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Ddiba, D. I., Andersson, K., Dickin, S., Ekener, E. & Finnveden, G. (2023). A review of how decision support tools address resource recovery in sanitation systems. Journal of Environmental Management, 342, Article ID 118365.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>A review of how decision support tools address resource recovery in sanitation systems
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2023 (English)In: Journal of Environmental Management, ISSN 0301-4797, E-ISSN 1095-8630, Vol. 342, article id 118365Article, review/survey (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Globally, there is increasing interest in recovering resources from sanitation systems. However, the process of planning and implementing circular sanitation is complex and can necessitate software-based tools to support decision-making. In this paper, we review 24 decision support software tools used for sanitation planning, to generate insights into how they address resource recovery across the sanitation chain. The findings reveal that the tools can address many planning issues around resource recovery in sanitation including analysis of material flows, integrating resource recovery technologies and products in the design of sanitation systems, and assessing the sustainability implications of resource recovery. The results and recommendations presented here can guide users in the choice of different tools depending on, for example, what kind of tool features and functions the user is interested in as well as the elements of the planning process and the sanitation service chain that are in focus. However, some issues are not adequately covered and need improvements in the available tools including quantifying the demand for and value of resource recovery products, addressing retrofitting of existing sanitation infrastructure for resource recovery and assessing social impacts of resource recovery from a life cycle perspective. While there is scope to develop new tools or to modify existing ones to cover these gaps, communication efforts are needed to create awareness about existing tools, their functions and how they address resource recovery. It is also important to further integrate the available tools into infrastructure planning and programming processes by e.g. customizing to relevant planning regimes and procedures, to move them beyond research and pilots into practice, and hopefully contribute towards more circular sanitation systems.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV, 2023
Keywords
Biowaste, Circular economy, Decision support tools, Resource recovery, Sanitation economy, Sanitation systems
National Category
Water Engineering Environmental Management
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-333010 (URN)10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118365 (DOI)001023471100001 ()37320927 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85161959194 (Scopus ID)
Note

QC 20230725

Available from: 2023-07-25 Created: 2023-07-25 Last updated: 2023-07-31Bibliographically approved
Laurenti, R., Demir, D. D. & Finnveden, G. (2023). Analyzing the relationship between product waste footprints and environmental damage - A life cycle analysis of 1,400+products. Science of the Total Environment, 859, Article ID 160405.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Analyzing the relationship between product waste footprints and environmental damage - A life cycle analysis of 1,400+products
2023 (English)In: Science of the Total Environment, ISSN 0048-9697, E-ISSN 1879-1026, Vol. 859, article id 160405Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

A major problem for the circular economy is monitoring improvements in environmental sustainability. Measuring how much waste reduction efforts contribute to the decrease of environmental impact is difficult, because knowledge on whether life cycle waste amounts correlate with environmental damage is limited. In this article, product waste footprints are used to explore structural similarities and differences in associations with environmental damage. Using the waste flows linked to the production system of 1487 reference products from the Ecoinvent database, we found significant regression equations with R2 of 0.75-0.89 between product waste footprints and potential impact on ecosystem diversity, human health and resource availability using log-transformed variables. For each 1 % increase in solid waste, potential impact on the environment increased by 0.75-0.84 %. This strong association between preconsumer waste and environmental damage is particularly important for advocating for circular economy efforts at the point of consumption, where life cycle waste is invisible to consumers.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV, 2023
Keywords
Life cycle waste, Circular economy, Sustainable consumption and production, Brightway2, Ecoinvent, Regression analysis
National Category
Other Environmental Engineering Environmental Management
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-323229 (URN)10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160405 (DOI)000898826700004 ()36427734 (PubMedID)2-s2.0-85142497421 (Scopus ID)
Note

QC 20230124

Available from: 2023-01-24 Created: 2023-01-24 Last updated: 2023-01-24Bibliographically approved
Finnveden, G., Brown, N. & Berglund, M. (2023). Consumption based national indicators for use of hazardous chemicals: mixed results for time series. In: Caballero-Pons, M., Fischer, D., Greene, M., Shen, J., Wertheim-Heck, S., Brown, H., Guillen-Hanson, G., Vergragt, P.J., Quist, J., Rubik, F (Ed.), Book of Abstracts: the Joint SCORAI-ERSCP-WUR Conference on Transforming Consumption-Production Systems Toward Just and Sustainable Futures (SCP23),. Paper presented at the Joint SCORAI-ERSCP-WUR Conference on Transforming Consumption-Production Systems Toward Just and Sustainable Futures (SCP23), Wageningen, The Netherlands, July 5-8, 2023 (pp. 487).
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Consumption based national indicators for use of hazardous chemicals: mixed results for time series
2023 (English)In: Book of Abstracts: the Joint SCORAI-ERSCP-WUR Conference on Transforming Consumption-Production Systems Toward Just and Sustainable Futures (SCP23), / [ed] Caballero-Pons, M., Fischer, D., Greene, M., Shen, J., Wertheim-Heck, S., Brown, H., Guillen-Hanson, G., Vergragt, P.J., Quist, J., Rubik, F, 2023, p. 487-Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Risks associated with the use of hazardous chemicals are becoming more apparent. It was forexample recently suggested that the safe operating space of the planetary boundary of novelentities (including hazardous chemicals) is exceeded since annual production and releases areincreasing at a pace that outstrips the global capacity for assessment and monitoring.Consumption based indicators for national emissions of greenhouse gases are now producedregularly, for example as part of the Swedish Official Statistics. Consumption-based nationalindicators the use of hazardous chemicals are however largely lacking. The aim of this studywas to develop times series for three consumption-based indicators for Sweden: use ofpesticides, use of veterinary antibiotics and use of hazardous chemical products. The methodhas previously been developed and described for a single year, but time series for these types ofindicators have to our knowledge never been presented. The indicators were calculated bycombining data from Sweden’s Environmental Accounts with a Multi-Regional Input-OutputDataset (EXIOBASE) which is the same approach as used for calculating Swedish officialstatistics for greenhouse gas emissions. Data for the use of hazardous chemicals were takenfrom regularly updated institutional national and international databases. The results show thatthe use of veterinary antibiotics decreased by about 50 percent whereas the use of pesticidesdecreased by about 10 percent. In contrast, the use of hazardous chemical products increased.Results show that construction (including buildings and infrastructure), is the single largestproduct group for the use of hazardous chemical products followed by retail, real estate andchemical and pharmaceutical. All have increased their use of hazardous chemical productsbetween 2013 and 2019. Results also show that although Sweden is the country that contributesmost to the use of hazardous chemical products for Swedish consumption, the majority comesfrom imported products of which most comes from countries within the European Union. Theresults for the use of hazardous chemical products for Swedish consumption is worrying andsuggests that this needs further follow-up and also policy initiatives. The decreasing trends forthe use of pesticides and veterinary antibiotics, which are areas where there are policies, aremore encouraging.

National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-330712 (URN)
Conference
the Joint SCORAI-ERSCP-WUR Conference on Transforming Consumption-Production Systems Toward Just and Sustainable Futures (SCP23), Wageningen, The Netherlands, July 5-8, 2023
Note

QC 20230704

Available from: 2023-06-30 Created: 2023-06-30 Last updated: 2023-07-04Bibliographically approved
Finnveden, G. & Sörlin, S. (2023). Debattartikel: Arbetet med hållbar utveckling är inte färdigt!.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Debattartikel: Arbetet med hållbar utveckling är inte färdigt!
2023 (Swedish)Other (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-330716 (URN)
Note

QC 20230707

Available from: 2023-06-30 Created: 2023-06-30 Last updated: 2023-07-07Bibliographically approved
Johansson, N. & Finnveden, G. (2023). Hur kan pantsystemen utvecklas för plastförpackningar?: Scenarier, perspektiv och visioner. Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Hur kan pantsystemen utvecklas för plastförpackningar?: Scenarier, perspektiv och visioner
2023 (Swedish)Report (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2023. p. 20
Series
TRITA-ABE-RPT ; 2227
National Category
Environmental Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-322070 (URN)978-91-8040-442-6 (ISBN)
Funder
Swedish Research Council Formas, 2019-02254
Note

QC 20221201

Available from: 2022-11-30 Created: 2022-11-30 Last updated: 2023-01-10Bibliographically approved
Finnveden, G., Bradley, K., Klintman, M., Larsson, J., Lehner, M., Mont, O., . . . Svenfelt, Å. (2023). Sustainable consumption – moving from niche to mainstream. In: Conference Book of Abstracts: . Paper presented at International Society for Industrial Ecology Conference (ISIE), Leiden, Netherlands, 2-5 July 2023.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Sustainable consumption – moving from niche to mainstream
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2023 (English)In: Conference Book of Abstracts, 2023Conference paper, Oral presentation with published abstract (Refereed)
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-330707 (URN)
Conference
International Society for Industrial Ecology Conference (ISIE), Leiden, Netherlands, 2-5 July 2023
Note

QC 20230703

Available from: 2023-06-30 Created: 2023-06-30 Last updated: 2023-07-03Bibliographically approved
Finnveden, G. & Schneider, A. (2023). Sustainable Development in Higher Education: What Sustainability Skills Do Industry Need?. Sustainability, 15(5), Article ID 4044.
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Sustainable Development in Higher Education: What Sustainability Skills Do Industry Need?
2023 (English)In: Sustainability, E-ISSN 2071-1050, Vol. 15, no 5, article id 4044Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Higher education must provide students with tools for a broad and holistic understanding of the complex situations they will meet in their careers after they graduate. This also includes issues related to sustainable development. Few studies have however been conducted where industry representatives specify what sustainability skills they require. The aim of the present study is to achieve a better understanding of the needs of industry related to a student’s sustainability skills and knowledge. Industry opinions on sustainability skills were gathered in two ways: interviews were conducted with executives in different positions at companies and a workshop with sustainability directors from different sectors was organized. Companies expressed primarily two needs regarding sustainability skills: (1) sustainability professionals/specialists are needed and, (2) there is an equal need for all managers and leaders to have a general and basic competence regarding sustainable development within a number of different areas. While sustainability specialists are well represented in industry, the latter skills are rarer. Higher education institutions must therefore make sure that sustainable development is integrated into all educational programs.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
MDPI AG, 2023
Keywords
competencies, education for sustainable development, higher education institutes, learning outcomes
National Category
Educational Sciences Economics and Business
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-331102 (URN)10.3390/su15054044 (DOI)000948216500001 ()2-s2.0-85149916458 (Scopus ID)
Note

QC 20230705

Available from: 2023-07-05 Created: 2023-07-05 Last updated: 2023-07-05Bibliographically approved
Furberg, A. & Finnveden, G. (2023). Towards the identification of key aspects for future scenarios of the information and communication technology sector's climate impact - Extended abstract. In: ICT4S-JP 2023 - Joint Proceedings of ICT4S 2023 Doctoral Symposium, Demonstrations and Posters Track and Workshops, co-located with 9th International Conference on Information and Communications Technology for Sustainability, ICT4S 2023: . Paper presented at ICT4S 2023 Doctoral Symposium, Demonstrations and Posters Track and Workshops; co-located with 9th International Conference on Information and Communications Technology for Sustainability, ICT4S 2023, Rennes, France, Jun 5 2023 - Jun 9 2023 (pp. 96-98). CEUR-WS
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Towards the identification of key aspects for future scenarios of the information and communication technology sector's climate impact - Extended abstract
2023 (English)In: ICT4S-JP 2023 - Joint Proceedings of ICT4S 2023 Doctoral Symposium, Demonstrations and Posters Track and Workshops, co-located with 9th International Conference on Information and Communications Technology for Sustainability, ICT4S 2023, CEUR-WS , 2023, p. 96-98Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Reduced climate impacts of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector is required to redirect digital technologies towards sustainability. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be used to quantify climate impacts of the ICT sector and identify hotspots. Several studies have assessed the direct climate impact of the global ICT sector and arrived at quite different conclusions regarding its future impacts. The aims of this paper are to identify key aspects for future scenarios in LCAs of the ICT sector's direct climate impact and to highlight related challenges. For this, a literature screening on direct climate impacts of the ICT sector was conducted. Preliminary findings indicate that for end-user devices, the number of units is a key aspect in influencing the climate impact of the future ICT sector. For telecommunication networks and data centers, the growth in data traffic and energy efficiency improvements are key aspects. In addition, the carbon intensity of electricity generation and the lifetime of products are key aspects for all ICT subdomains (i.e., end-user devices, telecommunication networks and data centers). These key aspects significantly influence the ICT sector's climate impact and need to be carefully considered in future studies. The authors future research includes to finalize the in-depth review and to develop a framework for LCAs of the ICT sector's direct impacts.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
CEUR-WS, 2023
Keywords
greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint, Information and communication technology (ICT) sector, life cycle assessment (LCA)
National Category
Environmental Management
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-341682 (URN)2-s2.0-85180006675 (Scopus ID)
Conference
ICT4S 2023 Doctoral Symposium, Demonstrations and Posters Track and Workshops; co-located with 9th International Conference on Information and Communications Technology for Sustainability, ICT4S 2023, Rennes, France, Jun 5 2023 - Jun 9 2023
Note

QC 20231229

Available from: 2023-12-29 Created: 2023-12-29 Last updated: 2023-12-29Bibliographically approved
Ekener, E., Finnveden, G., Eggers, J., Öhman, K., Gerhardt, K., Bark, G. & Hajdu, F. (2023). Vi forskare protesterar mot klimatpolitiken - men är inte politiska aktivister. Aktuell Hållbarhet (11/5)
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Vi forskare protesterar mot klimatpolitiken - men är inte politiska aktivister
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2023 (Swedish)In: Aktuell Hållbarhet, E-ISSN 2003-4253, no 11/5Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.)) Published
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-330715 (URN)
Note

QC 20230703

Available from: 2023-06-30 Created: 2023-06-30 Last updated: 2023-07-03Bibliographically approved
Elginoz, N., Owusu-Agyeman, I., Finnveden, G., Hischier, R., Rydberg, T. & Cetecioglu, Z. (2022). Application and adaptation of a scale-up framework for life cycle assessment to resource recovery for waste systems. Paper presented at SETAC Europe 32nd Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, 15-19 May, 2022.. Journal of Cleaner Production
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Application and adaptation of a scale-up framework for life cycle assessment to resource recovery for waste systems
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2022 (English)In: Journal of Cleaner Production, ISSN 0959-6526, E-ISSN 1879-1786Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) studies are widely used for evaluating emerging resource recovery systems. Simulations, engineering-based process calculations and stoichiometric methods are frequently used methods to generate life cycle inventory (LCI) in prospective LCAs. The engineering-based upscaling calculation is an efficient method for LCI generation requiring fewer resources than simulations. This study aims to test an engineering-based upscaling method for LCI generation and adapt it to biochemical resource recovery processes. The method's validity for biochemical resource recovery processes was tested using data for biogas generation by anaerobic digestion in laboratory, pilot, and full scales, and using a combination of lab-scale data and kinetic equations. Biogas generation was chosen for two reasons: (1) there are several emerging technologies based on anaerobic digestion with products other than biogas, and (2) data is available for different scales. The results showed, a substantial difference between the methane production amount in actual and conceptual plants, is an important cause of the variation in impact category results. Different estimations of fugitive emissions have an important impact on the global warming potential results. Combination of lab-scale data and kinetic equations approximates best with the actual plant for the abiotic depletion, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, global warming and photochemical ozone creation potentials. The results are sensitive to biogas generation amount in several categories.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV, 2022
Keywords
Conceptual design, Environmental sustainability, Full-scale data, Laboratory-scale data: pilot-scale data, Life cycle inventory generation, Upscaling
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-313489 (URN)10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131720 (DOI)000798807900004 ()2-s2.0-85129045519 (Scopus ID)
Conference
SETAC Europe 32nd Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, 15-19 May, 2022.
Note

QC 20230703

Available from: 2022-06-06 Created: 2022-06-06 Last updated: 2023-07-03Bibliographically approved
Organisations
Identifiers
ORCID iD: ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0002-5600-0726

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