Denna rapport utforskar vilka typer av satsningar på regional och lokal nivå som har stor potential att bidra till att minska resurs- och klimatpåverkan kopplat till privatkonsumtion. Rapporten syftar också till att underlätta för regionala och lokala aktörer att rikta och prioritera sina styrmedel. Med endast fem år kvar till 2030 gäller det för samtliga aktörer att lägga i nästa växel för att konsumtionsmålen ska kunna nås.

I rapporten har Västra Götalandsregionens konsumtionsmål använts som utgångspunkt: ”Utsläppen av växthusgaser från konsumtion ska minska med 30% från 2010 till 2030”. Rapportens fokus ligger på materiell konsumtion av sällanköpsvaror samt tjänster och upplevelser riktade mot privatpersoner. De insikter och rekommendationer som presenteras i denna rapport bygger på intervjuer med utvalda nyckelpersoner inom regional och kommunal utveckling samt arbetssessioner med representanter från forskningsorganisationer med fokus på hållbar konsumtion och cirkulär ekonomi. Därtill har utvalda regioners och kommuners nuvarande arbete samt tidigare forskning kopplat till hållbar privatkonsumtion också studerats.

I rapporten presenteras ett ramverk som illustrerar viktiga förflyttningsområden med bäring på privatkonsumtion samt viktiga ansatser som kan bidra till att framtida satsningar får stor effekt. Utifrån de identifierade förflyttningsbehoven och ansatserna har ett huvudsakligt fokusområde för satsningar identifierats tillsammans med fyra prioriterade satsningsområden. Rekommendationen är att satsningar på regional och lokal nivå för att minska resurs- och klimatpåverkan kopplat till privatkonsumtion i huvudsak bör fokusera på: att adressera målgrupperna med högst utsläpp och verka för ett skifte till praktiker och samhällsnormer som leder till materiell konsumtion i linje med konsumtionsmålen.

Följande satsningsområden anses vara extra viktiga för att nå konsumtionsmålen:

I. Identifiera viktiga målgrupper och de praktiker och normer som driver deras ohållbar konsumtion.

II. Engagera målgrupperna och samskapa de skiften som behövs genom experimenterande.

III. Tillhandahålla hållbara alternativ för att tillfredsställa underliggande behov.

IV. Tillgängliggöra platser och sammanhang som underlättar förändrade praktiker och normer.

Rapporten innehåller närmare beskrivningar av förflyttningsbehoven, viktiga ansatser, huvudfokus och prioriterade områden för satsningar på regional och lokal nivå, samt exempel på typer av insatser inom varje satsningsområde. Regionala och lokala aktörer kan nyttja rapporten för att prioritera, utforma och rikta styrmedel och satsningar så att de bidrar till de förflyttningar som krävs för att privatkonsumtionen ska ligga i linje med konsumtionsmålen.

Circular design tools can help companies to move from linear to circular design practices and an increased uptake of such tools have potential to help realise the circular transition. Despite the existence of numerous circular design tools, companies often find it challenging to identify tools that align with their needs as the tool landscape is difficult to navigate. This paper offers a synthesized overview of 65 circular design tools that uniformly describes the tools’ main attributes. The tools are categorized into five families to make it easier to navigate the tool landscape and identify tools for specific needs. The findings offer a useful resource for the research community as well as companies seeking to e.g. design for value retention and extended product lifetimes. Implications for tool developers and practitioners are highlighted, advocating for more effective utilization of existing tools and the alignment of future tool development with circular design practices. 

Previous research emphasises the importance of actor engagement in circular business model innovation processes. Both co-design and serious games have been advocated as approaches to engage with end-users. However, there is limited research focused on applying these approaches to circular business model innovation. This paper therefore explores the role users can play in co-design of circular business models and how games could be used to support such co-design. First, roles users can play in co-design of circular business models are identified through company interviews. Several characteristics for games that can support co-design of circular business models are then offered. Finally, four game concepts are presented to illustrate how games could facilitate co-design of circular business models.

The results suggest that by engaging with users in co-design, companies could gain insights which could serve as inputs to circular business model development. This includes learning about users' needs, preferences, and product use patterns. Users can also be invited to take part in ideating, testing, and validating existing and new products and services so that companies can identify opportunities for desirable and attractive offers. Furthermore, the differing directions of the presented game concepts show there are several ways to engage with users through game approaches. As the paper presents possible roles for users in codesign of circular economy and illustrates various ways this could be approached using games, the findings are expected to be relevant to researchers and practitioners who are interested to engage users in circular business model innovation.

It is no longer enough for businesses to strive to reduce their environmental impact. Recent literature argues that business models, and the product and service offerings that are part of them, must aim to improve planetary and societal wellbeing through regeneration. However, how to approach business model experimentation, and in particular the creation of product and service offerings, with a regenerative mindset is still underexplored. This paper therefore explores how designers can move towards creating regenerative products and services. It is based on an analysis of available scientific literature, but also grey literature, product and service examples and other initiatives. The analysis resulted in an initial framework for designers of regenerative products and services. First, seven foundations for regenerative products and services are presented. For each foundation, key shifts for designers are discussed to highlight what it takes to move from a degenerative mindset to a regenerative mindset. In addition, three opportunities for product and service designers are outlined; designing products, services and product-based systems that restore nature, harmonise with nature, and enable humans to co-evolve with nature. Design strategies are devised for each opportunity, drawing inspiration from existing examples. The initial framework presented in this paper can be a starting point for exploring regenerative product and service design as part of regenerative business model experimentation

Circular value propositions enable companies to build business models based on value preservation and circular resource flows. Circular value propositions also allow people to live more sustainably by facilitating increased utilization and resource efficiency. However, despite potential, transitions to circular business models remain low. One reason may be that circular value propositions are less attractive because they are often not developed with a user-centered approach and thus fail to meet people’s everyday needs. Through interviews with 13 companies and a literature study, this paper explores how companies consider user needs and involve users during development of circular value propositions. It also identifies conditions and actions that aid development of attractive circular offers. The findings are synthesized in a framework describing six enabling conditions and a definition of user-centered circular value propositions useful for circular economy practice and research. 

Longer product life – a threat to business, or a way towards long-term profitability and reduced environmental load? The vision of a circular economy proposes that companies can become more profitable and sustainable by adopting so-called circular practices. This aspiration has inspired many manufacturing companies to start their transition journey from a traditional linear to a more circular business by exploring how to close material flows, improve eco-efficiency, and utilise renewable energy. The opportunity to extend product lifetimes, however, remains underexplored although it has potential to contribute significant environmental benefits. Some may see longer product life as a threat to business since it may negatively affect sales of new products and profitability for companies dependent on linear business logic, especially for those that produce and sell products in large volumes. The idea of extended product lifetimes challenges traditional logics of designing for a reasonable lifetime or planned obsolescence. In this guide, we argue that longer product life can be a pathway towards long-term profitability and value capture within the limits of the planet. Emerging global trends also favor longer-lasting products. Upcoming legislation will put more pressure on manufacturers to enable repair, offer spare parts, and provide information about expected product life. More frequent material and component shortages as well as price volatility will make excessive material use less profitable. Rising global consumer awareness will also pressure companies to deliver longer-lasting products. In this guide, we present practical ways to design products for extended lifetimes that are suitable for circular business models, which have the potential to preserve and capture embedded values over time. We believe that companies that design, manufacture, or offer durable goods are the ones that can benefit the most from finding ways to extend product lifetimes. Companies that develop and offer fast-moving consumer goods or consumables can nevertheless also benefit from considering opportunities to increase longevity. This guide is for change agents who have already started or who want to take on the challenge of designing longer-lasting products and implementing circular business models. This includes designers and engineers, business and design managers, and those in top management that create enabling conditions so that products can be designed for longer lifetimes.

Widespread adoption of circular offerings, including those based on products with prolonged lifetimes, depend on offers which are attractive to users. To develop such offers, user needs must be considered in depth during the development process. Co-design is a promising approach to develop user-centered solutions but is yet underexplored when it comes to design of circular offerings. To facilitate co-design of circular offerings, games present one opportunity but have previously primarily been used to support understanding, creation, and learning in relation to circular economy. This paper explores how games can support co-design of user-centred circular offerings by presenting insights from an analysis of existing circularity-related games and summarizing insights from literature. Eight circularity-related games were played to identify benefits and drawbacks. Relevant literature was also reviewed to synthesise recommendations for a game aimed at supporting co-design of user-centred circular offerings. The results show none of the existing circularity-related games include a deep understanding of users’ needs and only a few go beyond mere learning and actually contribute to developing companies’ offerings. Identified recommendations suggest games will have higher potential to support co-design of user-centred circular offerings if they, for example, enable co-design with users and co-creation with multiple stakeholders in the business ecosystem, provide game elements that represent circular challenges and opportunities in a realistic and dynamic way, and create bridges from the game to the real world. Future game development should hence take such recommendations into account, while ensuring the developed games do not become too complicated to play.

This book is for anyone interested in designerly ways of creating preconditions for sustainable living, whether you’re a professional designer, a student, or simply curious. Sustainability through Everyday Designs takes a deeper look at the products, services, environments and systems we encounter in our daily lives and shows how they can be designed in a way that helps us live well within the limits of our planet. Sustainability through Everyday Designs presents different ways of creating such everyday designs by

• showcasing interconnected relationships between ways of living, design and sustainability

• introducing different approaches to understanding and intentionally designing for everyday sustainability guiding you on how to approach your particular design case

• deep diving into Activity-Centered Transformation, a way to design that embraces the complexity of the everyday.

Discover how deliberate design decisions can support us towards sustainable living, one design at a time.