Extended Producer Responsibility (ERP) is a form of product take-back regulation that requires the producers to manage their products at the end of life. By internalising the products? entire life cycle costs into the market price the ultimate objective of such regulations is to reduce the environmental burden from the products. This Master´s thesis seeks to examine if the total life cycle cost of a product actually is borne by the producer, and if not, predict who will then take this cost. This is done by analysing the market for take-back activities in three different categories of products; electrical and electronic equipment, cars and wind power stations.

Where is technology heading? And how will our behaviors towards these new innovations look? This project questions the direction of ?beyond smart? products, through scenarios within our everyday life. The work is both critical and speculative. Speculative in the sense that it is speculating in how a future scenario with ?beyond smart? products would look like.

Where is technology heading? And how will our behaviors towards these new innovations look? This project questions the direction of ?beyond smart? products, through scenarios within our everyday life. The work is both critical and speculative. Speculative in the sense that it is speculating in how a future scenario with ?beyond smart? products would look like.

Our common future involves many important challenges. People and nature need to improve the relationship in order to reach an ecologically sustainable development. In a society where consumption of products steadily increases, the consumer awareness about social and environmental issues connected to the products becomes an importent factor. More and more companies choose to work more actively with these issues and more and more products get labelled by some of the eco labelling organisations. From the cradle to the gate means that a study has been done on a part of a products life cycle.

The aim of this Master?s thesis was to find out more about the delimiting quality- and shelf-life parameters over time for liquid oat-based products. According to that, to present applicable subjective and objective shelf-life test approaches at accelerated conditions. The study aimed to gain a deeper knowledge concerning the general and accepted way of performing accelerated storage tests. This study focused especially on products, which suffer from quality failure caused by oxidation, such as liquid oat-based products.

Chemicals are everywhere in todays society, in humans, animals as well as nature, and they are difficult to avoid. The chemical industry is regarded to be the fastest growing industrial sector, accounting for ten percent of the global economy. A large amount of chemicals are used to produce hygiene products and cosmetics, products that in Sweden only are consumed in quantities of 110 tons per day. Researchers find it increasingly difficult to determine which chemicals that are dangerous and which that are safe, and how they might affect us in the long run. Correlations have been found between chemicals, diseases and other health effects such as cancer, allergies, reproductive and endocrine disorders.

Sustainable beef and milk consumption. The consumption of beef and dairy products in Sweden is high. A lot of greenhouse gases are emitted from the production of these products. The production of beef in Sweden has decreased but the import has increased. The number of dairy cows has decreased while beef-production with suckler-cows has increased in Sweden.

Chemicals are everywhere in todays society, in humans, animals as well as nature, and they are difficult to avoid. The chemical industry is regarded to be the fastest growing industrial sector, accounting for ten percent of the global economy. A large amount of chemicals are used to produce hygiene products and cosmetics, products that in Sweden only are consumed in quantities of 110 tons per day. Researchers find it increasingly difficult to determine which chemicals that are dangerous and which that are safe, and how they might affect us in the long run. Correlations have been found between chemicals, diseases and other health effects such as cancer, allergies, reproductive and endocrine disorders.

The behaviour of consumers has changed rapidly during the last decade, and a healthy lifestyle and an environmental mindset has become part of everyday life. This is also something that has become prominent in the supermarkets, where the organic products are increasingly winning shelf space. Several consumer behaviour studies have shown that the attitudes towards organic products and labels are predominantly positive. According to traditional marketing theory, these kind of attitudes should affect consumers? purchase intentions in a positive manner, as well as the actual purchase behavior.

Background: The Swedish life-insurance business has been extensively criticised lately due to broken promises to customers as well as due to scandals that some companies within the business have been involved in. The companies within the Swedish life-insurance business find themselves in a so- called crisis of confidence, something that is created in and by media. A company that finds itself in a crisis of confidence somehow have to manage the situation and crises of confidence can also result in different kinds of changes. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to explore and analyse how individual life- insurance companies manage crises of confidence. As a consequence, the aim is also to investigate in what way crises of confidence are initiators to change.

Background: The Swedish life-insurance business has been extensively criticised lately due to broken promises to customers as well as due to scandals that some companies within the business have been involved in. The companies within the Swedish life-insurance business find themselves in a so- called crisis of confidence, something that is created in and by media. A company that finds itself in a crisis of confidence somehow have to manage the situation and crises of confidence can also result in different kinds of changes. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to explore and analyse how individual life- insurance companies manage crises of confidence. As a consequence, the aim is also to investigate in what way crises of confidence are initiators to change.

A woman is dying of cancer, she refuses to use her walking aid. Because she is embarrassed. This means she can?t leave her house, and her last days become very limited.Why do we act like this?Can the view we have of products adapted for disabled be changed by working with colour, texture, form and materials?There are many products adapted for disabled, the products often have a good function and well developed ergonomic aspects but the visual aspect leaves a lot to wish for. There is neither effort nor money put in to the exterior design of most of these products.A lot of the solutions that are invented for adapted products can be used in design of ?regular? products.Why should we then divide products in to adapted and non-adapted.

This master thesis aims to investigate and quantify the potential associated with increasing the usage of edible by-products as food for human consumption on the Swedish market. The main emphasis is on the Swedish production of offal and the obstacles that currently inhibit greater usage of these products as foods.The results indicate that the Swedish market for offal is limited. Only a small amount of the edible by-products that are produced in Sweden every year are consumed as foods and a considerable amount seem to be downgraded into animal feed or thrown away. The utilization of these products is restricted by economical, technical, legal, and cultural factors that all need to be taken into consideration. On the whole, large-scale slaughter plants seem to be more inclined to utilize these products effectively, as the profit from doing so increases proportionately to the produced volumes.

The background to the work bases on the consumers view around Swedish and foreign meat products, and how the attitude around the meat products is pursued in the shops. The consumers request high meat quality and security . Many consumers value local produced and ecological meat products but the price is too high. We have done verbal interviews with consumers on three different shops, where we asked questions and had dialogues around Swedish meat products where the consumers have told us their arguments and opinions about Swedish and foreign meat. The result shows that the majority of consumers consider that it is important to know that meat is produce in Sweden.

Balcony Art is an idea for a new kind of furniture group for those who have limited space on their balcony. This report will discuss conceptual and part of primary construction of the chair and table for use on balconies, how the products developed from an idea to primary, preliminary products.In the conceptual design part, the report will discuss how product requirements and specifications are developed and how these controls the design.In the primary construction, the report will discuss the products journey from sketch to functional CAD models and how the products of individual parts are designed and how the durability calculations affect the design..