedja, och ett steg mot en mer förnyelsebar textilindustri, är att i större utsträckning utnyttja de lokalt producerade råvaror som i dagsläget förbises. Idag slängs ca 54% av den ull som årligen produceras i Sverige. Flera projekt för att använda mer av den svenska ullen, bland annat Swedish Wool Initiative, har genomförts. Detta har resulterat i att ett par olika företag har börjat sälja plagg av svensk ull, men då grövre stickade plagg. Här finns en kunskapslucka kring hur tunna garn och sedermera tyg som kan tillverkas och hur deras egenskaper skiljer sig från garn och tyg av importerad merinoull. Detta arbete jämför därför svensk jämtlandsull och finull med importerad merinoull genom karakterisering av fibrer, garn och tyg. Testerna visar att fibrerna av jämtlandsull har större diameter och kortare längd än de andra sorterna, men det färdiga garnet visade ingen signifikant skillnad i styrka utan alla tre hade en styrka kring 3-4 cN/tex. Garnet av finull kunde inte användas till stickning då det var för ojämnt och hade för stor variation i styrka. Av jämtlands- och merinogarnen producerades stickade tyger med en kvadratmetervikt kring 270 g/m2. Arbetet visade således att den svenska finullen inte lämpar sig för produktion av finstickade plagg. Dock har jämtlandsullen potential att användas i något grövre plagg än det väldigt tunna tyget som var arbetets målbild. Detta då garnet av jämtlandsull hade väldigt lika egenskaper som det av merinoull. / The production of textile fibres increases each year and is today dominated by cotton and polyester. This industry causes a large environmental impact, not only through the use of chemicals early in the values chain but also emissions from transports of raw materials and textile products over long distances. An alternative to this global value chain, and a step towards a more renewable textile industry, is to a greater extent use locally produces raw materials that currently are overlooked. Today, about 54% of the wool produced in Sweden is thrown away. Several projects aimed to increase the use of the wool have been done, for example Swedish Wool Initiative. This resulted in a couple of companies starting to sell garments made of Swedish wool, but only coarser knitted garments. Here a knowledge gap exists around how thin yarns and subsequently fabrics that can be produced and how their characteristics differ from the ones of yarn and fabric made of imported Merino wool. Therefore, this study compares wool from the Swedish Jämtlands sheep and Finulls sheep with imported merino wool through characterization of fibres, yarn, and fabric. The tests showed that the fibres from the Jämtlands sheep have a larger diameter and shorter length than the other fibres, but the final yarn didn’t show any significant difference in strength. All three yarns had a strength around 3-4 cN/tex. The yarn made from the wool from the Finull sheep was not possible to knit because of irregularities and variation in strength. The yarn made from Merino and Jämtlands wool was knitted into fabrics with a square metre weight of about 270 g/ 2 m . Thus, the work shows that wool from the Finull sheep isn’t suited for production of fine knitted clothing. The Jämtlands wool on the other hand, has potential to be used in slightly coarser garments than the very thin ones that was the aim of this work. This is thought possible because of the similar characteristics between the yarn made from Merino wool and the one made from Jämtlands wool.

Introduktion: Textilbranschen är en av de industrier som har störst negativ påverkan på miljön och sociala förhållanden. Detta har mynnat ut i att det i dagens samhälle finns efterfrågan och förväntningar på industrin att förändras, både för planetens bästa men även för företagens överlevnad. En stor del av problematiken är att företag ofta upplever att det är kostsamt att vara hållbar eftersom det oftast kräver mer resurser, tid och kunskap. Alla beslut gällande företagets verksamhet kan påverka hur hållbart ett företag är och många av besluten bär inköpsfunktionen ansvar för. Redan i inköpsstadiet tas det beslut kring viktiga faktorer som sourcingland och materialval vilka har stor inverkan på hållbarhet. Vad studier visar är att inköpsrollen är en roll med potential och mandat att främja en hållbar industri både internt och externt. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till ökad kunskap om hur inköpare uppfattar hållbarhet inom sin organisation samt att se vad inköpare gör i sitt dagliga arbete för ökad hållbarhet i företaget. Metod: En kvalitativ studie i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer utfördes där åtta inköpare från fem olika svenska modeföretag deltog. En tematisk analys med kodning utfördes för att analysera materialet från studien. Resultat och Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis visade det empiriska materialet att inköparna är medvetna och har förståelse över sin roll och dess påverkan kring hållbarhet, samtidigt som de inte delar teorins syn på hur omfattande påverkan de har i alla delar i inköpsfunktionens områden. Studiens resultat visade istället att många inköpare hade mindre inflytande kring beslut kopplat till leverantörer och mest inflytande kopplat till hållbara materialval. Vad man kunde urskilja var återkommande i materialet var att det fortfarande sågs som ett hinder eller krav att hålla uppe det hållbara arbetet, inte för att det fanns bristande engagemang från inköpare, men att man inte fick det att gå ihop med pris till marknaden och budgeten. Vad hållbar utveckling innebär för inköpare speglar ofta företagets syn och utveckling kring ämnet. Resultaten indikerar att inom inköparnas roll innebär hållbar utveckling främst att vara medveten om sina materialval i produkter man tar fram. / Introduction: The textile industry is one of the industries which have had the biggest negative impact on the environment and social conditions. This has resulted in an increased demand and expectation from our society for the industry to change, both for the good of the planet but also for the survival of textile- and fashion companies. A big part of the issue is that companies often believe that it is costly to be sustainable due to it requiring more resources, time and competence. All decisions regarding the company’s operation can affect how sustainable a company really is, and many of these decisions the buyer is responsible for. Already in the buying stage, decisions regarding important sustainability factors such as choice of sourcing country or materials are made. Studies show that the buyer has a role with potential to promote a more sustainable industry, both internally and externally. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to contribute to increased knowledge of how buyers perceive sustainability within their organization, as well as finding what buyers do in their daily activities to promote sustainability. Method: A qualitative study in the form of semi structured interviews has been performed where eight buyers from five different Swedish fashion companies participated. A thematic analysis with coding was then performed to analyze the data from the study. Results and Conclusion: In conclusion, the material show that the buyers are aware and have an understanding of how their role affects sustainability, but they do not share the standpoint of the theory of how extensive the impact is. The results instead show how many of the buyers have less influence regarding decisions linked to suppliers and have the most influence regarding choice of sustainable materials. One factor which was recurring in the material was that keeping up sustainable development was an activity which was percieved to have many barriers. Not due to the lack of engagement from the buyers, but rather that they are not able to fit the sustainable choices into their given budget and market based prices. What sustainable development is to a buyer is often based on the company’s standpoint and progress regarding the subject. The results indicate that, within the purchasing role, sustainability is mostly connected to the choice of materials for the products produced.

Increasing resource efficiency by utilising secondary raw material is one of the key characteristics of a circular economy. Textile dust fibre, a waste generated from textile mechanical recycling has the prospect to be utilised as secondary raw material for producing novel material: textile paper suitable for packaging and other applications. A comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of carrier bags made from one ton of virgin paper, recycled paper and novel textile paper (~22584paper bags with grammage of 100 g/m2 and same dimensions for all 3 types of bags) showed that textile paper bag is more environmentally friendly in terms of carbon footprint. The largest environmental contributors were energy consumed in the pulping and paper making processes, followed by the use of adhesives and printing ink in the conversion process of paper to papercarrier bags. A comparative Techno-economic Assessment (TEA) was carried out for the operating cost of producing the three selected carrier bag types. The analysis conveyed that textile paper bags are more economically attractive, mainly due to the partial substitution of paper fibre with low-cost textile dust fibre. Furthermore, a simple tool was developed with an attempt to assess and compare materials suitability for the circular economy considering life cycle thinking and business perspectives. Assessment of textile paper using the Circular material assessment tool indicated that there is still scope for improvement on the following circularity characteristics of circular material: scarcity of raw material, local supply of resources, clean and non-toxic resources. Textile paper material scored high in the following circularity characteristics: secondary raw material, industrial symbiosis, recycling, resource efficiency in manufacturing and use. In the final step, the textile paper bag was eco-designed through the combined and iterative LCA and TEA approach with the aim to achieve improved scores as a circular material. In order to understand the overall sustainability advantages and trade-offs, further research is recommended on different textile dust fibre grades as well as textile paper performance based on mechanical properties. It is also recommended to investigate textile paper in other applications like one time fashion clothes, reusable paper bags as textile hangers etc.

Infrastructure projects are today major contributors to global warming. However, various strategies for reduction of greenhouse gas emission are available, as described in sustainability assessment schemes and performed in infrastructure projects. Beyond the choice of methodology, greenhouse gas reduction represents an important challenge, namely to engage involved actors. The establishment of a common sustainability policy, reflected in procurement requirements could be a solution. However, often in subject of complications such as misunderstandings or increased cost. Impres, a research project aiming to streamline the process of greenhouse gas reduction in the infrastructure sector, conducts case studies around the world in which useful methods and examples are assimilated. In cooperation with Impres, the present report includes the case study of California High-Speed Rail (CHSR). The aim of this report is to compare strategies for greenhouse gas reduction of sustainability assessment schemes for infrastructure projects, and evaluate the feasibility as procurement requirements. Furthermore, to identify corresponding processes of greenhouse gas reduction in the case study of CHSR, as well as revealing important factors towards realization. The course of work involves a study of the schemes Envision, BREEAM Infrastructure, CEEQUAL, IS Rating System as well as the standard PAS 2080. Regarding the case study, the sustainability policy, procurement requirements and project reports are the main used sources. Moreover, qualitative interviews with involved actors have been performed in California. Finally, to create a comparative matrix for greenhouse gas reduction processes, standards ISO and PAS 2080 have been reviewed. The results show that greenhouse gas criteria of the studied schemes not are mandatory to perform in anyone but PAS 2080. Which means that further requisites might be needed in order for the schemes to be useful as procurement requirements. Furthermore, the outlining of processes reveals a weakness in the setting of a greenhouse gas reference point, and while every scheme includes a greenhouse gas quantity assessment, there is a difference in the priority of reduction. Regarding CHSR, an exclaimed policy goal is to perform climate neutral construction. While procurement requirements are limited to quantification of emitted greenhouse gases and the use of effective construction machinery, which is insufficient to meet the goal. Nevertheless, the Authority in charge is performing CO2 compensating measures, such as planting trees. Finally, a variety of driving forces, success factors and challenges for realizing greenhouse gas reduction have been identified. For example, personal motivation and legislation as driving forces. Whereas, sustainability as a core mission, experience and communication are seen as success factors, and resistance to transfer sustainability goals to procurement is an exclaimed challenge. As a conclusion, sustainability assessment schemes do have certain processes for greenhouse gas reduction in common. However, they present criteria with different degrees of obligation, affecting feasibility as procurement requirements. In CHSR, similar processes are found, where further reduction of greenhouse gases can be achieved, especially by an optimized choice of construction materials. In the end, personal motivation seems to be an important factor for introducing and realizing greenhouse gas reduction goals in infrastructure projects. / Impres

Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises are an emerging trend. An increasing number of individuals are finding ways to address a social issue through their entrepreneurial skills. As well as increasing number of corporations and investing organizations are looking for ventures that address a social issue to fulfil their social responsibility. Thus, it is increasingly becoming important for the social entrepreneurs to measure and report their impacts to society in an accurate way. This research seeks to find out the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs while setting up social impact measurements in their ventures and the solutions adopted by them. Through a series of semi‐structured interviews with successful social entrepreneurs, this research collects qualitative data that increases the knowledge in this area and contributes in a better understanding of the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs. This research found that Theory Of Change is the most commonly used method and is preferred by practitioners as it is easy to implement. The research summarises the efforts it takes to implement the measurements, recommends best practices or advice to make impact measurement easier and useful. Also, a framework is developed that can be used in setting up measurements in a social venture.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur svenska modeföretag arbetar med transparens av sin värdekedja för att kommunicera de sociala- och miljömässiga avtryck som verksamheten medför. Studiens resultat kan förhoppningsvis bidra till ökad kunskap om hur trovärdighet och tydlighet kan uppnås/användas för att förbättra kommunikationen från företag till konsument. Metod: Studien har en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har utförts för insamling av empiri. Intervjuguiden har baserats på de definierade centrala begreppen utifrån studiens forskningsfrågor som innehåller begreppen transparens, värdekedja, kommunikation, ansvar och framtid. Resultat: Samtliga företag i studien strävar efter transparens i hela sin värdekedja, vilket omfattar fibertillverkning, tygtillverkning, produktion, färgning och transporter. Genom webbplatser, hållbarhetsrapporter, certifieringar och sociala medier kommunicerar företagen transparens till slutkonsument. Samtliga företag i studien anser att det är nödvändigt att skapa förändring och förbättra delar av sin värdekedja för att bidra till en mer hållbar framtid. Även att kommunicera mer till slutkund angående cirkulariteten hos en modeprodukt och hur företagen i studien kan samarbeta med andra företag för att bygga en bättre och mer hållbar framtid. Relevans: Studien bidrar med relevanta utgångspunkter för hur företag bör arbeta med transparens av sin värdekedja för att bidra till en så hållbar textilbransch som möjligt. Relevansen förstärks då studien ligger rätt i tiden med med konstanta förändringar för hållbarhet inom textilbranschen och där transparens är grundstenen. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to look into how Swedish fashion firms use transparency throughout their value chain to explain and communicate the social and environmental impact of their activities. The result of the study can help to increase knowledge about how to develop trustworthiness and reliability in order to improve business-to-consumer communication. Method: The study has a qualitative method with a deductive approach based on semi-structured interviews that have been conducted for collecting the empirical data. The interview guide is based on the study's research questions' stated keywords, which include topics like transparency, value chain, communication, responsibility, and the future. Findings and conclusion: All five companies strive for transparency across their value chain, which includes fiber production, fabric manufacture, production, dyeing and transportation. Through websites, sustainability reports, certifications and social media, the companies communicate transparency to the end consumer. All businesses believe that changing and improving sections of their value chain is necessary to contribute to a more sustainable future. Also, communicate with their end customers more about the circularity of a fashion product and how to collaborate with other companies to build a better future and be more sustainable. Relevance: The study contributes relevant points on how companies should work with transparency within their value chain in order to contribute towards a more sustainable textile industry. The study's relevance is enhanced by the fact that it is timely, given the ongoing changes in the textile industry and transparency is a central part for that development.

Research Purpose: The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a new regulation within the EU thataims to end greenwashing, by aligning existing frameworks, expand the scope including valuechain activities, simplify reporting, and increase comparability of EU firms for investors andstakeholders. The CSRD was established in January 2023, therefore the purpose of this study isto explore and research the CSRD impact and the corporate response of firms subject to itsstandards soon. Research Question: - What are real-estate firms' corporate responses to the CSRD? - How will CSRD impact sustainability work throughout the value chain? Methodology: To answer its research question the study takes a qualitative approach, since thelack of previous research on CSRD, in order to understand the specific context of thephenomena. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with case companies and experts withinthe field of CSRD. Results: The results indicate that firms are positive to the new sustainability reporting that theCSRD proposes, it simplifies previous sustainability reporting but comes with complexities ofadministrative burden and firms having to rethink some processes. Therefore, the firms take animitative response in order to save costs and resources. The case companies perceivesustainability as crucial for survival, but mainly to build legitimacy and cost-efficiency. Thevalue chain implementation poses the biggest challenge for firms, due to lack of availability andcontrol over value chain partners outside of the EU reach.

Background/ Problem/Purpose: Sustainability and Digitalisation are two buzzwords nowadays. The textile value chain is one of the most criticised value chains with respects to ecological as well as social sustainability. Thus, it seems a worthwhile project to be examined in the context of how digital technologies can be used to support sustainability aspirations. Academic literature rarely describes the relation between sustainability and digitalisation in a theoretical and empirical way. Most studies focus on one of the two topics, especially in the context of textile procurement. The purpose of this study is to investigate to which extent digital technologies, such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation, can contribute to sustainable procurement in the textile value chain. Methodology: The study follows a qualitative approach and combines insights obtained by means of conducted semi-structured interviews combined with secondary data related to the studied cases. While embracing an abductive approach, the data analysis follows the extended six-dimension model by Münch et al. (2022) based on the socio-technical system theory. The findings were summarised in two frameworks and discussed in the context of the socio-technical system theory and academic literature. Findings – Through the differentiated model, the findings shed light on the relationship between sustainability and digitalisation in the context of textile procurement. Internal and external organisational aspects of technology implementation were identified for digital tools towards sustainability in the textile procurement. Consequently, possible external and internal drivers, challenges and requirements could be identified for implementing digital technologies. Moreover, the contribution of specifically Robotic Process Automation, Artificial Intelligence as well as Blockchain to sustainable procurement in the textile value chain was analysed and compared. Originality/Value – This study combines, as one of the few, sustainability and digitalisation in the context of the textile value chain. It provides an insight into external as well as internal aspects that can foster or hamper the successful implementation of advanced digital technologies, as well as requirements needed for a successful implementation. Furthermore, the study applies the theory of socio-technical system theory in the context of sustainability and digitalisation. The study offers practitioners a better understanding of the potential effects of advanced digital technologies towards sustainable procurement. It also provides a framework that can support the sustainability driven implementation of advanced digital technologies.

Even as the current linear value chains (LVC) of organic waste and animal feed hold the potential to become circular, these practices continue to pose major environmental risks such as deforestation and overfishing. Therefore, a novel circular value chain (CVC) is proposed, connecting the organic waste stream with animal feed production by the use of insect-based organic waste conversion technology. The Black Soldier Fly (BSF) is chosen as the insect-based conversion technology since it has nutritional properties, which serves both waste treatment and animal feed material production purposes. Although there are already initiatives and collaborations in the Swedish context, the transition has not yet been successful. The study aims to identify and propose required solutions for the value chain transition. By using the transitional study tools of Technological Innovation System (TIS) and Multi Level Perspective (MLP) alongside sustainable value chain transition studies, it is found that technological and information-related adjustments are required to further enable the transition. Technological adjustments are studied from the perspective of Ragn-Sells AB as a potential insect- based organic waste conversion actor. Scenarios to see economical sustainability were designed based on the quantity fluctuation of waste as material input (3,000 tons per year and 15,000 tons per year), possibility of automated operation which affects both investment and operating costs of the facility, and procurement of small BSF larvae (off-site and in-site breeding). From the different scenarios designed, it is found that the scenario with the capacity of 15,000 tons per year, higher investment due to automation, and on-site breeding is the most preferable for the case. To answer information- related needs, an Informational Flow Framework (IFF) is proposed. The IFF consists of “Value Chain Stakeholders”, “CVC Relevant Regulations”, “Information Data Pool”, and “Information Flow”. The framework’s main function is to identify the type of material information required to be distributed in the system and the stakeholders whom require and/or provide various information, with the main goal of increasing the trust among the stakeholders related to material information. / Trots att den nuvarande linjära värdekedjan (Linear Value Chain) för organiskt avfall och djurfoder har potentialen för en cirkulär ekonomi, så utgör den nuvarande praxisen fortfarande stora risker såsom avskogning samt överfiske. Därför föreslås en ny cirkulär värdekedja (Circular Value Chain), som förbinder den organiska avfallsströmmen med djurfoderproduktion med användning av insektbaserad omvandlingsteknologi för organiskt avfall. Svart soldat fluga (Black Soldier Fly/BSF) utses som den insektsbaserade omvandlingsteknologin eftersom den har näringsegenskaper som bistår både avfallsbehandling och djurfoderproduktionsändamål. Trots att det redan finns initiativ och samarbeten i det svenska sammanhanget har övergången ännu inte lyckats. Studien syftar till att identifiera och föreslå nödvändiga lösningar för den cirkuläravärdekedjan. Genom att använda övergångsstudieverktygen av Teknologiskt Innovations System (TIS) samt Multi Level Perspective (MLP) och diverse värdekedjeövergångsstudier, konstateras det att tekniska och informationsrelaterade justeringarkrävs för att ytterligare möjliggöra övergången från en linjär till en cirkulär värdekedja. Teknologiska anpassningar studeras ur Ragn-Sells ABs perspektiv som en potentiell aktör för omvandling av organiskt avfall. Scenarier för att undersöka ekonomisk hållbarhet utformades baserat påfluktuering av mängden avfall som materialinmatning (3,000 ton per år och 15, 000 ton per år), möjlighet till automatiserad drift som påverkar både CAPEX & OPEX i anläggningen (hög CAPEX och låg CAPEX), och upphandling av små BSF-larver (avel utanför anläggningen). Från de olika utformade scenarierna konstaterades att scenariot med en kapacitet på 15,000 ton per år, hög CAPEX och avel på plats är det mest fördelaktiga för Ragn Sells AB. För att besvara informationsrelaterad justering föreslås en informationsflödesram (IFF). IFF består av ”Value Chain Interessholders”, “CVC Relevant Regulations”, “Information Data Pool” och “Information Flow”. Ramens huvudfunktion är att identifiera vilken typ av materialinformation som krävs för att distribueras i systemet och den aktör som kräver och/eller tillhandahåller informationen, med det huvudsakliga målet att öka förtroendet bland aktörerna relaterade till materiell information.