In the last three decades, the increased use of plastics is rapidly becoming a global environmental issue, resulting in growing landfills and pollution of air and water. The automotive industry, as a major demander of plastic materials, is starting to take responsibility with promised sustainability actions. One action relates to the concept of circular economy and closed loop thinking through the implementation of recycled plastics. However, the barriers of such implementations are still undiscovered, with research missing out on the challenges of strategic and business perspectives. The aim of this thesis is to asses and understand the challenges connected to implementing recycled plastics in the automotive industry, and to provide strategic recommendations. In order to identify the challenges, an empirical case study was carried out collecting data through 10 interviews with suppliers throughout the plastics refining chain. A cost calculation was also included, to highlight the economic potentials of recycled plastics. The findings address 6 themes as barriers for implementing recycled plastics in the automotive industry: economic, organizational, infrastructural, interactional, design and technical barriers. The barriers shed light on the challenges connected to the implementation of recycled plastics and concludes that the rate of recycled plastics in a car can be increased, which also increases sustainability and circular thinking. However, the rates could be further improved if managers were to consider the existing barriers when implementing higher rates of recycled plastics in their components.

In a world which is highly reliant on international trade and at the same time is facing what has been described as among the greatest challenges planet Earth ever seen, climate change. The connection the two have to each other becomes increasingly essential to understand. This study was put in the context of a developing country, Malaysia, due to the increased amount of businesses located in developing countries which are choosing to internationalise and export products. The 17 Global Goals created by the United Nations, which has been adopted by all member states are aimed to be reached in 2030. The Global Goals are built upon trust and responsibility for the planet which creates a scenario where the behaviour of both businesses and consumers is changed. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge of how the aspect of environmental sustainability impacts export and what motivates the Malaysian businesses to change for the better. The outcome of this study indicates that the customers have a significant role for both motivation of businesses and the implementation of new strategies. The study has also seen an indication of a connection between the speed of internationalisation and export related to how businesses are motivated by customers in terms of environmental sustainability. Moreover, the study has shown that there is little connection between the business’s selection of export mode and environmental sustainability.

Background As of today the textile and fashion industry mainly relies on a linear production model, also referred to as the take-make-waste system. This economy depends solely on the single use of raw materials leaving space for an open-ended production and no intention of salvaging or recovering resources. Such a system cannot be supported by the environment in the future; therefore, several stakeholders are starting to embrace circular production systems and a closed-loop economy. One example of these efforts is take-back schemes (TBS) which strive to make the fashion industry more regenerative and restorative by narrowing, slowing, and closing the resource loops. Nonetheless, practitioners and academia have found adversities during the implementation stage which instead require competent knowledge, skills, and unique capabilities to achieve a successful performance. Purpose To achieve a successful implementation of a TBS, companies require unique capabilities that allow them to adapt and adopt a sustainable innovation. Therefore, this study investigates the dynamic capabilities (DCs) needed to implement a TBS in order to provide practitioners and academia with a guide that eases the application, overcomes the known adversities as well as explores the relationship between these and the relevant DCs. Methodology The research was based on a multiple case study method embracing abductive reasoning by extending the theory of DCs for circular business model implementation to TBS within the fashion industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three companies applying different types of take-back schemes; the primary data was strengthened by document research and a validation round of interviews. The data was analyzed through qualitative thematic content analysis. Further, the characteristics of the study lend themselves well to be represented through a qualitative causal loop diagram appropriate for developing novel solution strategies such as the DCs. Findings The results show, through the use of two maps, that several DCs have to be developed when implementing a TBS in order to reach a substantial competitive advantage in the form of a cost leadership, differentiation or focus strategy. Further, the causal loop maps also shed light on the different relationships between DCs and how these can be exploited to overcome the difficulties or utilizing the possibilities in implementing a TBS. Practical implications and research limitations - The thesis creates new insights on TBS implementation through the use of DCs by presenting two causal loop maps. Thus, aiding practitioners and allowing them to quickly recognize their current situation against the maps as well as what changes need to be made following the suggested capabilities. The study is limited by the choice of interviewed companies, which represent only retailers with TBS in Sweden.

Background: The circular economy model is an essential theme in sustainable development research and a promising chance for companies to combine environmental and economic benefits. Nevertheless, a CE implementation was not realised in most companies to date. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to understand what hinders companies from becoming more circular and what measures need to be taken to initiate a CE implementation. Method: An embedded single case study methodology serves to explore the process of initiating a CE implementation, based on a firm within the manufacturing industry. Conclusion: Our research reveals the necessity of a pre-implementation phase before the CE implementation. The readiness of a company can be evaluated through a scoresheet that assesses the status quo. This scoresheet helps to estimate a potential urgency to achieve CE readiness. A pre-implementation sheet provides insights for firms to understand measures that need to be taken to reach readiness.

Aim: The aim of this thesis is to describe possible steps of how circular partnerships can be formed, and how they can connect the different steps of a material loop, such as design and recycling. The focus of the empirical study within this thesis is the reconnection of recycling, design and production within the household goods industry. By this we will answer the following research question:“What are the rationales and circumstances needed for separate organizations to develop a sustainability-oriented innovative partnership in the context of the Circular Economy?” The Case: This research project is based on a case study of a collaboration between Stena Recycling AB, a Swedish recycling company, and Electrolux AB, a global appliances producer. Together those two companies formed a pilot project, called the “Infinity Project”, whose goal is to produce a vacuum cleaner which is made out of 100% post-consumer recycled materials, and is 100% recyclable. Methodology: The researchers participated in the meetings of the Infinity Project, and interviewed the people who were involved in the beginning of the collaboration. The research is done in an abductive process, as literature was analyzed that explained the findings made in our observations. From the theory and our findings we created a model, which helps explain the what, why, and how of Stena Recycling AB and Electrolux AB reconnecting recycling with design and production processes. Key findings: Through industrial symbiotic lenses and a corporate social innovation mindset the two companies recognized the enormous amount of waste as a problem of linear business models. With a mindset driven by corporate social innovation, they saw the potential of a collaboration in order to achieve a shared competitive advantage. By selecting each other as a partner for this circular economic collaboration, they identified how they could combine their respective knowledge and resources to reach their mutual goals. Through a long term strategic approach with a clear and shared vision, clear targets from the directing management, and a team with complementary skills, many program synergies have been realized, with potentially outsized successes for each organization. This setting also created an environment of trust and a common identity within the project, which was fundamental to create social innovation and to find successful ways to reconnect recycling with design and production. Additionally, the existence of the project within each organization seemed to function as a talent magnet, attracting like-minded sustainability-motivated talent who would best perform towards the goals of the project.

The circular economy model has been proposed as a possible strategy for sustainable development in urban areas, implying that its core principles need to be cascaded down to various sectors, including the energy sector. District heating and cooling systems have great potential to enhance circularity on an urban level due to the establishment of synergies between different sectors, the incorporation of renewable energy sources and high efficiency. Indicator-based frameworks are valuable tools for monitoring the transition toward a circular economy. However, no framework to assess circularity in district heating and cooling systems was found. Thus, this study addresses this gap by reviewing currently available indicators used to assess district heating and cooling systems and understanding to what extent they reflect circular economy principles. For this purpose, 27 papers with 271 indicators were assessed against defined criteria related to the circular economy principles. These criteria included transparency, stakeholder engagement, effective communication, ability to track temporal changes, applicability, alignment with circular economy principles, validity and relevance to sustainable development. Afterwards, 89 indicators were selected and classified based on the 10R principle framework. The assessment revealed that the assessed papers cover a wide range of topics and assessment types and that none of the assessed papers fulfils all of the assessment criteria. Moreover, most of the identified indicators connect to the environmental and economic pillars of sustainable development, and the identified indicators focus primarily on the R principles of Reduce and Recover. This study laid the foundation for further research on the relationship between district heating and cooling systems and the circular economy by identifying the understudied areas and highlighting the need to develop tailored indicators to measure circularity in these systems.

This is a master’s thesis project of 30 credits written with guidance from the Swedish research institute ICT Viktoria and Industrial Ecology at KTH. This thesis is conducted by two students at KTH, one with a background in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Ecology and the other with a background in Energy and Environmental Technology. This study focuses on circular economy linked to the furniture industry in Sweden and how the transition from theoretical to practical concepts can be improved. The methods of this thesis consist of three semi-structured interviews, a survey and an analytical comparative literature review. The interviews, survey and literature review is analyzed with the purpose of finding important criteria relevant for office chairs in circular business models. The interviews are performed face-to-face with three different key persons; an office supply manager, a CEO at a refurbishing company and a product manager. The study focuses on product design within the Swedish furniture industry although some aspects regarding circular business models, logistics and psychological values are included. The results are design criteria for office chairs in circular business models and a design evaluation program for the industry built on these. The program, based on multi criteria analysis, can help reduce the gap between theory and practice of how circular economy should be implemented in the industry. By giving early feedback during the design phase on how well an office chair and a company’s structure meet circular economy criteria the authors hope to ease and speed up this transition. The main characteristics of an office chair designed for circular business models are: Durable Easy to service Adaptable Modular Homogeneous material composition in modules Although the transition to circular business models can be a comprehensive process the authors believe that if furniture manufacturers would integrate circular business models for office chairs into their business structure this would be both economically viable and highly beneficial for their environmental profile which can strengthen their position on the market.

The European Commission adopted the first action plan for the transition to a circular economy in 2015. As a result, the concrete industry’s goal is for all concrete produced in Sweden to be climate neutral by 2045. Cement production is the third-largest carbon dioxide emitter in Sweden and accounts for 90% of concrete’s carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, to lower the climate footprint of concrete, it is necessary to find alternatives to cement. The potential of the use of wood ash in cement as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) has been investigated in several studies. Due to Sweden's nature and wood industry, a comprehensive study has been done to investigate the possibility of using wood ash as an SCM in Sweden based on availability and efficiency. This work aims to investigate the obstacles and driving forces that concrete producers face when transitioning to a circular economy by partially replacing cement with new potential SCMs. The aim is also to investigate the availability of wood ash generated in Sweden and account for the potential to be used as an SCM. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted to determine the obstacles and drivers that concrete producers in Sweden face when converting to a circular economy by partially replacing cement with new potential SCMs. The amount of ash produced in Sweden was estimated based on the value of ash content and the potential annual supply of wood fuels in Sweden. In addition, a literature review was performed to investigate the properties of wood ash. The economic and environmental aspects, as well as the fact that the supply of fly ash and slag is likely to decrease in the future form the main driving forces for concrete producers. The obstacles raised by the correspondents were the availability of SCMs, technical barriers, logistics, and standards. The amount of the annual production of wood ash in Sweden is estimated to be between 851 450 and 1 232 950 tons. The chemical characteristics of wood ash did not meet the requirements according to European standard (EN450-1). However, the reviewed articles indicated a potential for wood ash to be used as a supplementary cementitious material due to the indication of some hydraulic and pozzolanic activities. The combination of fly ash and wood ash in concrete is considered viable due to promising results based on mechanical strength. / EU-kommissionen antog den första handlingsplanen för omställningen till en cirkulär ekonomi 2015. Som ett resultat av detta är betongindustrins mål att all betong som används i Sverige ska vara klimatneutral år 2045. Cementindustrin är den tredje största koldioxidutsläpparen i Sverige och står för 90 % av betongens koldioxidutsläpp. För att sänka betongens klimatavtryck är det nödvändigt att hitta alternativ till cement. Potentialen för användningen av träaska i cement som ett alternativt bindemedel har undersökts i flera studier. Med hänsyn till Sveriges natur- och träindustri har en omfattande studie gjorts för att undersöka möjligheten att använda träaska som alternativ bindemedel i Sverige utifrån tillgänglighet och effektivitet. Arbetet syftar till att undersöka de hinder och drivkrafter som betongföretag möter vidövergången till en cirkulär ekonomi genom att delvis ersätta cement med nya alternativa bindemedel. Syftet är också att undersöka tillgången på träaska som genereras i Sverige och redogöra för potentialen att användas som ett bindemedel. Kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med öppna frågor genomfördes för att fastställa de hinder och drivkrafter som företag inom betongtillverkning i Sverige möter vid en omställning där cement ersätts delvis med nya bindemedel. Mängden aska som produceras i Sverige har uppskattats utifrån värden på askhalt och den potentiella årliga tillgången på trädbränslen i Sverige. Dessutom har en litteraturöversikt genomförts för att undersöka träaskans egenskaper. Drivkrafterna för en omställning till cirkulär ekonomi hos betongindustrier genom delvis ersättning av cement med nya alternativa bindemedel är de ekonomiska och miljömässiga aspekterna samt det faktum att tillgången på flygaska och slagg riskerar att sjunka i framtiden. Hindren som korrespondenterna tog upp var tillgången till alternativa bindemedel, tekniska barriärer, logistik och standarder. Mängden av den årliga produktionen av träaska i Sverige uppskattas mellan 851 450 och 1 232 950 ton. Kemiska egenskaper hos de undersökta träaskorna uppfyller inte kraven enligt europeisk standard (EN450-1). Litteraturöversikten visar dock en potential för träaska att användas som ett alternativt bindemedel till följd av en viss hydraulisk och puzzolanisk aktivitet. Kombinationen av flygaska och träaska i betong anses lönsam på grund av lovande resultat baserade på mekanisk hållfasthet.

Resource efficiency and circular economy (CE) has become increasingly relevant to the Swedish construction company NCC in connection to the plans of demolishing the current head office in Stockholm and building a new head office next to it. NCC wants to investigate how to minimize the negative sustainability implications of bringing down a commercial facility well before its life length has expired, through exploring the possibilities of integrating principles of CE in future planning‐and construction processes. This study seeks to understand how the Swedish construction company NCC could work with decision-making for CE in order to keep their materials in the loop. As the concept of CE is broad there are many options for working with its principles. However, the construction industry is relatively new to these and a list of priorities would therefore be helpful in such an initial phase, as focusing on all would be inefficient and rather daunting. Thus, this study suggests a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) as a tool for decision-making and prioritizing between various approaches to CE. Together with NCC, an MCDA was performed where three different options for working with CE were analysed (Waste as Resource, Circular Design and Circular Business Models). In a focus group, 17 criteria that were relevant to NCC were developed as a basis for analysing the options. These were then defined, scored and weighted to reveal a most preferable option. The MCDA showed that the most preferable approach to CE for NCC is working with circular design, i.e. Design for Deconstruction (DfD), followed closely by measures to increase the rate of reuse and recycling of already existing construction- and demolition waste. However, the sensitivity analysis revealed that if economic criteria received a higher weight, increased reuse and recycling is the most preferable option. MCDA was deemed a helpful decision-making tool for CE principles. While the scoring and weighting is subjective and it is challenging to quantify the criteria, the strength lies in bringing a new and innovative topic on the agenda by gathering key decision-makers in focus groups to discuss and learn. A preliminary study to this thesis was conducted at NCC (Tabrizi, 2015) with the aim of conducting a survey of good examples with regard to development of commercial properties that are designed for flexibility and deconstruction during refurbishment and end‐of‐life. It showed that the challenges relate to the hesitant perception of secondary material, design and construction limitations, the need for material documentation, organization and logistics as well as creating sustainable business models. Key success factors for overcoming these challenges for NCC is working towards better communication and promotion of secondary material through information sharing, building up a knowledge base and internal targets, as well as establishing a consistent work methodology for DfD in order to move NCC towards a circular economy.

Background. Between 2012 and 2017 the plastic supply in Sweden increased by almost 400000 metric tons. In 2017, the hospitals in Sweden contributed to 4550 metric tons of plastic waste, disposable gloves counted for 2100 metric tons, which is 358 million disposable gloves. The majority made in other countries than Sweden, which is not only contributing to a considerable waste stream but also vulnerability when the system is dependent on continuous material supplies. Aim and Purpose. The research aim has been to understand the challenges and opportunities of needs relating to plastic waste flows from the health care sector. From the needs, choose an area to develop an innovative solution that changes the current waste flow into value for the health care sector in Sweden. Method. For this thesis, the researcher has used the Design Research Methodology and the MSPI innovation process. Design Research Methodology has been used to find and validate crucial information about the problem, by the usage of literature research and Unstructured interviews within the research area. MSPI was iteratively used with DRM to design the intended support as well as building the actual support. Results. The final prototype proves that circularity for plastic materials in hospitals is reachable. The Needfinding highlights the need for circularity, regarding both an effective use of the material and the health care’s readiness levels where access to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) is crucial, especially in times of crisis. Conclusions. During the time of crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been clear that changes regarding preparedness and access to PPE needs improvement. Circularity is one way of achieving greater control of the material flow, which affects the hospital's level of independence. The development has proven one way of making the flow of disposable gloves circular by developing an inhouse recycling machine. This thesis work is just one angle of approach towards circularity and more efficient usage of material. To prove the concept in a hospital environment, future development is required. / Bakgrund. Mellan åren 2012 och 2017 har plastförsörjningen i Sverige ökat med nästan 400 000 ton. Under 2017 bidrog sjukhusen i Sverige till 4550 ton plastavfall varav engångshandskar bidrog med 2100 ton, vilket motsvarar 358 miljoner engångshandskar. Majoriteten är tillverkade i andra länder än Sverige, vilket inte bara bidrar till en stor avfallsström, utan också sårbarhet när systemet är beroende av kontinuerlig materialförsörjning. Syfte och Mål. Forskningens syfte har varit att förstå utmaningarna och möjligheterna med plastavfallsflöden från vårdsektorn. Från behoven väljs ett område för att utveckla en innovativ lösning som stöder cirkularitet inom hälso-sjukvården i Sverige. Metod. Denna avhandling har genomförts med hjälp av DRM- och MSPI-innovationsprocess. DRM, Design Research Methodology, har använts för att hitta och validera avgörande information kring problemet och har också gett akademisk trovärdighet. Detta har gjorts med litteraturforskning och ostrukturerade intervjuer inom forskningsområdet. MSPI har använts tillsammans med DRM på iterativt sätt för att utforma det avsedda stödet och bygga det faktiska stödet. Resultat. Projektets prototyp bevisar att cirkularitet för plastmaterial på sjukhus kan nås. Behovsundersökningen visar på behovet av cirkularitet, både när det gäller materiell effektivitet och beredskapsnivåer på sjukhus där tillgången till personlig skyddsutrustning är avgörande. Speciellt i kristider. Slutsatser. Under kristiden, covid-19-pandemin, har det varit tydligt att förändringar avseende beredskap och tillgång till personlig skyddsutrustning måste göras. Cirkularitet är ett sätt att uppnå större kontroll över materialflödet som påverkar sjukhusens självständighetsnivå. Projektet har visat ett sätt att göra flödet av engångshandskar cirkulärt genom att utveckla ett system för remanufacturing. Detta är bara en inställningsvinkel mot cirkularitet och en mer effektiv användning av material. För att bevisa konceptet i en riktig sjukhusmiljö krävs vidareutveckling.