IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute
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Förslag till färdplan: Stärk möjligheterna att återvinna verksamhetsförpackningar av plast i egna loopar
No full textDenna färdplan är utvecklad av aktörer kring återvinning av verksamhetsförpackningar av plast inom ett innovationsprojekt kallat Sluta cirkeln för industriell plast. Färdplanen beskriver hur det pågår en stark utveckling av regler som rör plastförpackningar och att detta innebär både utmaningar och möjligheter för enskilda loopar. Den beskriver frågor kring vikten av att perspektiv från enskilda loopar tas med vid följdreglering, att lokal upphandling och tillsyn kan spela roll samt föreslår en nationell strategi för att säkra infrastruktur för materialåtervinning. Färdplanen riktar sig främst till beslutsfattarei återvinningsbranschen, myndigheter ochkommuner som alla har viktiga roller för att förbättraförutsättningarna för enskilda förpackningsloopar
Kostnader för att reducera utsläpp av växthusgaser från väg- och flygtransporter med biodrivmedel och elektrobränslen
No full textRenewable fuels for transport are needed to reach future climate targets. However, the potential future role of different biofuels, hydrogen, and electrofuels (produced by electricity, water, and CO2) in different transportation sectors remains uncertain. Increased knowledge about the preconditions for different renewable fuels for road and air transport to contribute to the transformation of the transport sector is needed to ensure the transformation is done in a climate- and cost-effective way. The CO2 abatement cost, i.e., the cost of reducing a certain amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is central from both a societal and business perspective, the latter partly due to the design of the Swedish reduction obligation system. The abatement cost of a specific fuel value chain depends on the fuel production cost and the GHG reduction provided by the fuel. This report provides an updated summary of the CO2 abatement costs for various types of biofuels and electrofuels for road transport and aviation, relevant in a Swedish context. Fuel production costs and GHG performance (well to wheel) for the selected renewable fuel pathways are mapped based on published data. The estimated CO2 abatement cost ranges from -0.37 to 4.03 SEK/kg CO2-equivalent. Methane from anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge and ethanol from fermentation of sugarcane and maize end up with negative CO2 abatement cost given the assumptions made, meaning it is more economically beneficial to use than its fossil counterpart. Electrofuels pathways (particularly diesel and aviation fuels) have, on the other hand, relatively high CO2 abatement costs. Also, so-called bio-electrofuels produced from biogenic excess CO2 from biofuel production and electricity linked to biofuel production generally have higher CO2 abatement costs than the corresponding forest biomass-based biofuel pathway. For forest biomass-based biofuels, bio-electrofuels and electrofuels, methanol, and methane pathways in general have somewhat lower CO2 abatement costs than hydrocarbon-based fuels (gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel).Since most of the assessed renewable fuel pathways achieve substantial GHG emission reduction compared to fossil fuels, the fuel production cost is, in general, more important than the GHG performance to achieve a low CO2 abatement cost. The production cost for fossil fuels also influences the CO2 abatement cost to a large extent. More estimates of cost and GHG performance for gasification of waste-based pathways are needed and for certain pathways under development (e.g., including hydropyrolysis).Commissioned by: Statens Energimyndighet</p
Life cycle assessment of closed loops for industrial plastic packaging
No full textThe project Closing the loop of industrial plastic aims to increase the circular use of materials from industrial plastic packaging through closed loop recycling. Within this project, a study has been made where the goal was to compare the climate change impact of four different scenarios for three case studies. The four main scenarios are Closed loop recycling, Closed and open loop recycling, Open loop recycling, and Incineration and the three case studies included in the study are Packaging made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), big bags made of polypropylene (PP) and film made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE). For all three case studies, the main conclusion is that the climate impact is lower for closed loop recycling than for all three alternatives mentioned above. Additionally, the study identifies the second-best option as a mix of Closed and open loop recycling, followed by Open loop recycling, and finally, Incineration
The WASHREG Approach - Good Practices in rural areas
No full text“The WASHREG Approach: Good Practices in Rural Areas,” addresses the main challenges of regulation in a rural setting. It offers 42 examples of how regulation is put into practice in rural contexts in Latin America and the Caribbean. It supplements the three core documents of the WASHREG approach: The WASHREG Approach: an Overview The WASHREG Approach: Methodology The WASHREG Approach: Action Sheets. The WASHREG approach is a multi-stakeholder diagnosis, used to identify gaps in the national regulations and the challenges facing the provision of water and sanitation utilities. The method facilitates the development of a set of actions and practical solutions to launch a process of developing, strengthening or aligning regulatory roles and responsibilities
Var behövs plasten?
No full textPlast är ett mångsidigt och bra material, men används sällan på ett hållbart sätt. Ibland används plast i onödan, under väldig korta perioder eller i materialkombinationer som försvårar materialåtervinningen. Denna rapport kartlägger inom vilka plast- och produktflöden det finns potential att skapa skiften för minskad resursanvändning, var den onödiga plasten finns, när plasten fyller en viktig funktion, alternativa lösningar och material, samt möjligheter för återanvändning och ökad livslängd. Rapporten baseras på en intervjustudie där 29 aktörer deltog. Studien avgränsades till tre branscher: förpackningar, bygg och inredning samt hälso- och sjukvård. Följande fyra slutsatser har kunnat dras baserat på intervjustudien:• Samhällets konsumtionsvanor behöver ändras för att kunna bryta beroendet av plast.• Förpackningar är flödet med störst potential (och förmodligen enklast) att effektivisera.• Oro att tappa kunder hämmar utvecklingen bland företag.• Alternativa material och lösningar till plast finns, men plasten ses oftast som det säkra, kostnadseffektiva och enkla valet
Vägledning - Klimatkrav vid upphandling av byggprojekt. Version 2.1
No full textProjektet Klimatkrav till rimlig kostnad har tagit fram en vägledning för att underlätta för fastighetsbolag att ställa klimatkrav i byggprojekt. Råd och riktlinjer baseras på aktuell forskning, samverkan mellan entreprenörer och allmännyttiga bostadsföretag i nio testpiloter samt Boverkets arbete med Klimatdeklarationslagstiftningen. Olika typer av klimatkravkrav och upphandlingstexter presenteras och råd kring anbudsutvärdering och granskning av beräkningar presenteras. I projektet Klimatkrav till rimlig kostnad ROT har sedan denna vägledning uppdaterat för att inkludera även renoverings- och ombyggnationsprojekt samt uppdatera vägledningen som helthet även för nyproduktion och klimatdeklarationslagen. Här har IVL, Sveriges Allmännytta och Kommuninvest samarbetat med åtta testpiloter bestående av fastighetsbolag, entreprenörer och konsulter
Sustainability Assessment of Swedish Wool
No full textDen här rapporten är skriven inom ramen för projektet The Swedish Wool Initiative, som finansieras av Vinnova och drivs av Axfoundation. Projektet syftar till att öka svensk ulls konkurrenskraft och att bidra till en mer hållbar och cirkulär textilindustri. I projektet ingår olika aktörer från den svenska industrin ochvärdekedjan av svensk ull, samt aktörer från forskning och innovation. Rapporten beskriver resultatet av ett arbetspaket inom projektet som har fokuserat på hållbarheten av svensk ull. Studien har syftat till att ge bakgrund till hur tidigare studier rapporterar kring hållbarheten av ull, dels vad gäller olika metodval som används, dels kring rapporterade resultat av hållbarheten. Baserat på detta lyfts i rapporten potentiella luckor från tidigare studier och pekar på vad som kan tas hänsyn till i framtida studier. Vidare görs en jämförelse mellan rapporterade resultat av svensk produktion och den i andra länder. I genomgången av tidigare studier som undersöker hållbarheten av ull inom primärproduktionen och till gårdsgrind, fanns att en funktionell enhet per kgvanligtvis används. Att använda en funktionell enhet per kg har dock kritiserats då den inte tar hänsyn till funktionen av fibern. För en mer nyanserad jämförelse mellan olika fibertyper bör den funktionella enheten innehålla ett mått som relaterar till dess kvalitet och slitstyrka. För de studier som undersökte ullplagg användes vanligen en funktionell enhet som inkluderar en specifik vikt på plaggetoch som relaterar till dess livstid, vilket är att föredra eftersom det möjliggör att funktionen av olika plagg går att jämföra. De flesta genomgångna studier hanterar allokering av biprodukter med en eller flera allokeringsmetoder för att fördela miljöpåverkan. Val av allokeringsfaktor visade sig variera stort mellan studierna och hade stor inverkan på resultatet. I de studier som rörde svensk lammproduktion allokerades ingen eller en mycket liten del av miljöpåverkan till ullen, på grund av den låga ekonomiska avkastningen för ull jämfört med lammkött och andra biprodukter. I studier som undersöker produktionen i länder såsom Australien och Nya Zeeland var allokeringen till ull betydligt högre. Detta kan förklaras av att en högre grad av specialisering skett mot att tillvarata både ull och kött, vilket ökar ullens ekonomiska värde och därmed de ekonomiska allokeringsfaktorerna. Stora överlapp hittades i jämförelsen av de miljöpåverkanskategorier och indikatorer som rekommenderas av olika ramverk och de som används i litteraturen. Alla kategorier som rekommenderas av de genomgångna ramverken används i litteraturen, men ingen studie applicerar alla de rekommenderade aspekterna. Många studier använder också andra indikatorer än de som rekommenderas av ramverken. Till exempel använder studier som undersöker markanvändning och förändrad markanvändning, ofta en indikator som baseras på total markyta, medan ramverk rekommenderar att en koppling görs mellan markanvändningen och dess påverkan på markhälsa. En workshop hölls under projektet med dess medlemmar, med syftet att undersöka vilka fokusområden en studie av svensk ulls hållbarhet bör ha. Inom miljöpåverkan lyftes klimatpåverkan, användning av kemikalier, biologiskmångfald och resurseffektivitet som nyckelkategorier att ta med i en hållbarhetsanalys. Klimatpåverkan och resursanvändning var två av de kategorier som används mest i den genomgångna litteraturen. Däremot var det få studier som undersökte kemikalieanvändning och biologisk mångfald vilket är viktiga aspekter att ta hänsyn till i framtida studier av den miljömässiga hållbarheten av svensk ull. Det finns i dagsläget få studier som täcker sociala och ekonomiskadimensioner av hållbarhet av ull. Deltagarna på workshopen pekade på djurvälfärd och lönsamhet som prioriterade indikatorer som bör inkluderas i framtida studier av svensk ulls sociala och ekonomiska hållbarhet. På grund av olika metodval kunde inga slutsatser dras från de svenska studier som undersöker klimatpåverkan av produktionen av lamm, jämfört med studier av produktionen i andra länder. Eftersom allokeringsfaktorerna för den svenska ullen däremot sågs vara betydligt lägre än andra länders produktion får svensk ull i dagsläget ett lägre klimatavtryck jämfört med den ull som produceras i andra länder. Svensk produktion av får och lamm lyfts ofta som viktig inom flera områden i det svenska miljömålssystemet, till exempel vad gäller betande djur på svenska naturbetesmarker som bidrar till den biologiska mångfalden. Ett annat mervärde som ofta lyfts för det svenska jordbruket och produktionen av får och lamm är potentialen för kolinlagring i odlingen av vallgrödor. I flertalet studier som undersöktes inom projektet lyftes dock liknande aspekter för produktionen i andra länder, och inga slutsatser har kunnat dras om den svenska produktionen kan anses bidra till ökade mervärden i jämförelse med produktionen i andra länder. Vad gäller andra områden pekar resultatet från projektet att den svenska produktionen har potentiella mervärden mot andra länder inom djurhälsa och djurvälfärd, till exempel i fråga om den låga användningen av antibiotika och inom medicinska insatser i produktionen.This report is written within the Swedish Wool Initiative project, funded by Vinnova. The project aims at increasing the competitiveness for Swedish wool and contributing to a more sustainable and circular textile industry through developing circular products based on discarded Swedish wool. Apart from project leader Axfoundation, project partners include actors from the textile industry, supply chain as well as from research and innovation. The report describes the results of a working package focusing on the sustainability of Swedish wool. The study aimed at looking into methodological choices applied in sustainability assessments of sheep and wool production, as well as to investigate results of sustainability impact assessments of the production. Based on this, the study aimed to highlight potentially missing aspects in previous assessments as well as to compare the impacts of Swedish production in relation to production in other countries. For studies assessing wool at farm-gate, a functional unit of per kg of greasy wool was found to be a common choice. Using such functional unit has been criticized for not relating to the function of the fiber which for comparison should be expanded to include its quality and durability. For the reviewed assessments of woolen garments, these were commonly assessed from a cradle to grave perspective, with a functional unit including a definition of a specific weight as well as lifetime, which is preferable as this makes it possible to compare the function of different garments. Concerning handling multi-functionality of production systems, most studies were found to apply one or several allocation strategies to distribute the environmental burdens between the by-products. The choice of allocation factors was found to vary substantially between the reviewed studies which had large implications on overall results. Studies covering Swedish production were found to apply a low or no allocation to wool, due to the low economic revenues of wool. In comparison, studies covering the production in other countries were found to use higher economic allocation factors. This was explained by a higher level of specialization of wool production in combination with larger extent of wool takencare of, which increase its economic revenues and thus allocation factors. On comparing the environmental impact categories and indicators recommendedby frameworks and the ones currently applied in the literature, large overlapswere found. Overall, all environmental impact categories recommended by the reviewed frameworks were found to be used in the studied literature, although no single study was found to cover all aspects in either of the frameworks. The indicators recommended by the studied frameworks were not always applied by the reviewed studies. For example, the impact category of land use and land system change is commonly investigated through assessing overall land use, but is recommended to include indicators on soil health by e.g. the Product Environmental Footprint guidelines. In the workshop with actors from different parts of the supply-chain of Swedish wool, environmental perspectives given top priority included climate impact, chemical use in production, biodiversity and resource efficiency. Climate impact and resource use were found to be among the most applied indicators in the literature. Chemical use in production and biodiversity were on the other hand rarely assessed. Thus, future studies assessing the environmental sustainability of Swedish wool could ideally include these aspects. Few studies covering social and economic dimensions were found. The participants in the workshop highlighted animal welfare and profitability among top priorities of social and economic perspectives to be included in a sustainability assessment of Swedish wool. No conclusions could be drawn on the climate impact of Swedish sheep or wool production systems compared to other countries, as the studies vary in analyzed production systems, as well as methodological choices, e.g. regarding the functional units and impact assessment method chosen. However, considering the low allocation factors assigned to Swedish wool in the identified studies, this result in substantially lower climate impact for wool up to farm-gate, compared to the results reported by other studies. Swedish sheep farming has been highlighted to impact positively on several of the Swedish Environmental Objectives, e.g. through grazing animals sustaining biodiversity conservation of threatened species in Swedish semi-natural pastures. Another often lifted benefit for Swedish agriculture is the potential carbon sequestration due to grass ley production. However, several studies were found tohighlight the same attributes to sheep and wool production in other countries worldwide, as the farming systems to a large extent are extensive pastoral-based systems. Regarding other potential benefits often highlighted for Swedish production of sheep and wool, these include animal welfare regulations. On comparing Swedish regulations to legislation and literature for other production countries, potential added values from Swedish production compared to other countries were found, e.g. with regards to use of veterinary antibiotics and medical interventions.
Undersökning av akvatiska invasiva främmande arter med miljö-DNA
No full textInvasiva arter utgör ett hot mot biologisk mångfald. I Gävlebukten har förekomst av svartmunnad smörbult ökat. Denna art kan leva och fortplanta sig i ett brett spann av salthalt och eDNA har använts för att undersöka om de vandrar upp i vattendrag som mynnar i Gävle och Gävlebukten. En temporal studie med metabarcoding har följt förekomsten av svartmunnad smörbult under en månads tid med en veckas mellanrum mellan provtagningar. Research funders: Länsstyrelsen Gävleborg.</p
Addressing rebound effects in transport policy – Insights from exploring five case studies
No full textAlthough rebound effects are well-known as a phenomenon, the question of how to avoid and minimize rebound effects have largely been ignored in practical policy. In this study, five concrete cases of measures and policies in the transport sector illustrate primary effects, rebound effects and possible strategies to avoid or minimize rebound effects. The cases were explored and analyzed in a series of workshops involving in total 15 researchers and societal actors. In addition to the net impact of primary and rebound effects, factors such as the time horizon and the reversibility of the effect may also be important for the evaluation of measures and policies. To detect and avoid rebound effects – and to assess the effectiveness of a policy – a system perspective is needed rather than a narrow sector focus. When designing measures, broad system-wide strategies or specific measures addressing particularly emission-intensive activities tend to be most effective for avoiding rebound.A-rapport, A2641</p
Management Measures to Reduce Continuous Underwater Noise from Shipping
No full textUnderwater radiated noise (URN) from commercial ships is a significant source of elevated noise levels in the oceans and can have a negative impact on marine wildlife. Noise from commercial shipping places additional stress on the oceans, but is one of the least studied environmental pollutants, and there is an urgent need to reduce the aggregate stress levels. Until recently, reduction of underwater noise has not been prioritised by ship designers, shipowners, or crews. Even within the field of marine management, noise has received limited interest. However, the International Maritime organization (IMO) has adopted global guidelines on URN reduction, which are currently being updated. Within the EU, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD 2008/56/EC) Descriptor 11 criteria 11.2, now provides a framework for marine administrators to manage noise by establishing threshold values. Marine management focuses on the total noise load on the marine environment. Management entails several considerations before recommendations can be made. As a first step, interdisciplinary teams need to assess the aggregated noise levels and determine acceptable thresholds based on the local ecosystem, then assess which existing mandates and management tools can be used, and finally assess how effective these mandates have been in improving the environment. These activities must also be managed in a way that is acceptable to various relevant stakeholders, who would need to follow the decisions. The URN from a ship can be affected by the vessel’s design, either during its construction or during upgrades, and balances a trade-off against fuel efficiency. However, the URN can also depend on how the ship is operated. Regulating ship speed is one potential management tool, and its effectiveness needs to be assessed. Other management measures include how shipping lanes are drawn, areas to avoid, financial support, information, etc. This report focuses on possible policy measures that the Swedish authorities could adopt to lower URN by regulating the speed of ships. The report presents an interdisciplinary analysis, using a case study of an area in the southern Kattegat that covered several maritime zones, different national jurisdictions, intensive traffic, and high natural values. An important part of the work was to assess whether existing source models for ship noise could be used for the type of ships that are common in waters around Sweden. In this study, the JOMOPANS-ECHO (J-E) model was used. The J-E model was validated by comparing measurement data from a hydrophone station at Vinga on the Swedish coast that collected data from ships (254 passages) that used the port of Gothenburg. The analysis showed some deviation between the J-E model and measurement data, which could be due to differences in the length and speed of ships in waters around Sweden compared to the ships used in the development of the J-E model. However, this was likely to have negligible impact on the outcome of the case study. Analyses of ship traffic in 2021 showed that 4,511 unique vessels visited the study area at least once. Most ships followed the main routes, but no part of the study area was completely free from ship traffic. About 68% of the ships visited the study area for 1-4 days, while about 32% visited the area more regularly. The most common ship types were General Cargo Ships, Dry Bulk Ships, and Tankers. The ships that on average travelled at highest speeds were RoPax Ships, RoRo Ships, Vehicle Carriers, and Container Ships. The ships were registered in 64 countries. About two percent of the ships were registered in Sweden and about four percent in Denmark. Legal analysis showed that Sweden has the right and the responsibility to take measures to reduce underwater noise from ships to the extent that the noise can be deemed to pollute the marine environment. However, this mainly applies to Sweden’s territorial seas, which cover roughly half the area being studied for this report. In the portion that constitutes Danish territorial sea, Denmark has comparable opportunities for managing URN. In areas that are Swedish or Danish exclusive economic zones (EEZs), the ability to introduce mandatory speed limits is significantly limited. There, the most realistic option would be to request the IMO to establish speed limits, or alternatively to issue a recommendation to navigate at lower speeds, although such guidance could not be enforced on ships that do not voluntarily reduce their speed. It was estimated that lowering the ships’ speeds to a hypothetical limit of 11 kn would reduce the average URN levels by 4.4 ± 2 dB, as registered by local receivers in the study area. This speed limit would affect approximately 44% of the ships in the area. A maximum speed of 13 kn would instead reduce the level by 1.9 ± 0.5 dB and would affect 11% of the ships on average. The reduction in noise levels may temporarily be much higher in the immediate vicinity of individual fast ships, and there might be a high degree of variation between different ships. The study and report make it clear that it is a complex task to assess the feasibility and benefit of introducing a specific marine management tool, in this case an enforceable local speed limit. But it is also clear that there are reliable methods to make the preliminary assessments, and that it requires interdisciplinary analyses and competence