The construction industry is vital in meeting humanity's infrastructure and essential building needs. However, its current practices contribute significantly to environmental challenges such as global warming, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. The current study points out the need for a more sustainable approach in the construction sector. The reason this study focuses on RFID-tags is both because of the academic gap regarding implementation of new standardizations and the project Lumi that this study has as its case study of the thesis.    The goal of this thesis is to analyze the Swedish construction industry’s attitude toward the implementation of RFID-tags as a standardization and fill the academic gap that has been identified in the literature review. The goal is to determine the attitude of each stakeholder type within the industry through the lens of socio-technical transition theory, to determine specific barriers and drivers for the concept. Furthermore, the aim is to determine if RFID-tags can be implemented to promote circularity and enhance sustainable development.   The research methods incorporate a literature review and a case study with semi-structured interviews conducted with eight participants. The sample consisted of actors within the construction industry, such as customers, distribution companies, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, service companies, and workers.  The thesis identified the conservative nature of the industry as an obstacle, along with the fear of failure within the construction industry. The attitude towards the standardization of RFID-tags is positive, where beneficial factors were identified, such as saving time, reducing environmental impact, and improving the structure for recycling.

A change in resource consumption patterns is crucial to avoid climate change, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to increase climate resilience and consequently, the idea of a circular economy (CE) has gained widespread attention. The resource intense building and construction sector has become subject to both internal and external pressure to become more circular. Throughout the sector, the environmental product declaration (EPD) is often used to communicate environmental and sustainability information about products but currently, the EPD lacks the inclusion of specific circularity information. This thesis aims to identify a suitable indicator for measuring the product circularity of construction products that can be implemented into the existing EPD-scheme. The study is based on an extensive literature review, qualitative interviews with green building councils (GBCs) and expert discussions with the ECO Platform task group for CE. The identified product circularity indicators have been assessed against a certain set of subjects and criteria to evaluate their inclusion of circularity subjects as well as their suitability to the EPD. The assessment identified two indicators scoring the highest, the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) and the New Circularity Index (NCI). These indicators were included in a short pilot study to further evaluate their usability and applicability. The study concludes that both indicators are suitable for inclusion in the EPD-scheme to some extent, but they both lack a full inclusion of the end of life (EoL) stage. These subjects must be covered to ensure inclusion of comprehensive circularity information but nevertheless, the MCI and the NCI remains the best options. / För att undvika klimatförändringar, minska utsläppen av växthusgaser och öka samhällets resiliens måste användandet av naturresurser förändras. I samband med en ny syn på resursanvändning har idén om en cirkulär ekonomi fått stor uppmärksamhet. Både interna och externa krav har ökat på den resursintensiva byggsektorn att bli mer cirkulär. I byggsektorn används ofta miljövarudeklarationer (EPD) för att kommunicera miljö- och hållbarhetsinformation om produkter. Idag saknar dock EPD-systemet specifik information om produkters cirkuläritetsprestanda. Detta examensarbete syftar därför till att identifiera en indikator som är lämplig för att mäta produktcirkuläritet hos byggprodukter och som kan implementeras i det befintliga EPD-systemet. Studien är baserad på en omfattande litteraturstudie och kvalitativa intervjuer med Green Building Councils (GBC) samt expertdiskussioner med ECO Platforms arbetsgrupp för cirkulär ekonomi. Ett antal identifierade indikatorer för produktcirkuläritet har utvärderats mot ett antal kriterier framtagna av arbetsgruppen. Målet var att utvärdera deras respektive inkludering av cirkuläritet samt deras lämplighet i förhållande till en EPD. De två indikatorer som fick högst poäng, Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) och New Circularity Index (NCI), inkluderades i en pilotstudie för att utvärdera deras användbarhet och tillämpbarhet i praktiken. Studien drar slutsatsen att båda indikatorerna är lämpliga för att inkluderas i EPD-systemet till en viss utsträckning. Dock saknar de båda en fullständig inkludering av cirkuläritetsperspektiv som täcker produktens slutskede i livscykeln. Dessa perspektiv är av stor vikt för att säkerställa framförandet av fullständig cirkuläritetsinformation. Trots detta visar studien att MCI och NCI är de indikatorer som utgör de bästa alternativen för att integreras i en EPD.

Improving Sinkhole Mapping Using LiDAR Data and Assessing Road Infrastructure at Risk in Johnson City, TN. Kingsley Fasesin1, Dr. Ingrid Luffman 1, Dr. Eileen Ernenwein 1 and Dr. Arpita Nandi1 1 Department of Geosciences, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN; Abstract Predicting infrastructure damage and economic impact of sinkholes along roadways requires mapping of sinkhole distribution and development of a model to predict future occurrences with high accuracy. The study is carried out to define the distribution of sinkholes in Johnson City, TN and risks they pose to roads in the city. The study made use of a 2.5 ft Digital Elevation Model (DEM) derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data acquired from Tennessee Geospatial clearing house (TNGIS) and an inventory of known sinkholes identified from topographic maps. Depressions were identified using the LiDAR-derived DEM by subtracting a filled-depressions DEM from the original study area DEM. Using a spatial join, mapped sinkholes were matched to depression polygons identified from the LiDAR-derived DEM. For all matched sinkhole-polygon pairs, three indices were calculated: circularity index, area ratio of minimum bounding rectangle, and proximity to train tracks and roads. The dataset was partitioned into training (70%) and validation (30%) subsets, and using the training dataset, thresholds for each index were selected using typical values for known sinkholes. These rules were calibrated using the 30% validation subset, and applied as filters to the remaining unmatched depression polygons to identify likely sinkholes. A portion of these suspected sinkholes were field checked. The future direction of this research is to generate a sinkhole formation model for the study area by examining the relationship between the mapped sinkhole distribution, and previously identified sinkhole formation risk factors. These factors include: proximity to fault lines, groundwater and streams; depth to bedrock; and soil and land cover type. Spatial Logistic Regression analysis will be used for model development, and results will be used to generate a sinkhole susceptibility map which will be overlain on the road network to identify the portions of interstate and state highways at risk of sinkhole destruction.

The circular economy has emerged as a tool for addressing the current linear economic system, producing massive amounts waste and exacerbating climate change. During the recent crises and instabilities, the potential of the circular economy has been further highlighted.However, the concept remains undefined, and little is known of its implementation inpractice. This thesis explores the circular economy and its implementation among six Swedish commercial real estate actors, through interviews and an investigation of their official documents, with the aim of discovering signs of the circular economy, how those signs have emerged and the knowledge and capabilities necessary to capitalize on them. The External Enablers Framework by Davidsson et al. (2020) is used to find the external enablers thatfacilitate a shift towards more circular business practices. The thesis discovers multiple signs of circularity in the empirical material, in targets, strategies and activities. It also identifies several external enablers potentially impacting the implementation of circular activities in existing real estate ventures, such as collaboration networks, climate change awareness andthe recent crises and instabilities. The real estate actors themselves also potentially influence the industry around them towards circularity, in an ecosystem of enablement.

I Sverige läggs stort fokus på omställningen till ett hållbart och klimatneutralt samhälle, där avkarbonisering och elektrifiering av transportsektorn anses avgörande för att minska utsläpp av växthusgaser. En storskalig batteriproduktion i Sverige och i Europa medför nya problem kring hållbarhetsaspekter gällande utvinning av råvara som exempelvis litium, kobolt och nickel. Men även andra problem gällande avfallshanteringen av litiumjonbatterier. Återvinning och återbruk av litiumjonbatterier anses vara en viktig del i strävan mot en cirkulär batteriproduktion. Dock finns svårigheter med implementering av dessa processer på en storskalig marknad gällande ekonomiska, miljömässiga och tekniska aspekter. Syftet med arbetet är att kartlägga för- och nackdelar med återbruk av littiumjonbatterier i kontrast till återvinning av littiumjonbatterier som nått sitt förbruknings- (EoL - End of Life) tillstånd och identifiera viktiga aktörer för marknadsutökning av både återbruk och återvinning av litiumjonbatterier. En litteraturstudie gjordes tillsammans med en intervju med företaget Vattenfall. Genom detta identifierades ekonomiska, tekniska och miljömässiga aspekter gällande återvinning och återbruk av litiumjonbatterier.   Resultatet av rapporten visar att smarta automatiserade dataanalyser (smarta algoritmer som självständigt kan sortera olika typer av batterier, fatta beslut om batteriernas tillstånd och genom användning av sensorer kan mäta och kontrollera temperaturförändringar) krävs för att göra batteriåtervinning och återbruk effektivare, säkrare och mer ekonomiskt lönsamt.  Återbruk av litiumjonbatterier förlänger batteriets livslängd där metaller knyts till batterier under en längre tid och kan hjälpa till att minska flaskhalsproblematiken gällande ohållbar metallutvinning. Återbruk kan vara bättre än återvinning ur miljösynpunkt i exempelvis energilagringsapplikationer kopplade till förnybar energiproduktion. Litiumjonbatteriet står för en stor del av elbilens miljöpåverkan. Återbruk av elbilsbatterier i diverse applikationer kan därför göra att elbilens miljöpåverkan minskar då batteriets miljöpåverkan inte bara knyts till elbilen. Idag anses återvinning mer ekonomiskt lönsam och det finns fler aktörer och ekonomiska incitament för att stärka batteriåtervinning än för batteriåterbruk. / Sweden places a lot of focus on the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral society, where decarbonisation and electrification of the transport sector are considered crucial to reducing emissions of GHG (greenhouse gas). Large-scale battery production in Sweden and in Europe brings new problems regarding waste management and the demand for raw materials used in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. Recycling and reuse of lithium-ion batteries could be an important part of the effort towards a circular battery production chain. However, there are difficulties in implementing these on a large-scale market when it comes to financial, environmental and technical points of view. The purpose of this report is to map the pros and cons of reusing lithium-ion batteries in contrast to recycling the lithium-ion batteries that have reached their EoL (End of Life) and to identify important actors for both methods. A literature study was made as well as an interview with the company Vattenfall. Through this, economical, technical and environmental aspects regarding recycling and reuse of lithium-ion batteries were identified.  The results of the report show that automated data analysis (smart algorithms that can independently sort different types of batteries) is required to make battery recycling and second-life batteries more efficient, safer and more economically viable. The reuse of lithium-ion batteries has the possibility of extending the battery's lifetime and the metal usage and thereby reducing the bottleneck problem regarding unsustainable metal extraction. Second-life applications of LIBs can be better than recycling from an environmental point of view in, for example, energy storage applications linked to an increase in renewable energy. Reusing electric car batteries in other applications can reduce the electric car's environmental impact from a life cycle perspective. Today, there are more financial incentives to strengthen battery recycling than battery reuse.

A good Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is needed to reach sustainability. OHS consists of three parts: 1) physical, 2) mental and 3) social.  The purpose of this study was to explore and foresee the main physical OHS risks when upscaling the recycling of wood in Lithuania, with the goal to prevent those risks.  The study was explorative and interviews with semi-structured questions were used as a method. Three of the four informants mentioned air pollution, traffic, working equipment, safety equipment, and chemical risk. The highest rate of physical risks mentioned was the physical ones and then the mechanical risks. Opinions differ whether the risks would change when upscaling the industry, from no stressed or additional risks to all risks being stressed and added risk.  Results should be seen as a hint of direction when it comes to OHS risks within wood recycling in Lithuania.

[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo identificar e propor alternativas para que os princípios e práticas da economia circular (EC) possam ser implementados nas MPMEs brasileiras. Uma revisão sistemática da literatura e entrevistas com startups brasileiras foi realizada para levantamento dos dados. Foram identificadas 65 startups, nas quais 7 foram entrevistadas. Existe uma lacuna entre a teoria e a prática que se traduz numa falta de entendimento sobre a implementação nas empresas dos princípios de EC. As entrevistas mostram que a formatação do negócio está relacionada, geralmente, com experiências profissionais anteriores dos sócios e não possui, inicialmente, foco nos princípios de circularidade. Um framework de implementação foi elaborado. As principais conclusões são: o processo de implementação é progressivo e avança com o ganho de conhecimento e, consequentemente, maturidade das empresas em relação ao tema; que as experiências com das startups podem inspirar as MPMEs no avanço da circularidade. / [en] This paper aims to not only identify, but also propose circular economy (CE) principles and practices that can be useful to Brazilian MSMEs. The methodology included a systematic literature review and interviews with Brazilian startups. A total of 65 startups were identified, from which 7 were interviewed. One finding is clear: the current gap between theory and practice that translates into a lack of understanding on how to implement CE principles in corporations. The interviews also showed that the business circular strategy is usually related to partners previous professional experiences and, at first, has no focus on the principles of circularity. To assist businesses through these first steps, an implementation framework was developed. The research main conclusions are: the process of implementation progresses as companies invest in knowledge, improving their perceptions and level of maturity; the experiences with startups can inspire MSMEs in the advancement of circularity.

Implementing Take-Back Systems comes with many challenges and opportunities for companies. This study investigates the possibility of implementing a Take-Back System at Gardena to fulfill their circularity goals. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted to gain insight into the topic and its relevance for the research. Furthermore, a qualitative study was conducted to gain insight into Gardena and its relevant stakeholders and how a potential Take-Back System would affect its organization. The literature and qualitative study laid the ground for the development of a concept consisting of a Pilot Project taking place in Germany. The contribution of this thesis is to investigate uncertainties when implementing a Take-Back System within the Gardena organization during the Pilot Project. / Att implementera Take-Back System medför många utmaningar och möjligheter för företag. Denna studie undersöker möjligheten att implementera ett Take-Back System på Gardena för att uppnå deras cirkularitetsmål. För detta ändamål genomfördes en litteraturstudie för att få insikt i ämnet och dess relevans för arbetet. Vidare genomfördes en kvalitativ studie för att få insikt i Gardena och dess relevanta parter och hur ett potentiellt Take-Back System skulle påverka dess organisation. Litteraturstudien och den kvalitativa studien lade grunden för utvecklingen av ett koncept bestående av ett Pilotprojekt som äger rum i Tyskland. Bidraget från denna avhandling är att undersöka osäkerheter vid implementering av ett återtagningssystem inom Gardenaorganisationen under Pilotprojektet.

Trots att svensk ull är ett biobaserat, lokalt producerat och återvinningsbart material med stor cirkulär potential, kasseras mer än hälften av den svenska ullen som en biprodukt från köttindustrin. Den främsta orsaken är bristen på infrastruktur för inköp, produktion och storskalig insamling samt avsaknaden av standardiserade klassificerings- och kvalitetssäkringsmetoder. År 2023 publicerades den första svenska ullstandarden som en del av The Swedish Wool Initiative för att etablera ett nationellt klassificeringssystem som bygger på tio olika kvalitetstyper från A till I och syftar till att skapa ett gemensamt språk, möjliggöra storskalig insamling och kvalitetssäkring av svensk ull. Trots införandet av denna standard kvarstår flera utmaningar, såsom bristen på praktisk validering och standardens träffsäkerhet vilket leder till osäkerhet längs värdekedjan och produktionskomplikationer. Syftet med studien är att undersöka om ullen från tre svenska ullinsamlingar korrekt kan klassificeras enligt deras egen bedömning. Genom att noggrant granska och analysera ullen utvärderas hur väl den överensstämmer med den nya ullstandarden och hur ull från samma kvalitetstyp skiljer sig mellan leverantörerna. Analysen omfattar fiberkarakerisering baserad på parametrar som fiberlängd, finhet, krusighet, färg, vegetabiliskt material och tvärsnitt. Slutligen används statistiska metoder, inklusive ANOVA, för att identifiera spridning och signifikanta skillnader mellan de undersökta ullsorterna. Resultaten visade på att samtliga ullsorter faller under kvalitetstyp E enligt standardens intervall, men vissa resultat sträcker sig utanför intervallen. En ullsort (Ö1) avvek betydligt i krusighet och kunde potentiellt klassificeras annorlunda om krusighet var en parameter i standarden. Trots stora spridningar i parametrar som finhet, krusighet och fiberlängd, samt färg och vegetabiliskt material, visade ANOVA-analyser ingen signifikant skillnad mellan de olika ullinsamlingarna. Den observerade variationen inom insamlingarna var större än mellan dem, vilket tyder på stor variation i svensk ull utan tydliga skillnader mellan insamlingarna. / Despite being a bio-based, locally produced, and recyclable material with significant circular potential, more than half of Swedish wool is discarded as a byproduct of the meat industry. The main reasons for this are the lack of infrastructure for procurement, production, and large-scale collection, as well as the absence of standardized classification and quality assurance methods. In 2023, the first Swedish wool standard was published as part of The Swedish Wool Initiative to establish a national classification system based on ten different quality types from A to I. This initiative aims to create a common language, enable large-scale collection, and ensure the quality of Swedish wool. Despite the introduction of this standard, several challenges remain, such as the lack of practical validation and the accuracy of the standard, leading to uncertainty along the value chain and production complications. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the wool from three Swedish wool collections can be correctly classified according to their own assessment. By carefully examining and analyzing the wool, the study evaluates how well it conforms to the new wool standard and how wool of the same class differs between suppliers. The analysis includes fiber characterization based on parameters such as fiber length, fineness, crimp, color, vegetable matter, and cross-section. Finally, statistical methods, including ANOVA, are used to identify the distribution and significant differences between the wool types studied. The results showed that all wool types fall under quality type E according to the standard's intervals, but some results extend beyond these intervals. One wool type (Ö1) deviated significantly in crimp and could potentially be classified differently if crimp was a parameter in the standard. Despite large variations in parameters such as fineness, crimp, fiber length, color, and vegetable matter, ANOVA analyses showed no significant difference between the different wool collections. The observed variation within collections was greater than between them, indicating a large variation in Swedish wool without clear differences between the collections.

The need for sustainable practices in the construction sector is becoming more potent. There is an urgent need to explore strategies aimed at creating a thriving market forrecycled window materials. This research aims to provide valuable insights andrecommendations for advancing sustainable practices in the window market of theconstruction industry, ultimately contributing to environmental conservation andeconomic prosperity. The study uses the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology to assess the environmental impact of window renovation compared to the manufacture of new windows, focusing on two configurations: double and triple glazing renovations compared to new windows with corresponding configurations, where the focus is on the global warming potential of each case. The research methodology involved the Author's participation in a practical window renovation course, One-Click LCA training course, subsequent site visits for data collection, and modeling a case study building in BIM energy. The LCA was carried out with One Click LCA software using Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data. The results highlight the significant environmental benefits associated with window renovation over the production of new windows. In particular, the triple glazing option proved to be the best alternative, as it offers the lowest U-value and meets Building Regulations (BBR) standards. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to quantify the effects of changing key study elements such as the windows U-values and the electricity profile, However the outcome remained consistent with the study findings. The results of the study illustrate the potential of window renovation as a sustainable alternative in the construction sector. As well as contribute to promoting sustainable practices in the construction industry and provides valuable guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders alike. / <p>This work is done in collaboration with Auktoriserat Fönsterunderhåll AB and its industry partners.</p>