One of the legislative regulations aiming at reduced energy consumption in the European Union, is (EC) 640/2009 that imposes requirements of the efficiency of electric motors sold in the Union. This study aimed at examining the effectiveness of these legislative requirements. To illustrate the opportunities of reducing energy consumption by the introduction of more efficient motors, an efficiency measurement of electric motors that drive the fuel feed system in a cogeneration plant in Nybro was intended to be carried out. This was to enable a comparison between the efficiency of existing motors with motors which comply with the efficiency levels in (EC) 640/2009 and to calculate how much the energy consumption would decrease in this energy system if more efficient motors were introduced. The planed measurements could not be carried out to give a reliable result because the plant suffer from the same problem as many other industries in the EU, which is that the motors in this energy system are oversized and operate at low loads. Oversized motors do not operate at their rated efficiency and therefore a comparison of existing motors and motors that comply with the efficiency requirements in (EC) 640/2009 fails to give a correct result, since they would not operate at their rated efficiency if they were installed in this energy system due to the efficiency drop at low loads. Instead the load factor was determined with the Input Power Estimation Method that showed that all motors were operated far below their rated power, thus making this an inefficient energy system. This is a common problem, and an impediment for the directive to achieve its full potential energy savings because the efficiency of motors drops substantially if they are operated below their rated power. The results show that guidelines to avoid motor misapplications is just as important as raising the efficiency of electric motors. In the studied case higher energy savings can be achieved by replacing the tested motors to smaller motors instead of introducing new motors of the same size with a higher efficiency.

In the public and political spheres, sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) have become an even more essential topic of conversation, as expressed through consumer behavior but also through more demands from policy makers. Changing consumption patterns and increasing sustainability requirements are in turn forcing businesses to adapt, something the vast majority of companies have also adopted in one way or another to demonstrate to their customers that they are sustainable. It is now more important than ever to integrate sustainability into their business and act according to a Circular Business Model (CBM). The UN Global Goals, Goal 9: Sustainable Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (Agenda 2030, Goal 9), the Ecodesign Directive, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS Directive) and CSRD, are some requirements that act as tools to promote the circular economy and become particularly relevant for the lighting manufacturing industry which is the focus of the study. Meeting all sustainability requirements may be a greater challenge for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that do not have the same resources as larger companies, the study therefore examines how small and medium-sized enterprises are affected by the sustainability requirements, as they constitute 99.9% of all companies in Sweden. Through qualitative methods, the study examines how rules, laws and values in society linked to sustainability affect SMEs. The study aims to identify through qualitative interviews and surveys what obstacles and challenges SMEs experience with today's sustainability requirements. Through an analysis supported by legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory, the study focuses on business development linked to sustainability. It also provides tools for policy makers to, for example, provide financial resources or offer tax breaks to give SMEs more opportunities and fewer obstacles to be ecologically sustainable. The report also highlights opportunities that may be important for SMEs to be aware of during their transition to a CBM. / I de allmänna och politiska rummen har hållbarhet och Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) blivit ett än mer väsentligt samtalsämne. vilket uttrycks genom konsumenternas beteende men även genom fler krav från beslutsfattare. Förändrade konsumtionsmönster och allt fler hållbarhetskrav leder i sin tur till att företagen blir tvungna att anpassa sig, något de allra flesta företag också har anammat på ett eller annat sätt för att visa för sina kunder att de är hållbara. Det är nu viktigare än någonsin att integrera hållbarhet i sin verksamhet och agera efter en Circular Business Model (CBM). FNs globala mål, Mål 9: Hållbar industri, innovationer och infrastruktur (Agenda 2030, mål 9), Ekodesigndirektivet, Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS-direktivet) och Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD-rapportering, är några krav som agerar verktyg för att främja cirkulär ekonomi och blir särskilt relevanta för belysnings tillverkningsbranschen som är studiens fokus. Att möta alla hållbarhetskrav kan tänkas vara en större utmaning för Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) som inte har samma resurser som större företag, studien undersöker därför att hur små och medelstora företag påverkas av hållbarhetskraven, då de utgör 99.9% av alla företag i Sverige. Genom kvalitativa metoder undersöks hur regler, lagar och värderingar i samhället kopplat till hållbarhet påverkar SMEs. Studien syftar till att genom kvalitativa intervjuer och enkäter identifiera vilka hinder och utmaningar SMEs upplever med dagens hållbarhetskrav. Genom en analys med stöd av legitimitetsteorin och intressentteorin fokuserar studien på affärsutveckling kopplat till hållbarhet. Den ger också verktyg till makthavare för att exempelvis kunna tillföra ekonomiska medel eller erbjuda skattelättnader för att ge SMEs fler möjligheter och färre hinder att vara ekologiskt hållbara. Rapporten belyser även möjligheter som kan vara viktiga för SMEs kännedom under deras övergång till en CBM.