Sharing things - this is how it works

Some of my thoughts on what sharing means in the current society have been published by the Swedish housing company HSB in an article called "Dela saker- så funkar det"

Published: Guide for measuring and evaluation of virtual meetings (In Swedish)

Our 3 year project funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and Transport Authority has resulted in the Guide for measuring and evaluation of virtual meetings (In Swedish).

"Handledning för mätning och utvärdering av resfria möten" by Abrahamsson Lindeblad, Peter; Voytenko, Yuliya; Arnfalk, Peter and Mont, Oksana (2014) International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, Lund University.


Det resfria mötet – vårt sätt att arbeta och träffas utan att vara på samma plats fysiskt – blir allt vanligare. Men vad blir effekterna och hur mäter vi dessa? Med hjälp av verktyg som telefonkonferenser, videokonferenser och datorstödda mötesverktyg sköter vi en allt större del av vår dagliga verksamhet. Organisationer inför och använder resfria mötesverktyg med en förhoppning att de ska medföra en mängd positiva effekter: besparingar i tid, resande och kostnader, minskad stress bland medarbetarna, ökad produktivitet, och i förlängningen även en minskad belastning på miljön. För att kunna följa upp om de önskade effekterna faktiskt uppnås har denna handledning tagits fram. Handledningen ger förslag på hur användningen av resfria möten och effekterna därav mäts, hur man kan tolka resultatet och förslag på vad man kan göra för att förbättra resultatet.

The message of the latest report on sustainable consumption should be taken seriously by policy makers

Our report on myths on sustainable consumption was presented at the Nordic Council of Ministers conference Medskapandets konst, which was held in Umeå, Sweden on 17-19 September, 2013. The presentation can be found here.

Eva Ahlner from the Swedish Environmental Agency has commented that:

– It is important that the message of the report is taken seriously. Myths need to be disspelled if we are going to see progress and success in our work with sustainable consumption. It is critical that policy-makers are aware about the myths and do not let the myths steer their decision-making.

More on this and the event see here...

Myths on sustainable consumption are disspelled in a fresh report from the Nordic Council of Ministers

I am delighted to announce the publication of the final report for the project "Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption” in both English and Swedish. The reports can be downloaded for free from the Nordic Council of Ministers website. The policy brief is also available in English, Swedish, Icelandic and Danish, using the link above.

We hope you enjoy reading the reports and find them useful for your work.

We would like to thank all of you who have contributed to this project through participation in interviews, webinars, feedback at conferences etc. – your input has been invaluable. And of course thank you to the Nordic Council of Ministers for supporting and promoting this work.

The Role of Business in Promoting Sustainable Consumption: Airbnb

Our society is currently facing a continuously growing gap between our increasing consumption and the decline of natural resources and social equity. Using the ecological footprint as an indi-cator for this development, three or five planets Earth would be required if everyone was to adopt the consumption patterns and lifestyles of the average citizen of the UK or the US.

Many of the current business models have limited ability to address these sustainability chal-lenges. A paper written by a Master student from the IIIEE, Gabriele Schliwa, aims to present and analyse an example of an innovative business model that motivates, enables and shapes sustainable consumption and sustainable lifestyles. To examine a new business model the company Airbnb is chosen, which is an online community marketplace of peer-to-peer travel. The paper addresses the questions “Why do we need business models that address the con-sumption side?” and “In what way does the chosen example reduce environmental impacts as-sociated with consumption?” It discusses how alternative business models can be supported by policy and public.

If you are interested in reading the full paper, please contact Gabriele Schliwa at gabrie-le.schliwa.959@student.lu.se.

Disspelling the myths: our concept is catching on!

I will be participating in the Swedish Almedalen week where results of the project on dispelling the myths will be used in a discussion with EU commissioner Connie Hedegaard, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre Johan Rockström, archbishop of the Swedish church Anders Wejryd, Svenska Kyrkan, and the Director of the Swedish Environmental Labelling organisation Ragnar Unge. Join us in the discussion if you are there, July 1, 14-15.30, Södra Kyrkogatan 13, Westanders trädgård, Visby, Gotland. More information about the event in Swedish can be found here.

Also our work on disspelling the myth about consumption behaviour is been taken up and now UNEP and the Switch-Asia programme are using the concept to brainstorm with Asian policy makers solutions to the myths about sustainable consumption in Kathmandu. Their myths are adjusted to the Asian context and address the following issues:

• Myth 1: Sustainable Consumption is against poverty reduction
• Myth 2: Informed consumers will consume sustainably
• Myth 3: Economic growth leads to improved wellbeing
• Myth 4: Small environmental actions lead to big changes

Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption

Key messages from our study “Improving Nordic policymaking by dispelling myths on sustainable consumption” funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers are published

as Policy Brief

Key messages for policy-makers:

It is unrealistic to expect a sustainable society to materialise from current political strategies on sustainable consumption. The changes needed are significant, and the research explored in this study shows that policy makers have a plethora of opportunities to create positive change using strategies and tools synergistically.

Our society is consumptogenic: the structures of society promote consumption patterns that Nordic people think of as normal, but which are unsustainable. On the other hand, citizens who attempt to make significant lifestyle changes for sustainability face insurmountable socio-cultural barriers to sustainable practices. This highlights the need for governments to lead the shift to cultures of sustainability.

Governments need to lead the shift to sustainability by creating the societal structures that make sustainable living the default option. Innovation in technology and infrastructure, regulation, pricing, marketing and new social norms can be used in combination to create sustainable choice architecture.

Regulations are often the most effective policy tools for changing consumption patterns. Although regulations may be more challenging to implement, evidence is available showing practical techniques for successfully implementing stronger policy interventions. Regulations are often more effective when used in combination with other policy instruments, e.g. economic and information tools in policy packages.

Building positive social norms is essential for embedding sustainable practices in everyday life and for increasing public acceptability for stronger consumption policies. Even coercive, proscriptive policies that require significant lifestyle changes (e.g. switching from private car use to public transport) can gain higher public acceptance by using appropriate framing techniques, reinforcing pro-societal and pro-environmental social norms, and by providing safe, comfortable and cheap sustainable alternatives to unsustainable behaviours.

A policy focus is needed on facilitating change away from high-impact consumption areas (e.g. flying, consumption of meat and dairy products and car driving) to lower-impact consumption areas (e.g. vegetarian diets, public mobility, local leisure and cultural activities, and personal development).

Understanding and supporting the drive of humans to become happier and healthier, there is a need to discuss a much greater diversity of paths to well-being than is currently offered. It may be useful to communicate a wider vision of well-being, which includes pro-societal values such as resilient communities, equitable, fair and sustainable resource use, health, education and personal development, peace and stability, environmental and social justice and other macro-issues that indirectly influence individuals and families. To support and encourage sustainable ways of living new metrics of societal prosperity needs to be developed.