In an increasingly urban society, cities pose both challenges and opportunities to move towards a more sustainable society. This study examines the role of large-scale international sport events in sustainable development within host cities, with a focus on the physical legacies that they leave behind. The research seeks to offer guidance to enhance sustainable physical legacy development, informed by Games’ strategy documents, impacts on host cities and professional opinions. The research was conducted using three key methods: an examination of key strategy documents, a literature review of academic and grey literature to record infrastructure projects and interviews with professionals who had worked with four specific Games (Vancouver 2010, London 2012, Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022).

The findings implied that social infrastructure and transport projects were most commonly recorded and that the sport event industry operates with a Triple Bottom Line understanding of sustainability. Based on the findings, a design thinking framework was used to design and propose guidelines. The guidelines recommend a shift to the 3-nested dependencies model and propose the development of key skills (leadership for sustainability and flexibility) and key actions (sustainability education/communication and audit).

Cross-sector collaborations (CSCs) are crucial for addressing complex environmental, social, and economic challenges. Sustainability issues are multifaceted and require holistic solutions that leverage multiple stakeholders’ expertise, perspectives, resources, and networks. This research explores the effectiveness of CSCs for strategic sustainable development (SSD). It identifies conditions for effective sustainability-oriented CSCs, assesses the applicability of these findings to various contexts, and provides key considerations for newly forming CSCs and SSD practitioners. The research study was undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 examined cross-sector initiatives within the sustainable development field in Sweden and other parts of Europe. It explored how these CSCs operate effectively by examining their formation conditions, processes and structures, endemic tensions and conflicts, and accountabilities and outcomes using a conceptual framework. Data collection involved nine semi-structured interviews, which were analysed deductively to identify patterns based on these conditions. In phase 2, the findings from phase 1 were summarised and presented to SSD practitioners working with CSCs. This phase refined the nuances CSCs need to effectively apply a strategic sustainable development approach. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, and the findings were analysed inductively to pinpoint common themes. The research identified eight key considerations for SSD practitioners when working with CSCs toward sustainable development.

In our study we provide a case study of implementing sustainability aspects into the product development process of a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME). The objective of the study is to, together with the company, co-create a product development process that represents a step towards sustainability. For this a tool called the Method for Sustainable Product Development (MSPD) is used. The methodology of the study includes mapping the current product development process in the organization, adapting the MSPD based on criteria set by the organization, implementing the MSPD into the product development process of the organization in a co-creative way and finally applying the new product development process to a test case within the organization. Various participatory action techniques including workshops and interviews are used to ensure co-creation of the results. It was found that raising questions on sustainability aspects in product development can be seen as a first step of an organizational move towards sustainability. With this the MSPD worked as intended. The practical application showed that further steps were necessary. Particularly additional education in sustainability and theinvolvement of entities in the organization external to the product development process were found as crucial next steps.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a well-known and comprehensive framework for sustainable development. However due to the overlapping and interrelated nature of the goals, action towards one goal can positively or negatively contribute to another.Social innovation hubs including Impact Hub and Centre for Social Innovation use the SDGs to support social entrepreneurs to have a positive impact. Document analysis and interviews with 15 practitioners from these hubs informed the research on how the organizations perceive and contribute to sustainability, how they integrate the SDGs, and the challenges and benefits with using the SDGs. Based on that, this research has developed five recommendations for social innovation hubs to: 1) Define Sustainability; 2) Enhance Visioning; 3) Design co-creative programs; 4) Define Impact;and 5) Communicate Impact. While other elements of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) could be used to complement the SDGs, the Sustainability Principles (SPs) of the FSSD are recommended as a definition for sustainability.

Adaptive capacity is essential for organisations to be able to adapt to the sustainability challenge, and change its course. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is an interpersonal communication tool that enables a user to move from a language of judgements to a language of needs by using 4 steps: observation, feelings, needs, and request. As communication is essential to the adaptive capacity of a social system, this thesis explores the question: How does Nonviolent Communication support the adaptive capacity of organisations? Through a mixed methods approach (semi-structured interviews and surveys with NVC trainers, organisational representatives and employees), the effects of NVC on communication in 3 sample organisations in the Netherlands (a school, NGO and research institute), is explored. Quantitative survey results show that NVC has a positive to very positive effect on common organisational communication dynamics. Qualitative data supports this finding and shows that NVC brings positive effects of increased understanding, listening, and progress in work related issues through an increased awareness of one’s own and other’s needs and feelings. When linking these results to adaptive capacity of organisations, it is concluded that NVC directly supports the adaptive capacity elements of trust, diversity and learning, and indirectly supports common meaning and self-organisation.

Business organisations, given their size, influence, and global impact on finite planetary resources, are the key economic drivers contributing to unsustainable growth. Sustainability Maturity Models (SMMs) were developed as a tool to assist organisations to recognise and incorporate practices identified as pivotal to achieving business transformation. The Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) approach was used to develop an analytical tool to assess the robustness of two of the aspects of SMMs, specifically structure and process. Interviews with model designers were also conducted. The research team identified key strengths limitations of SMMs.  

The analysis revealed that SMMs have strength in starting the conversation with leadership and charting the way ahead for organizations by clearly defining the maturity level success criteria.

These findings confirm the significant potential of SMMs infused by supporting process tools, to be a strong foundation for organisations on their sustainability journeys, aiding overall transformation of businesses. This in turn has the potential to shift the role of businesses in the larger socio-ecological system from being contributors to the sustainability challenge, to becoming active providers of solutions.

The current global economic paradigm, centred on growth, is a significant barrier in the transition towards a sustainable society. Business-as-Usual companies operating within this paradigm are perceived to prosper at the expense of society and environment which is not viable on a finite planet. The need to rethink the purpose of business is inevitable as maximising shareholder value, has been deemed insufficient to create asustainable society.

This study aimed to explore: how business models can be used to create value that supports Strategic Sustainable Development. Previous research proposed that the concept of Business Models for Sustainability helps business place sustainability at the core of all consideration. A qualitative research was chosen for which we employed the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and combined a literature review with an investigation of three expert groups to answer our research question.

Our findings showed that, compared to other value forms, system value is the most appropriate concept for businesses striving towards sustainable development. Based on our findings, six themes emerged that businesses need to address to accelerate the speed of change towards sustainability. To make a relevant contribution to the intended audience,a prototype has been developed based on our findings.

With the focus on addressing the sustainability challenge increases in the global agenda, the role of Indigenous communities and the knowledge they hold has been receiving increasing attention as a vital aspect in working towards sustainability. This research sought to bring forth the importance of Indigenous communities and their knowledge in addressing ecological and social sustainability. The research focused on practitioners` engagement with Indigenous communities with the objective of exploring their stories and experiences to offer learning and guidance to other sustainability practitioners. A pragmatic qualitative research approach was adopted in conjunction with literature review, collaborative autoethnography diaries by the authors and nineteen semi-structured interviews with practitioners with experience across sixteen different countries. The results revealed four themed lessons Indigenous communities offer in ecological sustainability, enhancing social sustainability, adaptive capacity in complex human systems, structural obstacles and definitions. Results also presented best practices and guidelines across four main themes for successful engagement with Indigenous communities. The discussion offers insights on what all sustainability practitioners can learn when working in the Indigenous context. Ultimately, becoming the bridge to foster mutual learning between Indigenous and Industrialized world toward global sustainability.

SAMMANFATTNING

Detta kandidatarbete behandlar grönska i staden och dess komplexitet. Arbetet ser till vad svensk forskning säger om grönska i staden samt hur Boverket, Plan- och bygglagen och Miljöbalken förhåller sig till detta. Vidare redogör arbetet för hur Malmö inom planering behandlar grönska i staden och hur detta förhåller sig till forskning i ämnet.

Studien utgår från ett analytiskt ramverk som bygger på forskning kring grönskans betydelse för en stad utifrån en svensk kontext. Därför har enbart svensk forskning använts i arbetet. Vid genomgång av forskningen var begreppen tillgång, tillgänglighet, kvalitet samt hälsa, förtätning, klimat och barn återkommande och utgör en viktig del av grönskan i en stad. Forskningen resulterade på så sätt i begrepp som sedan låg till grund för en innehållsanalys på plandokument från Malmö.

Både Malmö, forskning samt svensk lagstiftning och rekommendationer lyfter hur stadens gröna områden besitter många olika funktioner för livet i en stad. Grönområden i en stad beskrivs bland annat besitta en social funktion som mötesplats och används för rekreation, lek och upplevelser samt är av betydelse för människors hälsa och välmående. Vidare är stadens grönområden av betydelse för ekologiska funktioner, för ett rikt djur- och växtliv samt av betydelse för närklimatet och för en god luftkvalitet. Exploatering och förtätning utgör ett hot mot grönskan i en stad då grönområden kan komma att ses som markreserv. Genom riktlinjer och detaljplaneläggning kan den fysiska planeringen bidra till att bevara och utveckla stadens grönska, vilket sker med lagstöd i Plan- och bygglagen. Det är vid fysisk planering viktigt att se till ett grönområdens kortsiktiga och långsiktiga värde för en stad, då ett grönområdes värde kan öka över tid om det förvaltats väl.

Nyckelord: Grönstruktur & Fysisk planering. 

Human activities pressure the socio-ecological system that maintains our quality of life by causing global repercussions such as climate change. The energy system, a major contributor to climate change due to its reliance on fossil fuels makes the transition to sustainable energy an imperative. The purpose of this thesis is to identify focus areas that support businesses in changing their energy habits. This leads to the research question: How can local businesses on small islands become drivers in the transition towards sustainable energy? The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) enabled us to employ a systems perspective, place sustainable energy into a comprehensive and scientific definition of sustainability, and align our findings’ relevance to a strategic approach. The Motivation-capability-implementation- results (MCIR) framework was a suitable tool for our needs. For data collection purposes, literature analysis and a case study on the French island Île d’Oléron were conducted. The main findings of the thesis are that in order for businesses to become drivers in the transition to sustainability energy, Awareness, Consistent and Proactive Political System, Engaged Community, Supporting Infrastructure, Financial Capability and Agile Approach need to be addressed. The six focus areas cover the many barriers and enablers for achieving sustainable energy. 

Considering the rise in global sustainability challenges and most especially in a continent like Africa, these challenges could pose a grave danger to the population owing to the limited commitment towards sustainability. This requires a proactive and systematic approach in order to propagate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) on the continent. The purpose of this thesis was to support the implementation of Transformational Learning in an African perspective and to see how the TL components can be used to support this learning experience. This was conducted within some selected programs of LEAP Africa. As a case study, the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) and the Transformative Leadership Program (TLP) were examined to explore the transformative learning experiences that these programs provide. The research examines how the program participants perceive and rate the transformational nature of the programs using a mixed-methods approach that includes survey questions and interviews. Through the Transformational Learning theory and the components of Transformational Learning,the findings from the research showed that above 50 % of the participants of the programs, YLDP and TLP considered them as transformative experiences that shaped their perspectives in terms of their knowledge, behavior, abilities, leadership, and personal development. The findings further attest to the importance of an African perspective in promoting Transformational Learning for sustainability. Thus, the study uncovered that some of the components of Transformational Learning; Community, Place, Pedagogy, Concepts and Content, Disorientation, and Hope and Agency are transformational and present within the selected programs though perceived differently across regions and cultures.

This report aims to answer the question “What is the relationship between adopting a landscape conservation approach and human well-being?” through a case study of the Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network. The Network is a collective that involves a variety of stakeholders that belong to a multidimensional scale and focuses on achieving a wide spectrum of goals. This research looks at the landscape conservation approach, which the Network uses, through the lens of strategic sustainable development by taking a systems perspective. The eight sustainability principles, which are used for the analysis, function as system boundaries for sustainability to aim towards human well-being. The environmental sphere is connected with the social sphere and make up the socio-ecological system and should not be considered separately. This research aims to make this connection clearer to compliment the lack of knowledge on this topic. The main conclusion is that by operating within the 8SPs and using a landscape conservation approach, organizations can contribute directly or indirectly to human well-being and the health of ecosystems. Some of the benefits for humans are an increase in physical and mental health and having the opportunity to find meaning by being out in nature.

The imminent consequences of the deteriorating state of the socio-ecological systems pose significant challenges to the well-being of society and societal functioning. The financial sector, specifically banks, plays a crucial role in the transition toward sustainable development because they hold the financial resources and the power to allocate these resources. For banks to contribute to this transition, credit risk assessment (CRA) can serve as an impactful process for sustainability integration. However, as CRA is a well-incorporated process within banks, it is unclear if it is strategic enough to support a transition toward sustainability. This research, therefore, aims to analyse the key gaps, opportunities, and limitations for integrating sustainability considerations into the credit risk assessment process using a strategic sustainable development (SSD) lens. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) was used as a conceptual framework to give a better understanding of the sustainability challenge and to analyse how credit risk assessment can contribute to sustainable development. Data were collected through document review and semi-structured interviews with practitioners from Nordic banks who have relevant experience to explain how banks incorporate sustainability into their credit risk assessment practices within corporate lending and credit. A semi-systematic literature review was also done to determine the views and methods of integrating sustainability considerations into the credit risk assessment process according to academic literature. The findings were structured using the FSSD’s 5-Level Model (5LM) to identify the key gaps, limitations, and opportunities in literature and practice. The results suggest that the key gaps in integrating sustainability into the credit risk assessment process are sustainability data inadequacy, inaccessibility, incomparability, trustworthiness, and storage, and the qualitative manner of sustainability data. Further to these limitations is a competence gap where crucial skillsets needed include systems and sector-specific sustainability knowledge.

The aim of this research was to integrate sustainable development and design-thinking-based product design in order that the product design then contributes to society’s transition to a sustainable future. This is an important pursuit since product lifecycles are a major cause of society’s current sustainability challenges. To address this, many authors argue for integrating sustainable development into existing design processes rather than developing stand-alone tools and methods.Through action research with a design consultancy who wanted to start working with sustainable product design, we iterated between three stages: understanding needs, designing action, and trying out the action. The first stage comprised document analysis, focus-group style workshops, a survey and interviews. When designing the actions (enhancements to their design-thinking-based process), we drew on literature on sustainable product design, decision-making for sustainability, and organisational learning and change for sustainability. We also drew on our research partners’ practical experience. The enhanced process was tried out and further developed through feedback, student testing and co-development meetings.The result is an enhanced process where project teams (i) use the outcomes from the inspiration phase of the existing process to choose sustainable design strategies that are relevant for their particular project. Once the teams have chosen which strategies to work with, for example, design for remanufacture, we suggest that they (ii) use the strategies to develop ideation foci/questions that help them explore the design space. The third enhancement is for teams to (iii) compare concepts with respect to sustainability as part of their concept comparison and evaluation.

This thesis aims to understand the role of facilitated nature experiences for leadersas a step towards sustainability. Qualitative interviews were conducted with facilitators andparticipants of nature-based leadership programs (NBLP) and analyzed regarding 1) Transformative Learning Conditions, 2) Transformative Learning Outcomes, and 3) Professional Changes inspired by NBLP participation. Results show that facilitators foster Transformative Learning through six main conditions and that Transformative Learning ishappening as participants experience an increased understanding of interrelatedness within our socio-ecological system, change in worldviews, as well as realignment with purpose and gained confidence. Our findings indicate some evidence of professional changes after programcompletion that show potential to move society towards sustainability. The reconstruction of worldviews and increased human-nature connectedness depicts the potential for NBLP to address a deep leverage point that is highly effective for systemic change towards sustainability. Our research provides valuable insights for practitioners in the fields of education for sustainable development and sustainability leadership to increase both conscious and subconscious ecological systems understanding. The authors suggest NBLP should be further explored by decision-makers and researchers.

One of the current dominant strategies proposed for sustainable urban development is densification. While some advocate the very reasonable benefits of density, others emphasize the potential drawbacks. The main goal of this paper is to provide a systematic overview of the claimed benefits of densification in Swedish practice and relate this to the scientific evidence. For the systematic overview, comprehensive plans from 59 Swedish municipalities, covering plans from both highly urbanized areas as well as more rural regions, are included. The results show that in three out of four cases where density or densification is mentioned, no motive is given. For the other quarter, the most often used motivation is related to transport (19%), services (17%) and urban environmental qualities (14%). The least frequent motives used are related to health (8%) and ecology (2%). The motives in comprehensive plans are for the most part pointing to a positive impact of density on sustainable urban development (77%), which is not always supported by the empirical evidence that more often describe a negative correlation. Furthermore, many of the most frequently used motives in comprehensive plans have little scientific support, which puts new questions on the research agenda. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Enligt miljöbalkens bestämmelser om miljöbedömning och miljökonsekvensbedömning ska man vid planeringen ta fram olika alternativ som är förenliga med syftet med planen, programmet eller projektet. Genom att utarbeta och analysera olika alternativ ska beslutsfattarna kunna finna det alternativ som sammantaget är det bästa ur olika aspekter inklusive miljö. I denna rapport beskrivs resultaten av en pilotstudie om hantering av alternativ i miljöbedömning av planer och program och miljökonsekvensbedömning av projekt. Utgångspunkten är erfarenheter att detta på flera sätt inte tycks fungera så som det är tänkt utifrån EU-direktiv och svensk lagstiftning. Pilotstudien har genomförts i fem olika moment: • Internationell litteraturstudie • Granskning av miljökonsekvensbeskrivningar mot en fast granskningsmall • Intervjuer, utifrån en frågelista för semistrukturerade intervjuer, av svenska utförare som arbetar med MKB och MB • Diskussioner med svenska praktiker och med forskare i andra länder. • En workshop anordnad av Naturvårdsverket i samarbete med projektet. Ansvariga för studien är professor Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, SLU (projektledare) och professor Lars Emmelin, BTH Forskningsprogrammet MiSt Programmet "Miljöstrategiska verktyg", MiSt, är ett tvärvetenskapligt forskningsprogram finansierat av Naturvårdsverket. Programmet leds från Blekinge Tekniska Högskola. I programmet studeras verktyg som kan underlätta miljöbedömning i strategiskt beslutsfattande på olika nivåer, från nationell till lokal. Förståelsen och basen för utveckling av verktyg och rekommendationer om verktyg i olika planerings- och beslutsprocesser baseras på empirisk forskning på fall inom flera sektorer. Målen för MiSt-programmet: • Kritisk undersökning av verktygens funktion • Teoribaserad förståelse av deras verkan • Utveckling av råd om effektiv användning av verktyg och kombinationer av verktyg Programchef: professor Lars Emmelin, Fysisk planering, BTH. Biträdande programchef: professor Tuija Hilding-Rydevik, MKB-Centrum SLU.

Global ecosystem degradation challenging ecological and social thresholds demands urgent responses that address systemically the complex interrelationships between humans and nature. To improve the adaptive capacity of the social systems and strengthen its resilience to respond to external challenges affecting landscapes, multi-stakeholder approaches for landscape restoration involving diverse actors expressing different perspectives are important. While historically absent groups are recognised as the actors that, when meaningfully engaged, achieve transformational change, the literature is unclear on how this is achieved.This research aims to better understand the particular elements that enhance and limit the ability to establish a diverse range of participants within multi-stakeholder processes for landscape restoration. Using semi-structured interviews with practitioners with relevant experience in engaging historically absent groups, we found that including diversity is an iterative process of forming a microcosm as a complex, adaptive system representing the wider landscape through building on synergies and filling the gaps. A wide range of specific strategies exist to address concrete and structural obstacles hindering participation. Moreover, the specific role of the facilitator, their intangible skills that allow them to be capable of self- awareness, deep reflection and listening, are a key leverage point to navigate the complexity around many systemic obstacles preventing actors on the edge of systems from participating.

Skattesystemet påverkar skogsbruket. Då olika skogägare har olika skattesituationer blir också påverkan olika. Tidigare lockade skattesystemet till att spara skog. Reglerna för räntefördelning ger en motsatt effekt. Reglerna ger också stora fördelar för rika skogsägare med hög marginalskatt i andra verksamheter. Att använda skogen som kolsänka är en ny tanke. Medlet skulle vara bidrag till de skogsägare, som sparar skog. Under en övergångsperiod måste då avverkningarna sänkas kraftigt.

Fire and explosion accidents of oil-filled electrical transformers are leading to negativeimpacts, not only on the delivery of energy, but also on workplace health and safety as well asthe surrounding environment. Such accidents are still being reported, regardless of applying theregular maintenance strategy in the power plants. The purpose of this paper is to integrate asustainability perspective into the maintenance strategy. The problem addressed is: how can weapproach the relevant cost-effective sustainable maintenance for oil-filled electrical transformers?For this purpose, an empirical study in a power plant in Kuwait was introduced. The first stagewas to carry out a sustainability assessment using the ABCD procedure. In this procedure, gaps toapproach sustainability were identified and actions prioritized to close these gaps were demonstrated.Applying this procedure yielded an early fault diagnosis (EFD) model for achieving cost-effectivesustainable maintenance using a fault trend chart based on a novel numerical method. Implementingthis model resulted in an extension of the lifetime of transformers with suspected failure propagation,leading to a deferral of the replacement investment costs. The principal conclusion of this paper isthe importance of viewing the maintenance strategy of transformers from a strategic sustainabilityperspective, in order to approach relevant cost-effective sustainable maintenance.

Med de allt kraftigare och mer frekventa effekterna av klimatförändringarna ökar också risken för översvämningar från hav och regn, vilket hotar många kustnära och låglänta städer. Detta i sig sätter stor press på planeringen och kräver att nya sätt att skydda samhällen utvecklas.

Arbetet adresserar problematiken kring klimatförändringarnas effekter på samhällen och byggd miljö genom översvämningsrisker från hav och dagvatten- och skyfall. Det resulterar i sociala, ekonomiska och miljömässiga konsekvenser och utmanar städernas möjlighet att stå emot översvämningar och deras förmåga att återhämta sig. Den traditionella infrastrukturen visar sina begränsningar i hanteringen av dessa problem vilket utsätter många städer för en stor samhällsrisk. Mot bakgrund av dessa utmaningar lyfts naturbaserade lösningar som ett alternativ till traditionell infrastruktur för att skapa mer resilienta urbana miljöer. Litteraturen framför naturbaserade lösningar som ett kostnadseffektiv alternativ som, till skillnad från traditionell infrastruktur, kan utformas till multifunktionella ytor som gynnar människor och miljön. Däremot tillämpas inte naturbaserade lösningar i en större utsträckning på grund av flera kunskapsluckor bland annat kring deras gestaltning och samarbete i olika skalor. Syftet med detta arbete är då att adressera dessa kunskapsluckor genom att undersöka hur NBS kan användas i fysisk planering för hantering av översvämningsrisker från hav och nederbörd och sedan testa den kunskapen i ett fall.

Detta arbete beskriver hur naturbaserade lösningar (NBS) kan användas som ett effektivt verktyg att hantera risker kopplade till översvämningar från havet och kraftig nederbörd. Arbetet utgår från teorin kring urban resiliens gentemot översvämningar genom att använda sig av adaptation (anpassning) och mitigation (mildring) som analysverktyg för att förstå och öka resiliensförmågan i städer. För att skapa en grundläggande förståelse för vad NBS handlar om och vilka tillvägagångsätt det finns för hantering av framtida översvämningsrisker genom gestaltning används flera forskningsmetoder. Kunskapsöversikten används för att sammanställa befintlig forskning och information som tar upp viktiga aspekter av NBS åtgärder för kustskydd och dagvatten- och skyfall. För att få fram en förståelse för NBS tillvägagångsätt med fysisk gestaltning undersöks olika projekt inom Köpenhamn och Rotterdam genom best practice metoden. Därefter studeras Malmö stad som ett fall inom ämnesområdet genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys där syn och strategier på kustskydd och dagvatten- och skyfallshantering undersöks. Utifrån analys av best practice exempel och Malmö stad har planeringsförutsättningar och grundprinciper tagits fram som blev ett underlag för gestaltningsförslagets strategier och utformning.

Fokusområde för gestaltningsförslaget var Norra Västra Hamnen där utformningen vägledes genom de grundprinciper som togs fram. Resultatet av gestaltningsförslag visar på hur naturbaserade lösningar kan tillämpas för att minimera översvämningsrisker från hav och nederbörd genom en multifunktionell utformning som bidrar till adaptation- och mitigationsförmågan med dessa typer av lösningar. Resultatet bidrar till forskningen genom att fylla på kunskapsluckor gällande tillämpning av NBS utifrån platsspecifika förutsättningar och utmaningar samt hur dessa samspelar i olika skalor och med traditionell infrastruktur för kustskydd och dagvatten- och skyfall i stadsmiljön. Den avslutande slutsatsen diskuterar naturbaserade lösningars funktion och förutsättningar för hur NBS kan bidra till med mer anpassningsbara och mildrande åtgärder på klimatförändringar i förhållande till översvämningsrisker. Slutligen belyses behov av vidare forskning.

Since 1970s neoclassical economics has been identified as a major obstacle for reaching sustainability. Despite the world's growing attention to sustainability education, there has been just few attempts to assess the content and the competency building of sustainable development (SD) postgraduate programs. None has been evaluating if and how economics is integrated in such curricula. This study fills this gap in the empirical research by conducting a novel assessment of six leading SD transdisciplinary master programs in Sweden. Our study uses a qualitative approach to inquire how these programs teach students to understand, challenge and reorient dominant neoclassical economics and the reasoning behind it. Results revealed that the absence of an agreed-upon definition of both the economy and sustainability lead to the wide range of approaches on how to introduce the place and the role of the economy. Every program relies on their own understanding, perspectives and resourcefulness, while agreeing that their teaching should challenge neoclassical economics and engage their students in the various scales of system change. Yet, the time allocated to economics teaching does not exceed 8% of the programs ECTS. We argue that economics should take a much bigger place in postgraduate SD education. A proposed “transdisciplinary economics” calls for more collaboration with students, academia and outside of academia in a joint search for economic alternatives.

In recent years several approaches to Social LCA have been proposed. Despite recognized shortcomings of those, recent development has focused more on testing existing approaches and less on finding a unifying framework that can support Social LCA to deliver on its promise: to aid decision making regarding social issues related to product life cycles. This paper offers an analysis and evaluation of the potential contribution of the body of work on Social LCA to sustainable development using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. A number of strengths and weaknesses from a strategic sustainability perspective are identified and recommendations to improve the support for how to deal with social issues in the product innovation process are provided.

This master thesis explores the shifting paradigm in conservation, moving away from the myth behind the preservationist approach that separates humans from nature towards a more inclusive conservationist approach. The study focuses on the role of Indigenous Peoples in this evolving paradigm and examines factors that influence their ability to participate in and influence conservation debates and policies. The research draws on qualitative exploratory methods, including interviews with Indigenous Peoples and experts in the conservation field. Thirteen factors emerged from the thematic analysis, namely: legal recognition, law enforcement, political representation, awareness, external support, community building, capacity-building, connection across Indigenous communities, economic inclusion, public attention, protests, advocacy, and intimidation. The findings emphasize the need for a systemic and inclusive approach to conservation policymaking that incorporates cultural diversity and respects the rights, perspectives and agency of Indigenous Peoples. Ultimately, the conservationist approach, and particularly the effective inclusion of cultural diversity in conservation debates and policies, can enhance society's capacity to protect and sustain natural resources and biodiversity for current and future generations, aiding our sustainability journey in its ecological and social sides.

The importance of entrepreneurship for economic growth has long been recognized. It is also widely agreed that we are facing a sustainability challenge, which, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is largely created by the economic activities of the industrialized society. Corporate social responsibility and other global initiatives have not been sufficient in changing industry processes to more sustainable activities. Governments regulate activities in society through laws and guidelines, thus there is a clear role of governments in regulating the quality and outcomes of entrepreneurial initiatives in order to advance a sustainable development of society. The researchers´purpose was to understand how the governmental entrepreneurship promotion agency, Almi is fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and to recommend improvements. With a qualitative research method, the case of Almi Blekinge was studied. The research shows that Almi has the possibility to shape the entrepreneurial outcomes by adjusting the current mechanism with planetary socio-eco boundaries of sustainability. The recommendation is that Almi should steer their advising services towards a coaching dynamic where contributions to the socio-ecological system are assessed with the ultimate goal for companies to contribute to sustainable growth.

Phosphorus (P) availability is essential for global food security. A system dynamics model running from 1961 to 2050 was built for this study, linking global P supply to social, economic and environmental dynamics at regional level. Simulation results show that phosphate rock (PR) production needs to double by 2050 compared to present levels, in order to match regional P requirements. South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa are regions highly dependent on phosphate imports, yet it is here that most of the population growth and future P requirement will occur. Climate impact, eutrophication and phosphogypsum production are some of the main negative environmental dynamics that are becoming increasingly challenging in the coming decades. © 2020 The Authors

The Personal Transportation System safeguards peoples’ cultural understanding of freedom: to move individually without being dependent on others. However, the increasing number of private vehicles driven on fossil fuels contributes to unsustainability and one of the most urgent issues, climate change. The authors explored electric vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuel driven vehicles as a way of moving strategically towards sustainability in the Personal Transportation System. In order to increase demand of electric vehicles, barriers need to be overcome. The authors identified perceived barriers and enablers through literature review, interviews with automobile dealers and other stakeholders of the EV sector in Southeast Sweden, as well as through an electronic survey of individuals living in this region. The outcome of the thesis is a pilot strategy using behavior change tools from Community-Based Social Marketing in order to address the perceived barriers and enablers on the demand side of the electric vehicle market. With highly positive attitudes towards electric vehicles in Southeast Sweden, the strategy may be successful in the region; however, it needs to be combined with further measures on the supply side of the market which cannot be addressed with behavior change tools.

Overarching project goal

From 1 april 2013 to its end in 2015 the project shall support Southeast Sweden towards a fossilfuel independent transport system by 2030 through the promotion of regional sustainable market introduction of electric vehicles that run on regional renewable energy.

The project's contribution

1. Development of an electric vehicle system (vehicles, charging infrastructure, renewable electricity, IT support, etc) and a supporting business network in small town regions.2. Research Methods for the development of customer-focused product and service systems for electric vehicles and identification of their economic, environmental and social sustainability implications.3. A comprehensive roadmap for sustainable and profitable development of a fossilfuel independent regional transportation system 2030.

Results until 20150630 (goals 20150331 – extended to 20150930)

530+ Electric vehicles (200)204+ charging spots (200)25 pilot municipalities (25)70+ business stakeholders (50)1 charging demo park (1)

I ansökan specificerades projektmålen från 2012 till 2014 till:

1. Demonstration 1: Ge underlag för marknadsintroduktion av elfordonssystem i 15-20 pilotkommuner i Småland Blekinge (fordon, laddstolpar, IT-stöd, etc)2. Demonstration 2: Starta en regional affärssamverkan för ökad tillväxt på en växande elfordonsmarknad3. Använda ett systematiskt kommunikations- och spridningsarbete för förbättrat hållbarhetsanseende för regionala företag4. Bidra till forskningsfronten med metoder för utveckling av produkt- och servicesystem (PSS) samt identifiering och optimering av deras hållbarhetseffekter5. Resultera i en färdplan för ’grön tillväxt’ och uppskalning av ett elfordonssystem som en del av en regional fossilfri fordonsflotta 2030.

Hittills har vi nått följande framsteg i förhållande till projektmålen:

1. Demo 1. Greencharge Sydosts har haft fyra länsvisa kick-offs och projektgruppen har rest runt och ordnat många aktiviteter för att påskynda den regionala förankringen av projektet Detta har lett till att vi har kunnat överträffa förväntningarna med involvering av hittills ett tjugotal företag, 24 kommuner, alla fyra länsstyrelser och regionförbund, samt två av fyra Landsting. Dessutom har vi blivit kontaktade av andra regioner i Sverige som Dalarna, Skåne och Sundsvallsområdet och samarbete har inletts. Internationella företag som BMW, Hertz och Volkswagen är nu också involverade. För att öka tempot i regionen och hjälpa kommunerna så har vi inom projektet under våren och sommaren 2013 kört ”Green Charge Roadshow med elfordon” – en turné med marknadens utbud av elfordon där vi besökte flertalet kommuner som då var medlemmar i projektet. Projektets styrning och regionala förankring förtydligades i och med att man 12 april 2013 kopplade till sig en mer permanent och formaliserad styrgrupp. Hösten 2013 har projektledningen sammanställt en uppföljning mot samtliga kommuners framsteg och ev hinder i införskaffande av bilar och laddinfrastruktur. Energideklarationer har också tagits fram för projektets samtliga kommuners som visar att det i princip utan extra kostnad går att fasa in 90% elfordon i bilflottorna. I början av 2014 fanns det ca 250 elbilar i projektregionen och alltför få uppkopplade laddstolpar. Därför genomförde vi i mars och april 2014 Sveriges hittills största roadshow för elfordon som besökte Norge och Danmark och samtliga 24 projektkommuner i syfte att påskynda utvecklingen. Kommunuppföljningen, energideklarationerna och en utredning över lämplig omfattning och placering av snabbladdare var viktiga komponenter i roadshowens informationspaket. I slutet av december 2014 fanns det mer än 350 elfordon i projektregionen och det totala projektmålet för detta och kompletterande projekt på 300 elfordon hade därmed överträffats. Dock släpar laddinfrastrukturen fortfarande efter och därför fokuserdes insatserna där under projektets avslutsskede. Detta arbete fortsätter i kompletterande projekt. 2. Demo 2. Affärsnätverket initierades via en stor regional kick-off i Växjö under hösten 2012 och ett par personer i projektgruppen har nu fått ansvar för att nätverket utvecklas på bästa sätt. Projektet fick också under 2013 en ny projektledare för affärsnätverket som förstärker projektteamet med teknisk kompetens. Ett antal nätverksträffar utfördes under mars 2013 för att kunder och leverantörer ska kunna mötas och hitta och undanröja hinder för snabba framsteg. Fokus låg på vissa delar av elfordonssystemet vid varje nätverksträff (laddstolpar, bilar, etc). Greencharge har i år fastlagt ett antal nya samarbetsavtal med partners inom nätverket. Samarbetet med ingenjörsutbildningarna på BTH har under våren 2013 lett till att flera studentprojekt kunnat påbörjas för att snabbt ute hos våra partners kunna utreda angelägna frågeställningar och på sätt få fart på arbetet mot projektmålen. Under hösten 2013 och under hela 2014 har arbetet tagits upp igen i leverantörsgrupperna för laddinfrastruktur, bilar och energi. Speciellt fokus har legat på att påskynda kommunernas inköp av rätt sorts intelligenta laddstolpar och att få dem inkopplade i CGIs IT-system CiMS.

3. Kommunikations- och spridningsarbete. En kommunikationsansvarig har utsetts och en kommunikationsplan fastställdes under hösten 2013. En reklambyrå genomförde den 6 dec 2013 en strategisk workshop med projektledningen kring vad projektet ska kommunicera. Hemsidan www.greencharge.se kvarstår som central informationskanal projektledning och forskningsorganisation men kompletteras nu mer tydligt av av facebook, twitter och youtube. Vi har där lagt upp logotyper för alla kommuner och landsting som är medlemmar i GreenCharge Sydost samt för offentliga finansiärer. Projektlednings- och forskningsorganisation deltar också aktivt i konferenser och evenemang inom elfordonsområdet. T.ex. BTH framhåller Greencharge som ett ’flaggskeppsprojekt’ när skolan under åren presenterat sig för politiker i Almedalen, vid frukostseminarier i Riksdagen och på plats på BTH. Forskarna från BTH deltog i januari 2013 vid Energisystemdagarna i Linköping där viktiga nätverkskontakter kunde tas. En stor nationell elfordonsdag utfördes också tillsammans med IKEA i Älmhult den 21 mars 2013 och Kungen träffade Greencharge i samband med Karlskronabesöket den 6 april. Forskningsgruppen har i en annan Greencharge-demonstration (som finansieras av energimyndigheten) vid flera konferenser presenterat miljö- och kostnadsjämförelser för elbussar och andra busstyper. Parallellt med projektaktiviteterna tar också forskargruppen fram kurser och ett nytt högskoleingenjörsprogram (Energisystem för hållbar utveckling) med fokus på förnybar energi, smarta energinät och elfordon. Här ska vi kunna sprida projektresultat och forskningsrön till många studenter som får lära sig nära praktiken ute i företagen. Studenterna deltog aktivt i den road show som genomfördes under mars och april 2014. De gjorde enkäter och undersökningar mot den testande allmänheten och testade själva samt spred erfarenheterna via egna social nätverk. Under Almedalsveckan 2014 arrangerade projektet en workshop för att sprida kunskap om projektets resultat som bl.a. av Vindkrafttidningen blev utnämnd till den bästa i Almedalen. Allt detta förväntas också på sikt ge nya regionala arbetstillfällen inom det starkt växande området hållbara transport- och energisystem.

4. Forskning mot projektets demonstrationer. Vi har anställt två doktorander och forskargruppen har påbörjat litteraturstudier och skisser på hur vår metodik för PSS-modellering och hållbarhetsanalys ska kunna vidareutvecklas och anpassas till att kunna göra systematiska kartläggningar och jämförelser av kostnads- och hållbarhetsprestanda för fordonssystem. Slutanvändaren finns i fokus under detta arbete. I en annan Greencharge-demonstration (som finansieras av energimyndigheten) har denna metodik testats i jämförelser mellan eldrivna och andra bussar i landsbygdstrafik i Karlskrona, Jönköping och Sundsvall. Detta kommer framöver även detta projekt till del när prestanda för olika bilar och affärsmodeller för bilägande ska jämföras. Dessa nya jämförelser är i full gång. Ovannämnda energideklarationer för kommunernas bilflottor utgör en grund.

5. Forskning mot färdplanen. Erfarenheterna från de praktiska elfordonsdemonstrationerna och forskningens analyser integreras här i färdplansscenarier. Vi har som en förberedelse deltagit i nationella satsningar för att ta fram färdplaner till fossiloberoende och mer hållbara transport- och energisystem. Vårt eget arbete påbörjades på allvar under första kvartalet 2014 med två seminarier för att tillsammans med ledande aktörer från elfordonsbranschen ta fram en brett förankrad vision om hur elfordon kan bidra till ett hållbart samhälle – bortom den fossiloberoende fordonsflottan 2030. Under resten av året tar vi fram scenarier för hur olika viktiga delsystem (användare, fordon, infrastruktur, bränslen, energi samt regler och styrmedel) ska kunna utvecklas parallellt till det fossiloberoende systemet 2030. Efter en inledning i lägre takt än planerat skruvades forskningsgruppens arbetsinsats upp under 2014. Förstärkningsrekrytering av flera deltidsforskare till forskargruppen har därför genomförts under hela året. Forskningen drivs härnäst också vidare i kompletterande projekt.

The transport sector's dependence on fossil fuels is one of the biggest challenges in a shift towards a climate-neutral and sustainable society.

This roadmap report aims to investigate how electric vehicle systems can contribute to a faster transition to sustainable passenger transport in Southeast Sweden, as well as to present a methodology for guidance of similar work for faster transitions in other regions and sectors.

This work has been guided by a scientifically designed and proven Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Specifically, answers are given to four research questions structured in relation to the four subsystems 'Politics and instruments', 'Users and markets', 'Vehicles and infrastructure' and 'Energy and materials':

1. What could a sustainable vision for passenger transport in Southeast Sweden look like?
2. What could be a milestone goal for 2030?
3. What is the current reality in relation to the 2030 goal and the vision?
4. How could the gap between the present, 2030 and the vision be bridged?

The report's results show that today's focus on fossil independence and measures against climate change must be broadened to cover the whole sustainability challengeso that other sustainability issues are addressed and so that solutions to some of the sustainability issues do not create new ones.

The report also clarifies that it is necessary, practically possible and economically advantageous for Southeast Sweden to make a faster sustainability transition of passenger transportthan what has been proposed in previous studies and investigations. It is also likely that the same applies to the entire transport system and for the whole of Sweden and the world.

Even geopolitical benefits are likely. A global transition to transport and energy systems based on energy from widely available flow resources like sun and wind instead of the limited fossil fuels would likely reduce the conflicts risks in the world.Restricted cobalt, lithium and platinum resources that battery and fuel cell cars depend on, and other metals needed for solar cells and wind turbines can, however, give rise to similar conflict risks. This roadmap report's recommendations on reduced transport needs and car dependency and its focus on resource efficiency counteract these conflict risks by striking against underlying resource-driving mechanisms. Should this roadmap be translated into practical policies, the forthcoming transition would therefore likely be made considerably more 'future-proof'.

Om E-mission

E-mission är ett EU-finansierat (Interreg) projekt för att sprida kunskap om elfordon hos allmänhet, politiker och näringsliv i Öresundsregionen. Målet är att få fler att köra elbil, inte minst de som pendlar mellan de båda länderna. Medverkande parter är Köpenhamns kommun, Region Hovedstaden, Malmö stad, Helsingborgs stad, Öresundskraft och Region Skåne.

Om de aktuella delprojekten

I E-mission ingår olika delprojekt, bland annat ett om utveckling av laddinfrastruktur för elfordon i Öresundregionen och ett om stakeholder network, alltså nätverk för intresserade operatörer/leverantörer (betallösningar). Det är inom dessa delprojekt detta uppdrag och rapport genomförs och tas fram.

Om uppdraget

Uppdraget handlar om att gå igenom vilka förutsättningar som krävs för att elbilsanvändare ska kunna ladda sin bil på båda sidor Öresund efter modellen HITTA-BOKA-LADDA-BETALA. I samband med en utredning om laddinfrastruktur som görs av Trivector har E-mission träffat en rad olika aktörer och diskuterat förutsättningarna för en interaktiv laddkarta för de båda länderna – och gärna även för Norge. Emission har identifierat att det finns ett antal system på marknaden och en rad olika laddkartor, men inte några heltäckande samverkande interaktiva lösningar. Emission vill därför ta reda på hur de olika systemen kan samverka så att användaren (=elbilsförarna) upplever det som en samlad interaktiv laddkarta. Emission inser samtidigt att de vägar som föreslås kan vara påverkade av vilken it-leverantör som presenterar dem och vilket it-system som förordas.

Uppdragsbeskrivning

- Beskriva och bedöma det system som tagits fram av Logica.- Beskriva och bedöma det norska systemet Nobil.- Övergripande beskriva övriga system på marknaden (finns bl.a. i befintlig rapport från Trivector).- Identifiera problemen i dagsläget.- Föreslå och beskriva vad som behöver göras (lösning) för att uppnå funktionen hitta-boka-ladda-betala, dvs.

a. en gemensam laddkarta som innehåller interaktiv data från samtliga system på marknaden,b. identifiering av elbilsägaren vid bokning, laddning och betalning,c. smidiga betalströmmar mellan berörda intressenter.

- Sammanfatta en slutsats som kan ligga till grund för ett genomförande.

The study was conducted in 2020 by The SustainTrans team at Blekinge Institute of Technology with support fromNetPort Science park as a pre-study within the Roadmapper project, an effort to accelerate regional transitions to sustainable transport.This particular pre-study was financed by the municipalities of Karlshamn, Olofström and Sölvesborgbut it also benefits the larger Roadmapper project that, in turn, is supported by a whole consortium of public and private organizations, led by the Swedish Energy Agency. The preliminary resultswere reported to themunicipalitiesin December 2020but thescientific review of the studywas finalized in March2021. 

Medan Sverige är en global föregångare inom hållbar utveckling betonar Klimatpolitiska rådet 2019 att hållbarhetsåtgärderna är för långsamma för att uppfylla de aktuella målen, särskilt när det gäller transport och stadsmiljö. Regional utveckling och kommunal fysisk planering spelar avgörande roller i förändringsprocessen eftersom planerare och strateger behöver ta itu med internationella avtal såsom Parisavtalet, Agenda 2030 och Den nya urbana agendan, samt svara på nationella mål och lokala prioriteringar. Det finns indikationer på att otillräcklig samordning mellan de nationella, regionala och lokala planeringsinsatserna är en nyckelfaktor bakom misslyckandet med att hålla sig på rätt spår. För att hjälpa till att hantera denna brist engagerade planerare från Region Blekinge i sydöstra Sverige SustainTrans-gruppen från Institutionen för Strategisk hållbar utveckling vid Blekinge Tekniska Högskola för att bana väg för en scenarioplaneringsstrategi över en 30-årig horisont (till 2050). Tanken var att ta fram åtminstone tre scenarier och att få med regionala, lokala och några relevanta nationella intressenter i genomförandet. Som ett minimum skulle de fyra identifierade nyckelområdena från projektet Strukturbild Blekinge 2.0 täckas in i studien:

Blekinges övergripande utveckling (exempelvis befolkningsutveckling)Arbetsmarknad, näringsliv och turismAttraktiva stads- och livsmiljöerInfrastruktur och transport

Rapportförfattarna från SustainTrans-gruppen arbetade iterativt med befintliga kunskaper, statistiska data och resultat från en intressent-workshop. Ett startläge identifierades och fyra utforskande scenarier togs fram och strukturerades efter de sannolika effekterna av höga och låga regionala hållbarhetsinsatser respektive hög och låg befolkningstillväxt: 

’Tveksamma Blekinge’ (oförändrad befolkning/ ej hållbart)’Blind tillväxt’ (ökad befolkning / ej hållbart)’Hållbarare Blekinge’ (oförändrad befolkning/ hållbart)’Nystart Blekinge’ (ökad befolkning/ hållbart)

Scenarioprocessen inkluderade alla nyckelområdena från Strukturbild Blekinge 2.0 som viktiga utvecklingsområden och resulterade i bredare samtal mellan offentliga intressenter. Detta kommer också förhoppningsvis lägga en grund för ökad samordning och integration mellan dessa organisationer.

Baserat på intressenternas synpunkter på scenarierna från workshopen, blev rapportförfattarnas bedömning att scenarierna ’Tveksamma Blekinge’ och ’Blind tillväxt’ skulle få för många negativa konsekvenser. Detta kunde ju också förväntas med tanke på scenariernas namn men mer specifikt handlade det om att det förstnämnda scenariot ge en gradvis nedgång medan det senare på sikt ge verkligt destruktiva resultat för livskvaliteten, naturen och samhällsekonomin. ’Hållbarare Blekinge’ och ’Nystart Blekinge’ bedömdes å andra sidan vara bättre eftersom de troligen skulle säkerställa en god livskvalitet. Med det senare scenariot kan den högre folkmängden sannolikt också ge extra fördelar som högre skatteinkomster och en mer välmående region. Det finns dock en risk att befolkningsökningen kan hämma hållbarhetsprestanda om den skulle drivas för långt.

En åtgärd som identifierades som avgörande för att slå in på spåret till något av de föredragna scenarierna var att stärka planeringsfokus för nya bostäder till täta blandade samhällen inom det befintliga urbana fotavtrycket. Det finns samtidigt regionala gränser för tillväxt som är svåra att uppskatta med den begränsade typen av kvalitativa bedömningar som denna studie skulle täcka. Därför rekommenderas att fler studier görs som bygger vidare på scenarierna, går in i mer detaljerad kvantitativ modellering och bygger färdplaner för ett attraktivt och hållbart Blekinge 2050.

Wynes and Nicholas (2017a Environ. Res. Lett. 12 1-9) recently published an article that reviewed academic and grey literature to identify the most impactful individual actions for reducing carbon emissions in developed countries, identifying having 'one fewer child' as by far the most impactful action. This action was recommended with little context considering its controversial nature. We argue that there are three issue-areas that Wynes and Nicholas should have engaged with to improve the clarity of their recommendations and reduced the potential for misunderstanding, which are (1) the extent to which individual actions in one's private life can address climate change in relation to collective actions and actions in the professional sphere (2) the role of overconsumption in driving climate change and (3) the extent to which family planning is a human right. We also suggest that engagement with these issue-areas are a step towards a better practice in academic writing on population as an environmental issue.

With the increasing level of complexity that leaders face today, represented in the accelerating pace of technology advancement and globalization, along with the climate change indicators reaching unprecedented levels, the need for good leadership quality has become more crucial than ever. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development provides a systems perspective, a principle-based definition and a way to strategically move towards sustainability, however still there is a need to specify what is required for leaders to lead organizations through this process.

The aim of the thesis is to explore how corporate leadership development companies can develop the essential leadership competencies to address the sustainability challenge. The study used the Key Competences in Sustainability Framework as a base to interview six leadership development companies from different areas in the world. The findings revealed that there is an essential need for self-development for leaders to handle complexity, as well as the need from leaders to create the proper conditions for their organizations to utilize the competences from the KCSF. Furthermore the results also showcased the need for standard common definition regarding sustainability.

Society’s transition towards a sustainable state entails rapid and disruptive change in all sectors. This change is the source of profound uncertainty. From a company perspective, it can either pose existential threats if current practices or products enforce unsustainable development, or it can present opportunities if the company can provide solutions to the sustainability challenges humanity is facing. Such sustainability-related threats and opportunities, i.e., risks, can be related to, for example, reputation, legislative change, litigation, the ability to attract and retain talented employees, or the ability to meet customer needs on increasingly sustainability-driven markets. While more and more companies recognize the importance of building capabilities for sustainable product development to remain competitive, the relation between social and environmental aspects and economic performance is still oftentimes viewed as a trade-off where some profit must be sacrificed to be sustainable.Based on an interactive qualitative research approach, this thesis shows how a risk management lens can be used to support decision-makers at product development companies in understanding the dynamic interplay between socio-ecological sustainability aspects and business implications. The conceptual understanding of sustainability risks was advanced by identifying their characteristics and by proposing a new definition, utilizing literature review and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. In the next step of the research, today’s situation and preconditions at some product development companies in Sweden were studied. Using multiple data collection methods, current risk management practices were investigated and hypotheses for sustainability integration were derived. Based on interviews with industrial and academic experts, the hypotheses were further developed into key aspects for sustainability risk management that can be used as recommendations for practitioners. Utilizing the newly developed definition and key aspects, a conceptual approach for strategic risk management within the sustainability transition was conceived. This approach was then adapted and operationalized as a workshop method for multifunctional teams in the context of product portfolio planning. Finally, the Sustainability Impact and Effects Analysis was developed and tested through an action research approach to provide decision-makers in early phases of the product innovation process with practical support for identifying, assessing, and managing sustainability risks. Uncertainty is neither good nor bad – it is just an inherent part of reality. This thesis showed how a risk management approach can be used to guide decision-making in uncertainty within the sustainability transition in a product development company context. Thereby, companies can take the strategic leadership that is required to benefit from the opportunities that can be found in this time of deep uncertainty.

Both the ecological and social system are systematically degrading, resulting in decreasing capacities to support human civilization. Product development and manufacturing companies play a key role in driving society’s transition towards a sustainable path. Besides moral arguments, the motivation for companies can be expressed as a matter of smart risk management, i.e. avoiding threats and exploiting opportunities. Such sustainability risks can be related to, for example, brand and reputation, legislative change, or attracting top-talented employees. But, more importantly, it is about understanding changes that are inevitable on markets to come. Based on Maxwell’s interactive qualitative research approach and following the structure of the Design Research Methodology, this thesis aims to contribute (i) to knowledge by increasing the conceptual understanding of what sustainability risks are; and (ii) to practice by researching decision-support for how sustainability risks can be managed in a product development company context. The first study reviewed existing literature and identified characteristics of sustainability risks, which make them particularly difficult to manage. A following exploratory and descriptive study investigated companies’ current risk management practices and preconditions for sustainability integration. It showed that the effects of uncertainty from the sustainability transition need to be identified, assessed, and managed in relation to how they can affect objectives anchored in both internal and external stakeholder value creation. In parallel, the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development was applied as a lens to understand the implications of the sustainability transition for company risk management. This resulted in a new definition, stating that sustainability risks are threats and opportunities that are due to an organization’s contribution or counteraction to society’s transition towards strategic sustainable development. A questionnaire study then investigated some case companies’ challenges and preconditions to build sustainability capabilities. Finally, a workshop method is proposed that aims to support design teams in early sustainable product development. Future research will leverage on the findings to develop and test decision support for how product development companies can manage sustainability risks on different organizational levels in practice to increase competitiveness, while taking leadership in the transition towards a sustainable society.

Numerous examples have shown how environmental and social issues can affect companies to an existential level. In fact, today's most urgent business risks, e.g. brand value, legislative change, litigation, and supply chain disruptions, are directly linked to sustainability issues. These risks need to be systematically identified and strategically managed on both strategic company-and operational product development level in order for a company to be long-term competitive. Based on literature review and interviews at case companies, this paper investigates the current state for integrating a strategic sustainability perspective in risk management processes and related support tools. Results show that sustainability risks are not consciously identified and managed at the companies. Research is at an early stage and few frameworks and tools exist. Based on the findings, the study identifies and provides a comprehensive analysis of challenges for sustainability integration, which work as a foundation for future research. Finally, key steps to advance understanding and methods in sustainability risk management are suggested.

Many of the most important business and economic risks are directly linked to environmental and social issues. This includes both threats and opportunities, not only in relation to reputation, which is often mentioned in this context, but, even more importantly, in relation to innovation capability and legislative change on inevitably more and more sustainability-driven markets. It is, however, unclear through which mechanisms such sustainability risks currently affect companies and how they can be systematically identified and managed. Based on the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, this study investigates the dynamics and implications of society’s sustainability transition from a company risk management perspective. In addition, exploratory and descriptive studies were conducted at two large product innovation companies to identify current risk management practices and preconditions for sustainability integration. The results reveal that a society moving closer towards a collapse of environmental and social systems leads to increasing sustainability-related threats for unsustainable businesses and increasing opportunities for sustainable businesses. Also, risk management is found to be a promising way for maneuvering in a smart zone between being too passive and being too pro-active in relation to sustainable innovation.The study participants at the case companies were knowledgeable about risk management in general but were largely unfamiliar with risks associated with sustainability and no processes or support tools exist to work systematically with such risks. Key steps to accomplishing an integration of a strategic sustainability perspective into risk management are proposed as: (i) identifying the effects of sustainability issues on internal and external stakeholder value; (ii) actively including sustainability in objective setting and cascading objectives across the levels of the organizational hierarchy; and (iii) developing concrete support for identifying, assessing, and managing economic sustainability risks. Thereby, companies can enhance their competitiveness while providing leadership in the sustainability transition.

Companies, striving towards an effective and systematic integration of a strategic sustainability perspective in product innovation, need to treat the implementation of necessary processes and tools, as well as their continuous improvement, as a project in itself. An efficient way to measure the current sustainability implementation level in the organization, as well as guidance for progression, is required. To meet this need, a novel self-assessment was developed, which provides companies with a tool to assess and visualize their current capabilities in relation to key elements for successful sustainability integration in the product innovation process. It includes a scale of different sustainability implementation levels to support building a roadmap for systematic implementation, and to measure progress over time. This research is based on results from previous descriptive work within the area of sustainable product development and learning from applying strategic and tactical assessment tools for eco-design and sustainability maturity. Besides the contribution to practice, this study also contributes to knowledge by specifying detailed aspects for each key element that must be considered to guide sustainability integration. Also, insights from applying different existing tools in real cases are provided. The newly-developed self-assessment method was applied and validated at two case companies. Independent and continuous use of it by the companies beyond this particular study indicate the practical value of the method.

Social and environmental issues are directly connected to many of the most important risks that productdevelopment companies are facing. Based on literature review and interviews, this study investigatesrisk management practices on the strategic, tactical, and operational levels of companies. The findingsare used to identify preconditions for integrating sustainability into risk management processes andsupport tools. The results show that sustainability risks need to be connected to company objectivesthrough internal and external stakeholder value creation.

It is in the early phases of product development that most of a product’s life-cycle sustainability impact is determined. This study presents a workshop method that has the purpose to support multi-disciplinary teams in sustainable product development, focusing on early phases. The workshop method aims to map the sustainability challenges and opportunities of a concept at an overarching level, utilizing backcasting from sustainability principles in three steps: create vision, assess current state, derive strategies. Testing and validation was done at two companies and with one academic group.

Integrating a strategic sustainability perspective in product development requires that decision-makers can connect socio-ecological sustainability aspects to tangible business implications in the short- and long term. Only then will there be the driving forces necessary for adopting sustainable product development practices. A risk management approach can be used to enable strategic proactivity by exposing the potential consequences of sustainability-related decisions, for example in relation to reputation, legislative change, the ability to attract top talent, or meeting customer needs. Through an action research approach and by building on previous findings and existing tools and methods, this study presents the Sustainability Impact and Effects Analysis. This novel method and risk management tool combines the familiar format of the well-established Failure Mode and Effects Analysis with a strategic sustainability perspective. Designed to be applicable in early stages of the product innovation process, this tool aims to increase decision-makers’ awareness of sustainability risks and provide them with a practical way for how to identify, assess, and treat such risks. The tool was developed in close collaboration with industry and tested in two different companies. The results indicate the effectiveness of the tool for identifying and analyzing sustainability risks, as well as deriving and monitoring strategies for how to manage them strategically, also leading to an increased awareness of the interconnections between socio-ecological sustainability aspects and business implications. Thereby, it can provide support for companies in how to work with product development in a way that contributes to society's transition towards sustainability, while benefiting the own organization. © 2022 The Authors

Society’s transition towards sustainability comes with radical change, which entails significant threats and opportunities for product development and manufacturing companies, for example related to new legislation, shifting customer preferences, and increasing raw material prices. Smart risk management therefore plays a key role for successfully maneuvering society’s sustainability transition. However, from a company perspective, it remains challenging to connect the macro-level societal change with tangible risks for the business on the micro level. Based on interviews with academic and industrial experts, this study identified 21 key aspects for sustainability risk management. Drawing on these results and research from the areas of transition design, strategic sustainable development, and sustainability risk management, a conceptual approach for strategic risk management within the sustainability transition is presented. It builds on layered, double-flow scenario modelling in which backcasting from a vision, framed by basic principles for sustainability, is combined with forecasting from the present. The implications of such scenarios, i.e., risks, can then be identified and managed. By doing so on different scales, connections between macro- and micro-level change can be established. Thereby, product development companies shall be supported in making sustainability an intrinsic part of decision-making across the strategic, tactical, and operational levels to increase competitiveness while contributing to the transition towards a sustainable society. 

Global manufacturing accounted for 17% of global GDP in 2021. The heavy constructionequipment industry creates significant socio-ecological impacts through CO2 emissions, landdegradation and social risks. It is important to implement sustainability from the early phasesof product development. Research shows lack of cooperation between academia andbusinesses in testing to improve Sustainable Product Development (SPD) tools. The studyidentifies needs for implementing SPD and testing of relevant SPD tools for a heavyconstruction equipment manufacturer. It applies DSIP methodology as theoretical frameworkand focus group interviews / workshops, document content analysis and observation as datacollection methods. SAM4SIP supported in identifying the capability needs in relation toSPD implementation and informed the selection of the two SPD tools to be tested at the casecompany. First, the Leading Sustainability Criteria (LEASA) workshop generated 10measurable criteria covering all product life cycle phases which thereafter were furtherdeveloped in the Overall Sustainability Fingerprint template with respective compliancelevels to create design space. The results emphasize on the importance of taking a full-systemperspective to implement SPD on all decision levels of a company and giving opportunity tomanufacturers to utilise DSIP and find suitable tools to implement SPD. 

Local communities encounter various problems related to the global economic system. Socio-economic challenges arise in these communities due to the disappearance of jobs and the leakage of money, this results in a diminishing of social resilience which in turn means that these communities are hampered in their move towards strategic sustainable development. According to scientific literature, a local currency could be an instrument to overcome this diminishing of social resilience. However, the role of these currencies in strategic sustainable development remains unclear. This study aims to bridge this gap in scientific knowledge.

In order to do so, three different case studies of local currencies were conducted by means of semi-structured interviews. This data was compared with the theory on local currencies and assessed through the lens of the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. Using this specific framework allows for a unique systems perspective on sustainable development.

It becomes clear that local currencies raise awareness around sustainability challenges and incentivise social interactions; however this remains a marginal contribution towards strategic sustainable development. This research leads to the recommendation to explore enhancements to local currencies in order to address these sustainability challenges more adequately.

The theory of urban fabrics outlines how different types of cities are combinations of walking, transit and automobile urban fabrics based on their dominant transport systems. The theory was developed to explain the morphological dimension of modern cities. As automobile urban fabric dominates most modern cities, the theory has been used to identify leverage points for urban sustainability transitions based upon transport modal shifts. But prior to the trains and automobiles, water-based transport modes were common in many coastal settlements, and traces of this transport mode may be observed in the urban morphology at the city’s water interface. This chapter presents a case study from the world heritage listed naval city of Karlskrona in Blekinge, Sweden. It describes Karlskrona’s urban pattern in relation to walking, transit and automobile urban fabrics, as well as introducing elements of a possible new classification waterfront urban fabric that have developed around water-based transport. This research assesses historic maps from Blekinge Museum to show the evolution of the city in relation to these dominant transport modes. Finally, it offers a few suggestions about how the city might capitalise upon its valuable and iconic maritime cultural legacy to re-engage with its past and in the process strengthen its future identity. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.

In recent decades, the concept of resource efficient cities has emerged as an urban planning paradigm that seeks to achieve sustainable urban environments. This focus is upon compact urban environments that optimise energy, water and waste systems to create cities that help solve climate change and other resource-based sustainability issues. In parallel, there has been a long-standing tradition of ecological approaches to the design of cities that can be traced from Howard, Geddes, McHarg and Lyle. Rather than resource efficiency, the ecological approach has focused upon the retention and repair of natural landscape features and the creation of green infrastructure (GI) to manage urban water, soil and plants in a more ecologically sensitive way. There is some conflict with the resource efficient cities and ecological cities paradigms, as one is pro-density, while the other is anti-density. This article focusses upon how to integrate the two paradigms through new biophilic urbanism (BU) tools that allow the integration of nature into dense urban areas, to supplement more traditional GI tools in less dense areas. We suggest that the theory of urban fabrics can aid with regard to which tools to use where, for the integration of GI and BU into different parts of the city to achieve both resource efficient and ecological outcomes, that optimise energy water and waste systems, and increase urban nature.