POTENTIAL FOR RARE EARTH ELEMENT RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS IN PERMANENT MAGNET MOTORS THROUGH AN EXTENSION OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR PRODUCT GROUP REGULATION UNDER THE EU ECODESIGN DIRECTIVE

It has been proposed that the EU Ecodesign Directive can promote resource efficiency through relevant ecodesign requirements. This paper examines the potential for rare earth element (REE) resource efficiency improvements in the event the current regulation for electric motors under the Ecodesign Directive is to be extended to comprise REE-based permanent magnet motors. The research is based on literature studies, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with representatives from industry and academia. It is found that standards addressing the design and use phase could yield highest resource efficiency improvements of REE in permanent magnet motors. Highly ranked are stricter EU energy efficiency ratings and design for dismantling if and when recycling of REE was to be commercialized

Towards a Roadmap for a Resource Efficient and Effective Manufacturing Industry in Sweden

The transition to a resource efficient economy that makes effective use of raw materials and energy is a multi-level dynamic process requiring a wide systems perspective. To operationalize this transition in a holistic manner, the concept of Circular Economy (CE) has been championed by major economies around the world. The idea with CE is to strive towards maximizing the utilization of products, components and materials and their embedded material value throughout the economy, generating the lowest possible amount of loss and waste in relation to the obtained value. This contribution presents the main elements for a transition roadmap towards CE in the Swedish manufacturing sector. This paper presents (i) a baseline of resource efficiency operations in Sweden and existing strategies for CE transition in the EU; (ii) outlines major areas of opportunity for the Swedish manufacturing sector to innovate and create resource efficient and effective solutions; (iii) identifies a variety of stakeholders that are required to intervene in different levels (local/regional/national/international, as well as public/private), scales and timeframes; and (iv) presents a comprehensive set of actions and policies, including monitoring and evaluation, as a direct recommendation to political and business actors in Sweden. Finally, milestones are defined and a timeframe for the roadmap is proposed

Repair in the Circular Economy: Towards a National Swedish Strategy

Extending the lifetime of products is seen as a key objective for realising the vision of a Circular Economy. One way to increase the lifespan of products is to enable more repair activities. However, consumers encounter a variety of barriers for repairs, prompting public authorities in Europe and the US to adopt or propose policies in support of consumer repairs. Sweden has recently adopted a circular economy action plan, where increasing the number of consumer repairs is a stated objective. However, Sweden has so far only adopted a few repair policies, most notably through the tax reliefs for the repair sector that were implemented in 2017. The aim of this contribution is to research how Sweden could develop a more comprehensive policy mix for promoting consumer repairs, also by taking into consideration initiatives from other countries and regions. The research is based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with policymakers and other relevant actors in Sweden, Europe and the US. The study shows that a lot of interesting initiatives aiming at increasing repairs are currently being proposed. The new requirements related to repairs, developed within the European Union’s (EU) Ecodesign Directive, have been positively received but the process is cumbersome and it will take time before their full effect becomes evident. Initiatives, such as the French repairability index and the French repair fund will create incentives for the producers to design more repairable products and make it easier for consumers to repair. On the same track, the Repair Network of Vienna with its repair vouchers makes repairs cheaper and more trustworthy. Also, the US policy proposals on right-to-repair laws would help to create an open market for repairs for a lot of products. Sweden has the possibility to gain knowledge through the implementation of similar policies, and by considering new policies suggested in literature and by the interviewees. Thus there is potential for Sweden to be a front-runner in creating a more resource efficient society through increased repair activity. Concluding, some preliminary proposals for a future policy mix are presented

Behavioural Insights into Personal Electronics Repair in Sweden

Sweden is actively seeking to scale up repair activities as part of its strategy to reduce waste, transition to a circular economy, and achieve zero net emissions by 2045. In the last couple of years, several new policies to promote consumer repairs have been adopted or proposed in Sweden. However, very little is known about the socio-cultural factors that shape people's decision to repair their personal electronics. This study addresses this gap by applying consumer behaviour theory to study the factors shaping and influencing people's decision to repair their personal electronics. A mixedmethod research approach was used, involving 19 semi-structured interviews and an online questionnaire answered by 190 participants. The interviews and questionnaire targeted Swedish residents and were based on Triandis' theory of interpersonal behaviour. The study revealed that intention and habits determined repair behaviour and that social norms, attitudes, and feelings about repair determined participants' intention to repair. Moreover, the interviews and the questionnaire uncovered that, in general, attitudes and social norms about repair do not encourage repair behaviour and that the physical environment is filled with barriers that discourage people from repairing their broken electronics. Therefore, the study concluded that to scale up repair activities, it is essential to improve the perceived individual benefits of repair, strengthen social norms to make repair the expected solution for broken personal electronics, shape repair habits, and lower contextual barriers. Based on these findings implications and specific policy recommendations are discussed

Minimum energy performance standards for the 1.5 °C target: an effective complement to carbon pricing

Radical energy efficiency improvements are needed to keep global warming within 1.5 °C until the end of the century. Minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) are a widely applied policy instrument to improve the energy efficiency of appliances and reduce CO2 emissions, but they are criticized as redundant if an overarching carbon pricing scheme is in place. In order to better understand how MEPS could play a more effective role in reaching the 1.5 °C target, life cycle costs (LCC) for four home appliances were modelled considering a cost for emitting CO2. First, a significant social cost of carbon was introduced in a LCC optimisation model and it was found that a modest tightening of MEPS is sufficient to account for the climate externality. Second, more stringent MEPS were modelled and it was found that the switching prices needed to incentivize a shift up one or two efficiency classes were far higher than current carbon prices. These results have several implications for climate policy towards the 1.5 °C target. MEPS can easily internalize the climate externality and have the advantage over carbon pricing that policy makers can be certain that consumers actually move to more efficient appliances. While stringent MEPS do not appear to be economically efficient on the short-run, they are likely cost-effective in long-run 1.5 °C-consistent scenarios

Moving away from the throwaway society. Five policy instruments for extending the life of consumer durables

The majority of all environmental impacts can be linked to our consumption. As real wages increase, so does consumption levels – more holiday trips, more clothing purchases, faster replacement of products for newer versions,etc. This trend poses a threat to the state of our planet. While the Nordic countries are high in the overall rankings of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, they stand outwith unsustainable levels of resource consumption and waste generation, this is an issue when it comes to Goal 12 – Sustainable consumption and production patterns. The environmental impact from consumption in high-income countries, like Sweden, primarily arise in other countries wheret he manufacturing of products typically takes place. This presents challenges for the fulfilment of Sweden’s generational goal, which emphasises that environmental problems in Sweden must be solved without increasing environmental impact outsideS weden