the resource efficient consumer

”The resource

efficient consumer”

IVA, 25 March 2015

Åsa Söderberg

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

2015-04-09 Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency 1

“What we extract from nature should be used, reused,

recycled or finally disposed of in a sustainable manner,

with the least possible consumption of resources and

without harm to the natural environment”.

Strategy for non-toxic, resource saving

environmental life cycles, 2008

- Our life style

- Our consumer behaviour

- Our options

- How we use and dispose of goods


Material consumption in the EU and Sweden

by material category, 2013 (tonnes per capita)


Source: Statistics Sweden and Eurostat. Material consumption is defined as:

domestic extraction + import – export.


Source: Living Planet Report 2014 (WWF)

Per capita Ecological Footprint (global

hectares demanded per person)

”Top ten”:

1. Kuwait

2. Quatar

3. United Arab Emirates

4. Denmark

5. Belgium

6. Trinidad and Tobago

7. Singapore

8. United States of America

9. Bahrain

10. Sweden

Sweden´s 16 environmental quality objectives

– most not expected to be met by 2020


Greenhouse gas emissions per inhabitant

(Climate Programme for Gothenburg 2014)


2050 2012

In-depth evaluation of Sweden´s

environmental objectives 2015 (in

progress)

Three focus areas:

• Environmental work in the business sector

• Sustainable consumtion

• Sustainable cities


Three paths are highlighted to bring

about resource efficient consumers:

1. Minimise waste in the food chain

2. Increase product life span through repair and

maintenance

3. Collaborative consumtion


(Report to be published before summer)

1. Minimise waste in the food chain

• High and rising level of consumtion (households)

• Limited application of steering instruments

• Proposal: Extend and expand on-going

Government commission (i.e. information

campaign)


http://www.fotoakuten.se/albums/userpics/tomat_vit.jpg

2. Increase product life span through

repair and maintenance

• Product life spans are decreasing

• Environmental costs are not internalised

• Proposal: Investigate use of economic steering

instruments in order to change the relation in

price between repairing and buying new products.


3. Collaborative consumtion –

exchanging, sharing, and borrowing from

each other

• Primarily products that are seldom used, expensive

and/or high-maintenance (such as vehicles, tools,

household appliances)

• New field for public agencies

• Proposal: Investigate application of taxes, changes in

legislation, supporting business => new business

models


Thank You!


www.miljomal.se

http://www.miljomal.se/

the resource efficient consumer

Documents