Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur Sveriges kommuner förhåller sig till hållbarhetsmått. Vi ska studera vilka hållbarhetsmått som rapporteras samt vad som påverkar användningen av dessa hållbarhetsmått. Metod: Vi har använt oss av en enkätundersökning som skickats ut per mail för att samla in vårt empiriska underlag. Vi har sedan analyserat underlaget med hjälp av programmet IBM SPSS Statistics 22 för att sedan redovisa våra resultat i form av tabeller och löpande text. Resultat & slutsats: Resultatet av vår studie visar att kommuner rapporterar hållbarhetsmått i genomsnitt i viss till måttlig utsträckning. Den visar även att kommuner med drivande kommunledning tenderar att rapportera och använda hållbarhetsmått i större utsträckning än andra kommuner. Den pekar också på att antal miljöprojekt som kommunen bedriver samt om kommunen låter sig inspireras av andra kommuner även påverkar utsträckningen av rapporteringen och användningen av hållbarhetsmåtten. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Vårt förslag till fortsatt forskning är att göra en mer ingående analys av Sveriges kommuners hållbarhetsredovisning då vi på grund av tidsbegränsning inte kunnat göra någon mer ingående analys. Vidare forskning kan granska vilka effekter den bristande hållbarhetsredovisningen i många kommuner orsakar. Uppsatsens bidrag: Vår undersökning bidrar till nya insikter om hur Sveriges kommuner hållbarhetsredovisar. Vi belyser vilka hållbarhetsmått som kommunerna rapporterar samt vad som påverkar rapporteringen och användningen av hållbarhetsmåtten.

Global sustainability challenges are becoming increasingly more severe and the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in Agenda 2030 is approaching rapidly. Venture capital investments in sustainable start-up businesses is considered to be a key success factor for a long-term sustainable development across the globe. Evaluating which early-stage companies that can be considered truly sustainable can however be difficult to determine for venture capitalists, especially in early-stage investment rounds. This study has aimed to increase the understanding of sustainability assessment processesutilized by Swedish university holding companies. Data collection was mainly executed through semi-structured interviews with representatives from six university holding companies, an industry association, and a limited partner. The main areas of interest have revolved around three distinct topics: how sustainability is currently assessed by university holding companies, what aspects that influence the assessment capability and how the sustainability assessment process could be improved. These investigation subjects are also closely related to the articulated research questions. Empirical findings indicate that university holding companies mainly rely on intuition and mapping of prospects’ business idea against the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations when assessing sustainability. The characteristics of prospects, the governmental entity responsibility and the organizational structure were all aspects that seemed to have great influence on the assessment capability. A five-stage impact measurement and management process was finally suggested for the university holding companies, consisting of: (1) reviewing the strategic mission; (2) conducting due diligence; (3) integrating metrics; (4) monitoring impact and; (5) evaluating final impact. Future studies are encouraged to adopt quantitative or longitudinal research approaches, while also including a greater number of interviewees from larger governmental institutions and impact-oriented investors, in an attempt to further generalize the findings of this study.

This dissertation develops a systematic targeting method based on the C-H-O ternary diagram for the conceptual design of gasification-based biorefineries. The approach is applied using dimethyl ether (DME) as case study. A stoichiometric equilibrium model is presented for calculation of the C-H-O chemical equilibria to evaluate and predict equilibrium syngas composition, operating temperature, type and amount of oxidant required in biomass gasification. Overall atomic species balances are developed and process targets are plotted on the C-H-O ternary diagram. Sustainability metrics are incorporated to provide useful insights into the efficiency of biorefinery process targets. It was found that syngas at 1200 and 1500 K is predominantly H2 and CO. Moreover, DME biorefineries have two main process targets, based on the indirect and direct synthesis routes. Gasification at 1200 K and 1 atm. using H2O/CO2 = 2.642 (w/w) and H2O/CH4 = 1.645 (w/w) achieved syngas composition targets for the direct and indirect methods respectively. Comparatively, the integrated biorefinery based on indirect route was more efficient, producing 1.903 ton of DME per ton of biomass feedstock. The process is 100% carbon-efficient and recycles 1.025 tons of H2O. / Civil and Chemical Engineering / M. Tech. (Chemical Engineering)

<p>  </p> <p>Although airports of all sizes have incorporated sustainability practices into planning, there is a gap in literature concerning the impacts of sustainability initiatives on airport operations and stakeholders. This multiple case study sought to explore the impact assessment methods used by six small hub airports (cases) that received the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport sustainability Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants to prepare airport sustainability planning documents.</p> <p>The objective of the study was twofold. The first objective was to gain in-depth understanding of sustainability metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and sustainability impact assessment methods and tools used by small hub airports. The second objective was to develop a preliminary framework for assessing the impacts of sustainability initiatives in airports. Three types of data were collected airport sustainability planning documents, archival records, and interviews with 14 airport executives and two airport planning consultants. Sustainability planning processes, sustainability assessment methods and tools, and sustainability metrics and KPIs were identified from data for each case and compared to one of the most comprehensive industry-specific airport sustainability rating systems, the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) <em>Report 119: Protype Airport Sustainability Rating System: Characteristics, Viability, and Implementation Options</em>. Interview responses from airport executives and consultants were used to corroborate information in the sustainability planning documents.</p> <p>The findings of this study showed more commonalities than differences in the approaches to sustainability impact assessment by the six small hub airports in this study. Commonalities were evident in the criteria for selecting sustainability initiatives, indicating that cost and return on investment were the major factors. In addition, small hub airports in this study reported similar challenges on tracking sustainability metrics and KPIs, indicating that more work is needed in this area. The differences noted were driven by airport operating conditions such as geographical location and local community goals. </p>

This thesis shows how the Process Analysis Method (PAM) can be applied to assess technologies used to mitigate arsenic from drinking water in rural India, using a set of sustainability indicators. Stakeholder perspectives, gathered from a fieldwork survey of 933 households in West Bengal in 2012, played a significant role in this assessment. This research found that the ‘Most Important’ issues as specified by the technology users are cost, trust, distance from their home to the clean water source (an indicator of convenience), and understanding the health effects of arsenic. It was also found that none of the ten technologies evaluated are economically viable, as many do not charge user-fees, which creates reliance upon donations to meet recurring costs. Utilisation of a technology is strongly related to sociocultural capital, but in many cases, features that contribute to sociocultural value, like regular testing of the treated water, are not included in the financial budget. It is suggested that increased awareness might change attitudes to arsenic-rich waste and its disposal protocols. This waste is often currently discarded in an uncontrolled manner in the local environment, giving rise to the possibility of point-source recontamination. All technologies proved to have difficulties in dealing with waste, except the Tipot and Dug wells which produce no waste. Of the methods considered, the BESU technology scored highest, but still only with 47-62% of the maximum scores achievable within each domain. This explains the widespread failure of mitigation projects across the region. The indicators and metrics show where improvements can be made. A model scheme based on these findings is outlined which could be applied with the objective of increasing utilisation and improving sustainability. It can be concluded that a product stewardship approach should be taken in regard to design, implementation and operation of the technologies, including the creation of a regulated toxic waste collection and disposal industry.