Styrmedel och andra insatser för att minska svensk konsumtions påverkan på hälsa och miljö i andra länder

The report assesses how Sweden can mitigate the global environmental and health footprints of its consumption. It identifies key 'hotspots'—specifically electronics from China and soy from Brazil—and proposes a mix of economic, administrative, informative, and collaborative tools. The authors argue that while many ideas exist, there is a lack of political action and a need for systemic change, such as shifting toward a circular economy and adjusting tax systems, rather than relying solely on individual consumer choices or isolated production improvements.

• Sweden's global environmental footprint is increasing due to rising consumption, despite improvements in the resource efficiency of domestic production.
• The report identifies electronics from China and soy from Brazil as significant 'hotspots' where Swedish consumption causes substantial negative environmental and health effects in the production phase.
• There is a perceived lack of political will and decisive action regarding consumption-based environmental impacts, driven by liberal ideologies limiting state intervention and the short-term political costs of consumption-reducing measures.
• The authors argue that relying on individual consumer choices or isolated production improvements is insufficient; instead, long-term systemic changes are required to avoid exceeding planetary boundaries.
• Proposed systemic economic interventions include adjusting the VAT (moms) system to be more environmentally differentiated and introducing new excise taxes on resource-intensive goods like meat.
• Administrative tools at the EU level, such as the RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), are highlighted as effective models that could be expanded to other product groups like textiles and toys.
• Swedish 'rådighet' (capacity to act) is limited by EU regulations and international trade agreements, making strategic bilateral cooperation and multilateral diplomacy essential paths for influence.
• The report recommends that the Swedish government establish a clear action plan with rotating responsibility across multiple departments (Finance, Trade, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Environment) to ensure a holistic approach to sustainable consumption.
• The PRINCE research project (2015-2017), led by Statistics Sweden, aims to develop indicators to systematically measure and monitor the effects of Swedish consumption in other countries using Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) analysis.

APA

Persson, L., Persson, Å., & Nykvist, B. (2015). Styrmedel och andra insatser för att minska svensk konsumtions påverkan på hälsa och miljö i andra länder. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei-2015-workingpaperswedishconsumption.pdf

Chicago

Persson, Linn, Åsa Persson, and Björn Nykvist. Styrmedel och andra insatser för att minska svensk konsumtions påverkan på hälsa och miljö i andra länder. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei-2015-workingpaperswedishconsumption.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Persson |first1=Linn |last2=Persson |first2=Åsa |last3=Nykvist |first3=Björn |title=Styrmedel och andra insatser för att minska svensk konsumtions påverkan på hälsa och miljö i andra länder |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei-2015-workingpaperswedishconsumption.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{persson2015styrmedel, author = {Persson, Linn and Persson, Åsa and Nykvist, Björn}, title = {{Styrmedel och andra insatser för att minska svensk konsumtions påverkan på hälsa och miljö i andra länder}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sei-2015-workingpaperswedishconsumption.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }