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Hållbarhetsrapportering och drivkraften att arbeta mer hållbart : ett verktyg
Get PDFHållbarhetsrapportering är en rapport som blir allt vanligare att företag upprättar. Problemet kring hållbarhetsrapportering är att det finns en otydlighet om hur företag kan använda sig av hållbarhetsrapporten utifrån olika aspekter, samt vad den kan gynna företaget vid användning av den som ett verktyg. Utifrån den befintliga forskningen behövs det vidare diskuteras kring hur företag kan använda hållbarhetsrapporten som ett verktyg för att öka drivkrafter att arbeta mer hållbart. Syftet är att utforska hur företag hanterar frivillig hållbarhetsrapportering som både en möjlighet och en utmaning. Studien utforskar hur hållbarhetsrapportering blir ett aktivt verktyg som influerar företagets hållbarhetsarbete. Forskningsfrågan uppsatsen berör är att ta reda på hur hållbarhetsrapportering kan användas som ett aktivt verktyg för att främja drivkraften att arbeta mer hållbart, samt vilka möjligheter och utmaningar hållbarhetsrapportering medför. Avgränsningen av uppsatsen är frivillig hållbarhetsrapportering och hur företag kan använda rapporten som ett verktyg för att öka drivkraften att arbeta mer hållbart. Uppsatsens fokus på att arbeta mer hållbart syftar främst till den miljömässiga dimensionen men tar även hänsyn till de ekonomiska och sociala aspekterna. Detta eftersom de tre dimensioner skapar förutsättningar för varandra. Forskningsmetoden som används i uppsatsen är en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv ansats. Empirin är baserad på nio intervjuer med företag som antingen hållbarhetsrapporterar åt sin enskilda verksamhet eller hjälper andra företag att hållbarhetsrapportera. Genom en undersökning kring studiens syfte har det resulterat i en slutsats. Företag kan använda sig av deras hållbarhetsrapport som ett aktivt verktyg inom flera områden för att främja drivkraften att arbeta mer hållbart. Denna uppsats vill bidra till vidare forskning genom att ge en förståelse om hur hållbarhetsrapportering kan användas som ett verktyg. Studien ska bidra till en utveckling av empirisk och teoretisk kunskap om ämnet, och för att ge en modern syn på ämnet har studien belyst CSRD som en del av studiens fokusområden. Uppsatsen utgår från företag som frivilligt hållbarhetsrapporterar vilket har gett utrymme för att undersöka drivkrafter än lagkrav som huvudsaklig för de företag som inte frivilligt hållbarhetsrapporterar. Det empiriska bidraget grundar sig främst i att bena ut den oklarhet som finns kring hur företagen i praktiken kan använda sig av sin hållbarhetsrapportering som ett verktyg för att främja drivkraften att arbeta mer hållbart.Sustainability reporting is becoming increasingly common for companies to draw up. The problem is that there is a lack of clarity about how companies can use its sustainability report based on different aspects, as well as what it can benefit the company when using it as a tool. Based on the existing research, there is a further need to discuss how companies can use the sustainability report as a tool to increase impulsion to work more sustainably. The purpose is also to explore how voluntary sustainable reporting can both entail opportunities and challenges. The study explores how sustainability reporting becomes an active tool that influences the company's sustainability work. The research question is to find out how sustainability reporting can be used as an active tool to promote the impulsion to work more sustainably, as well as what opportunities and challenges sustainability reporting entails. The demarcation of this essay is sustainability reporting and how companies can use the report as a tool to increase the impulsion to work sustainably. Working more sustainably refers mainly to the environmental aspects but also considers the economic and social ones, hence the three dimensions have a constant interaction with each other. The research method that is used in the essay is a qualitative method with an abductive approach. The experience is based on nine interviews with enterprises that either produce a report for their own operations or consulting companies that help other companies prepare a sustainability report. Through an investigation about the purpose of the study, it has resulted in a conclusion. Enterprises can use their sustainability report as a tool in several areas to influence the impulsion to work more sustainably. This essay wants to contribute to further research by providing an understanding of how sustainability reporting can be used as a tool to increase the impulsion to work more sustainably. The study should contribute to the development of empirical and theoretical knowledge of the subject. To provide a modern view of the subject, the study has highlighted the framework CSRD as part of the study's main areas. The analysis is based on enterprises that voluntarily sustainability report, which has given space to examine impulsions other than legal requirements. The empirical contribution is primarily based on being able to clarify the uncertainty surrounding how enterprises can in practice use their sustainability reporting as a tool to promote the impulsion to work more sustainably
How and why are horses euthanised in Sweden? : survey from the perspective of the animal welfare legislation and horse owners
Get PDFHorses (Equus caballus) were domesticated around 6000 years ago, before that, wild horses were used as food resource for humans. Today, the horse is a popular companion animal used in many different training- and competition disciplines and a major leisure interest for many people. Horse owners have a duty to ensure that the horse is not exposed to unnecessary pain or suffering, such as severe and non-treatable disease or injury. If they are, this could lead to a decision of euthanasia. Sweden has a strong tradition and legislation on animal welfare and euthanasia can be seen as part of this. Injuries, age, accidents and various medical conditions are common reasons for the horse to be euthanised. In this study, telephone interviews were conducted with professional drivers from Svensk Lantbrukstjänst AB, a company that works with euthanasia of horses and other livestock. Telephone interviews were also conducted with selected organisations within the horse industry, that in various ways come in contact with owners in need of putting their horse down. The purpose of this study was to answer questions regarding how and why horses are euthanised in Sweden and to map the knowledge from the perspective of animal welfare as well as describing the horse owners´ perspective. Selected questions were asked to the respondents, who replied based on their own experiences and expertise within their field. This study highlights that the most common methods of euthanising horses are with a penetrating captive bolt device with subsequent bleeding or by medical injection. Besides the drivers, veterinarians and some farriers also perform euthanasia and it is important that the horse is handled calmly to minimise the risk of accidents during the procedure. To the horse owners, it can be a heavy and difficult decision to be made when it comes to putting a horse down, something all respondents in the study agreed on. As previous studies have not included professional drivers who work with euthanising horses, further studies may be needed. This should be done in order to maintain good animal welfare and ensure compliance with the legislation when it comes to horse euthanasia, as the professional´s knowledge and competence play an important role from an animal welfare legislation point of view, as well as of the horse owners
Blockchain-based Traceability in the Food Supply Chain : assessing Consumer Willingness to Pay for Transparency and Safety
Get PDFThis study investigates consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for enhanced traceability and safety in the food supply chain through blockchain technology. Utilizing an online survey with 73 participants from Iran, we examined WTP for two products: infant formula and salt, under three conditions: no certification, conventional certification, and blockchain-based certification. Our findings reveal a significantly higher WTP for blockchain-certified products, particularly for sensitive items like infant formula, highlighting the value consumers place on transparency and safety. The regression analysis showed no statistically significant impact of age, gender, income, and education on WTP. These results underscore the potential of blockchain technology to enhance consumer trust and support its broader adoption in the food industry. The study offers valuable insights for producers, retailers, and policymakers aiming to improve food safety and quality through advanced traceability systems
Sweden's Upper Secondary School's Natural Resources Programs keeping and education about cats : what has happened in the area in relation to new legislation
Get PDFThis study consisted of an online questionnaire with Sweden's natural resource programs upper secondary schools as the target group. The aim of the study was to investigate the schools' keeping and education of cats. New requirements have been introduced in the Swedish legislation regarding ID-marking, registration and unplanned breeding of cats, with an aim of clarifying owner responsibility and reducing the homeless cat population. It was therefore of interest to investigate whether the new requirements have had any impact on the natural resource programs in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The questionnaire was distributed to the principals of the 99 upper secondary schools in Sweden that offer education in natural resource programs with specializations in animals and animal husbandry. The results of the study indicate that education about cats occurs in varying degrees for the upper secondary school students studying natural resource programs. The majority of students receiving cat education are studying animal care, although students studying equestrianism, agriculture and farming are also educated to varying degrees. The majority of the responding schools that currently do not teach their students about cats and cat-keeping, will not implement it in the future. The majority of principals did not experience that their students were interested in education regarding cats. There is still an uncertainty about the schools´ procedures for ID-marking, registration, neutering and vaccination when keeping cats at the schools. The majority of the schools do not know for sure whether their cats are ID-marked or vaccinated, and registration and neutering are carried out to varying degrees. The study suggests that the new requirements in the Swedish legislation have not had the desired effect yet. This could potentially be caused by a lack of knowledge, and a lack of awareness of the legislation to comply with. The lack of priority given to cats in education may also be a result of human attitudes towards cats. The results suggest that there is a risk that the upper secondary schools that are responsible for educating students about animals and animal husbandry, may contribute to the problem of homeless and feral cats in society. Students studying natural resource programs, with an interest in animals and animal husbandry, will most likely keep animals in the future, and have a future responsibility to pass on their knowledge. In order to continuously work against the problem of homeless cats, more knowledge about cats and legislation in Sweden’s upper secondary schools natural resource programs is suggested
Influence of Crop Diversity on Value Added in High-Yield Areas of Sweden
Get PDFAn increasing world population has led to a higher demand of food. The agricultural intensification and farm-specialization during the last decades has provided sufficient food but the accomplishment to do so has led to significant social and ecological externalities. One way of generating more resilient and high-yield harvests and at the same time mitigating externalities is through crop diversity. This thesis estimates a production function using a fixed-effects model to investigate if crop diversity is positively related to economic performance in areas of Sweden. The results show that there is a positive significant relationship between crop diversity and economic performance measured as growthrates between years of value added per hectare of land between the years 2009-2018. The results are relevant to policymakers and farmers who wants to implement crop diversity within different regions of Sweden
European Tourism Patterns During Heat : from the Meditteranean to Sweden
Get PDFThis study aims to examine whether people from the Mediterranean travel to Sweden to escape the heat. A panel data model was employed, analyzing flight patterns and tourism behavior using data from multiple sources showing a significant correlation between high temperatures in the Mediterranean and increased travel to cooler northern European countries. Unlike previous research that focused on bed nights, this study uses flight patterns as the dependent variable, providing new insights into the impact of climate on tourism. These findings suggest that rising temperatures may influence travel behavior, highlighting the need for adaptive strategies in the tourism sector
Critical times? : a discource analysis on the EU regulation Critical Raw Materials Act and sami peoples’ capacities to consultation
Get PDFSyftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur samers möjligheter till konsultation påverkas av EU-förordningen Akten om kritiska råvaror (CRMA) som antogs i april 2024. Aktens syfte är att trygga försörjningen av kritiska och strategiska råvaror. För att svara på studiens syfte används frågeställningen; Hur påverkar CRMA möjligheterna till konsultation för samer i Sverige? För att svara på syftet användes diskursanalys, mer specifikt det poststrukturalistiska ramverket “Whats the problem represented to be?” (WPR). Ramverket användes för att undersöka vilka problemrepresentationer som kritiska och strategiska råmaterial ses som lösning på. De implicita problemrepresentationerna innefattade bland annat brist på teknologier, råvaror och EU:s ekonomiska tillväxt. Problemrepresentationerna platsar inom diskursen om kritikalitet och tydliggör hur den ekologiska moderniseringen ligger till grund för CRMA och legitimerar ökad naturresursutvinning. CRMA genererar både diskursiva, subjektiverande och levda effekter på samers möjligheter till konsultation.The purpose of this study was to investigate how the newly adopted EU regulation the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) affect the Sami peoples’ possibilities to consultation. The aim of the act is to secure EU:s supply of critical and strategic raw materials. To answer the purpose of the study the following sub-question was used; How does CRMA affect Sami peoples’ capacities to consultation in Sweden? To answer the purpose discourse analysis was used, more specifically the post-structuralist framework “What’s the problem represented to be” (WPR). This was used to investigate which problem representations that critical and strategic raw materials is seen as a solution to. The implicit problem representations included e.g. lack of technologies, raw materials and the economic growth of the EU. The problem representations fit within the criticality discourse and illustrates how the notion of ecological modernization is the foundation of CRMA and legitimize increased extraction of natural resources. CRMA generates both discursive, subjectification and lived effects on the Sami peoples’ possibilities to consultation
Locals´ understanding of eutrophication, and perspective of land use of inner crater lakes slopes in western Uganda
Get PDFLand degradation is a global issue and is causing enormous problems for humans and the environment as sediment from soil erosion is polluting the water; from ground water to river, lakes and oceans. In Uganda, this is a problem mainly caused by population pressure, deforestation, poor farming techniques and soil erosion. In the district of Kabarole and Bunyangabu 52 crater lakes are found. This study aimed to investigate local peoples´ experiences of living near crater lakes in Uganda, its benefits and challenges, understanding of current issues of land degradation and how it affects the lakes. Local people living near the lakes were selected trough purposive sampling for this study. The categories were lodge managers, fishermen, farmers, and village elders. In addition, agriculture students from the Mountains of the moon University and the District officer were interviewed as well. Two group discussions were held with participants residing close to two lakes; Nyabikere and Nyameteza. The results showed that the crater lakes are vital for local people since they provide fresh water and fish protein. The lakes also attract tourists to the area which can be beneficial for the local economy and development as well as for conservation activities. The important challenges for local people are problems with declining crop yields, soil erosion and changed weather conditions, especially rainfall in the “wrong” season and often with high intensity and amount. Local people relate the quality of the lake´s water to its suitability for domestic use purposes. There seems to be a weak understanding about eutrophication and their own contribution to it, even though the effects of eutrophication are known among the participants. Farmers had issues with soil erosion; crops and soil were washed away by runoff water. Erosion preventing techniques such as digging trenches was common practiced. Keeping the land fallow and planting trees were recommended by the participants to prevent soil erosion and improve soil fertility, but the ability to practice these techniques varied among the local people, and small land holding was a limiting factor to adopt such practices. The extension and advisory services regarding soil conservation seems inadequate within the country, and efforts to attract people to participate in meetings are necessary. Effective Risk Communication could be a way to address the issues with eutrophication and soil erosion in the crater lakes region in Uganda, and this should include stakeholders such as farmers, extension and advisory services, NGOs and the government. More research about soil conservation techniques and the transformation process among small scale farmers and their individual prerequisites are necessary for prevention of eutrophication and improvements of small scale farmers´ livelihood
Quantifying liquid food waste : levels of liquid coffee waste, its causes and barriers and drivers for quantification in the Swedish food service sector
Get PDFFood waste is a waste of resources required throughout the entire supply chain, leading to
environmental impacts that could have been avoided. Coffee has a relatively high environmental
impact partially due to the high consumption. To identify levels and sources of food waste, and
consequently prevent it, quantification is used. Although liquid food waste is included in food waste
definitions, the inclusion of the waste stream in quantification standards and previous research is
limited. Today’s inadequate insight in liquid food waste generation makes it relevant to also
recognise this waste stream in food waste definitions and thereby including it in quantifications.
This study aimed to quantify the level of liquid coffee waste in the Swedish food service sector.
Additionally, the causes of liquid coffee waste as well as drivers and barriers for quantifying it was
investigated based on surveys and interviews with food services active in the sector. The results
show that serving waste of coffee is on average 3.26 kg (95% CI: 2.5, 4.0) per day and entity,
corresponding to approximately 10 % of all coffee produced, based on quantifications in six entities.
This corresponds to 0.72 kg (95 % CI: 0.57, 0.88) of coffee waste per employee. If this is applied to
a national context, the yearly serving waste of coffee is approximately 17 000 or 25 000 tonnes,
depending on the assumptions made for scaling up the results.
The causes leading to liquid coffee waste is business offer, difficulty in predicting consumption,
lack of resources, production strategies and guest consumption patterns. The drivers motivating
entities to quantify liquid coffee waste are demand from the organisation or industry, the potential
cost-savings and resource efficiency it can provide, demand from guests and personal awareness.
The barriers for quantification are team-structure, lack of resources, lack of credence in the
problematics of coffee waste and entities considering the waste to be known, low or non-existent.
Further quantifications of this kind are needed to confirm the findings of this study and to further
investigate what contribution liquid food waste has in the total food waste generation
Artdiversitet hos spindlar i jordbruksmiljöer vid samodling av grödor
Get PDFBiologisk bekämpning av skadedjur kan vara ett bra alternativ till bekämpningsmedel, som bland annat kan vara dåliga för miljön eller skapa resistensutveckling mot medlet. Denna bekämpning kan bland annat utföras av spindlar, då de är rovdjur på skadeinsekter. För att gynna spindlar är det rimligast att förbättra miljön de lever i, vilket i teorin kan göras genom att ha samodling av grödor inom jordbruket, istället för de traditionella monokulturerna bestående av en enda gröda. Denna rapport undersöker ifall just samodling av grödor kan leda till en större biologisk mångfald samt större antal individer av spindlar. Detta undersöks genom att analysera prover tagna från jordbruksfält, vissa från fält med samodling och vissa från fält med monokulturer. Sedan jämförs antal individer och arter av spindlar, samt värden för Shannon diversity index, mellan de två fälttyperna. Parvisa t-tester utförs även för att testa ifall resultaten är statistiskt signifikanta. 357 individer av 24 olika arter av spindlar hittades i proverna. Resultaten visar att det finns ett möjligt samband mellan samodling av grödor och högre artantal samt värde för Shannon diversity index, men inte för individantal. Resultaten är dock inte statistiskt signifikanta. Detta kan bero på att det verkliga sambandet är svagt eller att det hade behövts mer data för att dra en säker slutsats. Tidigare litteratur inom ämnet visar också blandande resultat. Flera olika felkällor kan även ha påverkat resultaten, i form av mänskliga fel eller att metoderna inte var tillräckligt standardiserade. Mer forskning inom ämnet behövs, som möjligen även inkluderar andra artgrupper och andra typer av samodling.Biological pest control can be a good alternative to pesticides, which can be harmful to the environment or lead to resistance development. This pest control can be performed by spiders, as they are predators of pest insects. To benefit spiders, it is best to improve their living environment, which can theoretically be achieved through intercropping in agriculture instead of traditional monocultures. This study examines whether intercropping can lead to greater biodiversity and a higher number of spider individuals. This is investigated by analyzing samples from agricultural fields, some with intercropping and some with monocultures. The number of individuals and species of spiders, as well as Shannon diversity index values, are compared between the two field types. Paired t-tests are also conducted to test if the results are statistically significant. In the samples, 357 individuals of 24 different spider species were found. The results suggest a possible correlation between intercropping and higher species numbers and Shannon index values, but not for the number of individuals. However, the results are not statistically significant, possibly due to a weak actual correlation or the need for more data to draw a definitive conclusion. Previous literature shows mixed results. Various sources of error, such as human error or insufficiently standardized methods, may have also influenced the results. More research is needed, potentially including other species groups and other types of intercropping