Swedish municipalities have large potential to advance sustainable consumption

The document examines the role of Swedish municipalities in promoting sustainable consumption, finding that while over 60% work systematically on the issue, they are hindered by limited financial resources, staff capacity, and a lack of clear national guidance. It highlights the potential of sustainable procurement and data-driven monitoring, while recommending stronger national coordination and long-term local action plans.

• A majority of Swedish municipalities are actively addressing sustainable consumption, with over 60% of 119 surveyed municipalities reporting systematic work integrated into strategies or action plans, and another 23% planning to do so.
• Municipal efforts are primarily concentrated on food, transport, energy, and waste within their own operations, relying heavily on informative and administrative tools rather than economic instruments.
• Public procurement is a significant lever for sustainable consumption, as municipalities conducted nearly 70% of all public procurements in Sweden in 2017, yet the process is hampered by complexity and a lack of expertise.
• While municipalities value consumption data and indicators for monitoring impact and gaining political support, they currently lack the necessary skills and methods to monitor overall consumption impacts.
• The primary obstacles to advancing sustainable consumption at the local level are a lack of financial resources, limited staff capacity, and insufficient national direction and political support.
• Internal 'local champions' and inter-departmental cooperation are critical for driving sustainable consumption agendas, though such work remains relatively unstructured and not fully integrated across all municipalities.

APA

Dawkins, E., Axelsson, K., André, K., Swartling, Å. G., & Eriksson, A. (n.d.). Swedish municipalities have large potential to advance sustainable consumption. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210319a-dawkins-unlock-pb-2102a-1.pdf

Chicago

Dawkins, Elena, Katarina Axelsson, Karin André, Åsa Gerger Swartling, and Aina Eriksson. Swedish municipalities have large potential to advance sustainable consumption. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210319a-dawkins-unlock-pb-2102a-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dawkins |first1=Elena |last2=Axelsson |first2=Katarina |last3=André |first3=Karin |last4=Swartling |first4=Åsa Gerger |last5=Eriksson |first5=Aina |title=Swedish municipalities have large potential to advance sustainable consumption |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210319a-dawkins-unlock-pb-2102a-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dawkinsndswedish, author = {Dawkins, Elena and Axelsson, Katarina and André, Karin and Swartling, Åsa Gerger and Eriksson, Aina}, title = {{Swedish municipalities have large potential to advance sustainable consumption}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/210319a-dawkins-unlock-pb-2102a-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }