Moberg, Åsa

Title

Assessment of media and communication from a sustainability perspective

Published in

PhD dissertation
Environmental Strategies Research – fms, Department of Urban Planning and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm 2010.
TRITA-SoM 2010-05
ISSN 1653-6126
ISRN KTH/SoM/10-05/SE
ISBN 978-97-7415-636-2

Abstract

This thesis aims to assess potential environmental impacts of media and communication and to contribute to the development of methods for sustainability assessment. Although the main focus is on printed and electronic media products and environmental impacts, a broader sector analysis is also included and social aspects are discussed. The thesis provides a review of different environmental assessment tools in order to better understand their relationships and the appropriateness of different tools in different situations. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to assess printed and electronic versions of newspapers, books and invoices. Results of the screening LCAs of newspapers and books indicate that when comparing printed and electronic versions there are benefits and drawbacks for both. For news and books read on e-reading devices with energy efficient e-ink screens, the main environmental impacts in the studies stemmed from the production of the device and partly from disposal, with the latter having the potential to reduce some environmental impacts through recycling of materials. However, there are data gaps regarding the production of the e-reading devices, most notably for the e-ink screen and the waste management of obsolete e-reading devices. Existing data on internet energy use are uncertain. The potential impacts from a hypothetical total change from paper invoices to electronic invoices in Sweden were assessed through a screening consequential LCA regarding greenhouse gas emissions and cumulative energy demand. The results indicate that emissions and energy demand could decrease as a result of a change. The screening LCAs performed indicate that users’ practices could substantially influence the environmental impacts. Key factors which can influence results and comparisons of printed and electronic media products are total use of electronic devices, total use of printed media, amount and type of paper, energy use of electronic devices, potential printing of electronic media, electricity mix, and the system boundaries set for the assessments.

To get a wider perspective, a sector study of the ICT sector and media sector concerning global greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use was performed. It was estimated that the contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 was roughly 1-2 % for each sector. To assess media and communication products from a sustainability perspective, social aspects should also be covered. The author participated in an international project group on social aspects and LCA, one outcome from which was guidelines for social LCA (S-LCA). In addition to providing guidance for S-LCA, another important role of the guidelines is to facilitate discussions, criticism and proposals for improvement and development of the methodology being developed.

The LCA and sector studies in this thesis are limited to direct and to some extent indirect environmental impacts. Further studies of the environmental impacts of more long-term changes in practices and potential structural changes, as well as potential social impacts, could provide important additional insights. This could increase the possibility of facilitating sustainable practices related to ICT and media.

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List of papers

Paper I
Finnveden G. and Moberg Å. (2005). Environmental systems
analysis methods – an overview. Journal of Cleaner Production 13:1165-
1173.

Paper II
Moberg Å., Johansson M., Finnveden G. and Jonsson A. (2010).
Printed and tablet e-paper newspaper from an environmental
perspective- a screening life cycle assessment. Environmental Impact
Assessment Review 30:3:177-191.

Paper III
Borggren C., Moberg Å. and Finnveden G. Books from an
environmental perspective – Part 1: Environmental impacts of paper
books sold in traditional and internet bookshops. Submitted to
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

Paper IV
Moberg Å., Borggren C. and Finnveden G. Books from an
environmental perspective – Part 2: e-books as an alternative to
paper books. Submitted to International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

Paper V
Moberg Å., Borggren C., Finnveden G. and Tyskeng S.
Environmental impacts of electronic invoicing. Accepted with
minor revisions by Progress in Industrial Ecology.

Paper VI
Malmodin J, Moberg Å, Lundén D, Finnveden G. and Lövehagen
N. Greenhouse gas emissions and operational electricity use in the
ICT and entertainment & media sectors. Submitted to Journal of
Industrial Ecology.

Paper VII
Benoit C., Norris G.A., Valdivia S., Ciroth A., Moberg Å., Bos U.,
Prakash S., Ugaya C. and Beck T. (2010). The Guidelines for Social
Life Cycle Assessment of products: Just in time! International Journal
of Life Cycle Assessment, Volume 15, Number 2.

Contact asa.moberg@abe.kth.se if you want to order a paper copy of the thesis!

Henriksson, Greger (KTH Centre for Sustainable Communications)
Kupersmidt, Judith (KTH Centre for Sustainable Communications)
Jorman, Sofia (Ericsson ConsumerLab)
Björn, Michael (Ericsson ConsumerLab)

Title

När kommer bussen? Realtidsinformation i mobilen via optiska taggar

Published in

Report from the KTH Centre for Sustainable Communications, Stockholm.
ISSN:1654-479X
TRITA-SUS 2010:1

Download report (in Swedish, excl appendices)

Benoît, C., Norris, G., Valdivia, S., Ciroth, A. Moberg, Å., Bos, U., Prakash, S. Ugaya, C., Beck, T.

Title

The guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products: just in time!

Published in

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. Springer Berlin/Heidelberg 2010.

Abstract

Purpose Authors of different sustainability journals, including authors of articles in past issues of the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment have acknowledged the rising interest and the pressing need for a social and socio-economic life cycle assessment methodology and identified challenges in its development and implementation. Social life cycle assessment (LCA) allows identification of key issues, assessing, and telling the story of social conditions in the production, use, and disposal of products. In this article, the United Nations Environment Programme/The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of Products will be presented.

Aim and scope The guidelines demystifies the assessment of product life cycle social impacts and presents an effective framework representing the consensus of an international group of experts leading research in this field. The guidelines complement those for environmental life cycle assessment and life cycle costing, and by doing so contribute to the full assessment of goods and services within the context of sustainable development. They enable a larger group of stakeholders to engage. Key aspects of the framework and the research needs identified in the guidelines will be summarized.

Conclusions In a globalized world where transparency and information occupies a predominant place and where consumers and companies reach out to shed light on both the brightest and the darkest side of the economy and, when applicable, transform its condition, social LCA brings strong value. At a moment where major companies and initiatives are going forward with using LCA and are trying to track and communicate about the social impacts of their products they are increasingly held accountable for the guidelines for social life cycle assessment arrive just in time to inform their efforts.

View article
DOI10.1007/s11367-009-0147-8

Kjelkerud, David

Title

Lost in the supermarket: Mobile applications for sustainable food consumption

Published in

Master Degree Project at KTH, Media Technology (CSC), Stockholm, 2010.

Abstract

Food production and consumption has a major impact on the environment. In the last years the awareness of this issue has been growing both in the media and among consumers. Research shows that 25% of Swedes’ greenhouse gas emissions come from food consumption. This thesis is concerned with how mobile technology can help individuals to change to sustainable eating habits, specifically through persuasive applications. The research is focused around two prototypes: Fisk.cc, a seafood buying guide and Green Recipes, a mobile cookbook with sustainable recipes. The applications were developed and tested during the research. The thesis discusses the design of mobile applications for sustainable eating from three aspects: Social interaction design in persuasive applications, Motivating users to change behavior and Need for environmental data. The report concludes with four questions that serve as guidelines for development.

The study was undertaken for the Persuasive Services Project. David Kjelkerud was supervised by Marko Turpeinen and Jorge Zapico.

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Gröna recept

Video demonstration of Gröna recept (In swedish)

Fisk.cc

Räsänen, Minna & Henriksson, Greger

Title

Workplace Location and ICTs Substituting Travel

Published in

Hallin, A., Karrbom Gustavsson, T. (ed.) (2010) Organizational Communication and Sustainable Development – ICTs for Mobility. Information Science Reference, IGI Global, Hershey.

Buy the book at IGI Global