Drive a clean mobility forward

Getting from A to B is one of the world's biggest contributors to both emissions and material use—and the Swedish situation is no different, with transport accounting for the largest share of emissions in the country. The vast majority of these emissions—94%—stem from road transport. While fossil fuel-powered vehicles are still largely the norm,[135] the use of renewable transport modes is prevalent, with Sweden maintaining the highest use of biofuels in the EU and one of the world's highest shares of electric vehicles. Swedes are also more willing to walk or take public transport than their European counterparts, with 476 out of 1,000 residents using a car—well below the EU average of 530. The transport sector has been somewhat well-addressed by policy: as part of Sweden's goal to reach net-zero by 2045, the county has set an ambitious target to cut domestic transport emissions by 70% within the next decade. Yet mobilisation towards this goal has had limited success: certain actions have proven positive, such as a ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars by 2030, subsidised electric transport and significant investment in mobility infrastructure, from bicycle routes to public transport. Yet, others stand to improve—improving logistics, for example.

In this 'what if' scenario, we model the impact of three interventions to cut mobility's hefty material footprint and drive its circularity upwards.

Impact on Sweden's circularity

Cutting vehicle usage and boosting efficiency would cut Sweden's material footprint by 3.5% and improve the Metric by 0.12 percentage points (including extractive waste) (0.16 percentage points excluding extractive waste). Other benefits would be abundant: from decreased emissions and improved air quality, to less noise and more room for green spaces. Supporting telework could also improve well-being, with one Swedish study finding that home-workers sleep more and have more leisure time with family [144]—and bring additional benefits for Swedish women, who have reported improved productivity and job satisfaction working from home.[145] Less cars on the road could cut costs for consumers, who would enjoy lower fuel bills, as well as on a macroeconomic level, where trade balance would improve due to a cut in fuel imports.[146] However, some rebound effects may crop up: a drop in fuel prices may result in increased driving for purposes other than commuting, for example.