Qualitative Analysis of Sustainability Management in the Railway Industry: : Case Study of Railway Companies in Sweden

Abstract

Sustainability Management has become a vital factor of the companies’ business strategies for itsdevelopment. While the transport sector accounts for large carbon emissions, sustainability in theRailway industry has gained high importance. This thesis explores the current sustainabilitymanagement of the selected 18 railway companies of Sweden to determine their net-zero statusand the challenges and opportunities it brings while dealing with sustainability measures. Themethod of qualitative analysis was performed through literature review and semi-structuredinterviews of the representatives from the sustainability department of the chosen 18 railwaycompanies. Also, the concept of Eco-Accelerator, which describes the stages of differentprocesses and compliance that help in evaluating and reducing carbon emissions for reaching netzero, was applied to compare the current status of these railway companies and decide thefrontrunners and the laggers among them. Legal requirements, market situation, future businessperspectives, and customer demands were the biggest drivers while sustainability committee,board of directors, and internal and external partners were identified as the biggest enablers forimproving sustainability. The results through the execution of qualitative analysis and theEco-Accelerator concept shows that companies 1, 3, 4, 9, 15, and 16 are the frontrunners inimplementing sustainable actions; companies 2, 6, 12, 14, 17, and 18 are doing good but theirperformance is average and can be improved through enacting proactive and optimisedprocesses; and companies 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 13 are lagging behind and have to upgrade a lot bycarrying out systematic and optimized processes