Abstract:

In this chapter we take a look at some, primarily, environmental sustainability issues in Sweden. Sweden is in many aspects a rich country with high social and economic welfare and it usually comes out as a country that has handled environmental challenges well. However, from a consumption perspective, Swedish consumers are among the world leaders when it comes to metrics such as ecological footprint and carbon dioxide emissions per capita. By using two paradigmatic views, the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) and the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) we analyze sustainability in Sweden with a particular focus on energy use. We look at sustainability in the three broad areas of policies, corporate activities and consumption and in these areas we delve deeper into environmental sustainability issues concerning recycling and waste, energy efficiency, circular business models, sustainable consumer behaviors in relation to cars and transport, and responsible investments. We end the chapter by discussing implications for the future and the analytical framework and by developing a middle ground which we call ambiguous wavering.