Strategic Sustainable Development
The research in strategic sustainable development at BTH focuses on providing companies, municipalities and other organisations with methodological support for working strategically with sustainability.
The aim is to help organisations contribute to the societal transition in a way that simultaneously strengthens their own operations.
The research has been rated as excellent and internationally leading by several independent experts.
Strategic sustainability thinking in the innovation process
Researchers study how sustainability aspects can be integrated into the strategic work of organisations, for example, in:
- Defining sustainability - what does sustainability mean in different contexts?
- Strategic planning - how can sustainability be considered when developing plans and business models?
- User needs and criteria - how to identify requirements and expectations linked to sustainability?
- Idea and concept development - how to create and evaluate sustainable solutions?
- Sustainable procurement and communication - how to integrate sustainability throughout the value chain?
Supporting sustainability thinking early in the innovation process is a key part of the research, as it is in the initial phases that the opportunities are greatest to develop solutions that are both sustainable and commercially beneficial. The tools used to make informed decisions include
- Modelling and simulation of technical, business and socio-ecological impacts.
- Coordinated analysis to identify the most sustainable options.
Research areas in strategic sustainable development
The research covers several topical areas, including
- Social sustainability - further development of definitions and methods.
- Sustainable product and service development - methods for creating more sustainable solutions.
- Sustainable procurement and value chain management - strategies for sustainable purchasing and supply chains.
- Sustainable energy and transport system development - research on future energy supply and transport
- Sustainable municipal and regional development - how cities and regions can be developed with sustainability in focus.
- Sustainable food system development - strategies for more sustainable food production and distribution.
BTH's research and education in strategic sustainable development attracts partners and students from all over the world and contributes to a more sustainable future.
Professor Göran Broman presents the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development FSSD. The movie is in English.
Basic methodology for strategic sustainable development
The research in strategic sustainable development at BTH includes both the further development of an overall methodology and the development of more specific decision support methods for different application areas.
The structuring and cohesive basic methodology is called Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD ) and contains:
- A principled definition of socio-ecological sustainability - a science-based understanding of sustainability.
- Strategic guidelines - guidance on how companies and organisations can contribute to sustainable societal development in an economically viable way.
Currently, the research focus is on further developing the definition of social sustainability within the FSSD.
Research in strategic sustainable development is mainly conducted at the Department of Strategic Sustainable Development.
What is social sustainability?
Watch the video with Professor Karl-Henrik Robèrt on what social sustainability means. He talks about the five basic principles of social sustainability.
”…BTH has gained an excellent international recognition for its support to strategic sustainable development … has an excellent, uniquely large, incomparable and extraordinary well-established national and international network … Overall, this is an excellent research group performing excellent results.”
Independent external team of expert reviewers, 2013
“BTH is internationally leading in research on how organisations such as companies and municipalities can work strategically with sustainable development…”
Lars-Erik Liljelund, CEO, MISTRA
Collaborations with other areas
A large part of our research focuses on developing FSSD-based decision support methodology with a special focus on sustainable product and service innovation. We are one of the key actors within BTH's Center for Sustainable Product-Service System Innovation (SPIRIT) and collaborate closely with the Product Development Research Lab (PDRL) as well as other researchers at BTH and international universities.
A key research focus is to integrate strategic sustainability thinking in the early phases of the innovation process, where the opportunities to influence the ecological and social footprint of a product or service are greatest. Already at these stages, it is crucial to:
- Model and simulate different solution options.
- Analyse technical, business and socio-ecological impacts.
- Identify the most sustainable options for further development.
We also collaborate in areas such as energy systems, transportation systems and regional development. BTH is a coordinating partner in The Alliance for Strategic Sustainable Development, where research groups at several international universities, with support from BTH, integrate FSSD with their specialised areas.
A broad innovation perspective
We see innovation as something that goes beyond technology. Renewal is needed at multiple levels, for example:
- Organisation and collaboration in value chains - how companies, municipalities and other actors work together.
- Leadership and strategies - how businesses can proactively drive sustainable development.
The aim of our methodology development is to broaden the perspective from a traditional reactive approach - where organisations respond to known environmental problems - to a proactive and strategic approach, where actors work together to reduce the gap to a fully sustainable society.
Several awards
The research in strategic sustainable development at BTH has received great attention and has been rewarded with several prestigious awards, both in the academic world and from business and society.
Among the awards are:
- The Business Award for Sustainable Leadership
- The Blue Planet Prize - often called the Nobel Prize of sustainability
- The Global Social Responsibility Laureate Medal
- Finalist nominations for The Globe Sustainability Research Award
These awards recognise the high quality of research and its importance for the sustainable development of society.
"BTH conducts world-leading research and education in strategic sustainable development and sustainable product innovation. The work is of great value to business and society. The knowledge and methodology developed and communicated provide good guidance for investment and product development decisions."
Leif Johansson, Chairman Ericsson
Funders and partners
Examples of financiers: The Swedish Energy Agency, FUTURA, the Knowledge Foundation, MISTRA, the Swedish District Heating Association, VINNOVA and project partners such as companies, municipalities, county administrative boards, regional associations and others. We have a total of about 70 project partners including several world-leading companies and most municipalities in southeastern Sweden.
Examples of academic partners: Arizona State University, Brunel University, Carnegie Mellon University, Technical University of Denmark, Federal University of Amazonas, University of Gothenburg, School of Business, KTH, Linköping University and Stockholm University.
